HE'S WHO THEY MODEL THEMSELVES ON:

Back in 2010, when the governor of South Carolina was merely "Nikki Who?," running behind in a four-person Republican primary with her top supporter mired in scandal, Jeb Bush gave her some advice.

"Everything had blown up and I was trying to figure out what to do," Gov. Nikki Haley said in an interview Saturday with reporters from The Washington Post. "I just asked what he thought I should do, and he said, 'You know, consultants are going to tell you to stay on the phone and raise money. But what I'll tell you is go out and touch every hand you can.'"

Haley followed Bush's counsel, and the rest is history. Later that year, after she was elected, she called Bush, a former Florida governor, for advice on setting up an administration. Then when she tackled education reform, she called again. "Can you save me a couple of steps?" Haley recalled asking Bush. "He said, 'If you do anything, make sure your kids can read.'"

Now it's Bush who will be seeking Haley's help. As he weighs a run for president in 2016, South Carolina is poised to again be the first primary in the South, and Haley figures to be one of the state's prized endorsers.

In the interview, Haley said she has no plans yet to back any candidate. "I think what I'll do is watch," she said. But Haley was particularly complimentary of the governors in the emerging field, including Bush.

"I think that the party would be better off if there were somebody that understood what it meant to get things done," Haley said. "So that primarily has been governors, and it is why I'm a fan of governors. You know, I can't stand the talk. I can't stand the political speak. I want somebody that's going to fight for me. I want somebody that's going to do something."

Follow @brothersjudd