South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) said Monday she is not satisfied with the message that the crop of GOP presidential hopefuls has brought to her state.



Haley — a rising star in the party and governor of a key early primary state — said that potential presidential candidates should craft a more positive message rather than just laying out the case against President Obama or describing their path to victory.

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"A lot of what bothers me with where the presidential politics right now is that I don't want to hear about how awful President Obama is right now," she said on conservative talker Laura Ingraham's radio show. "I want to hear what they are going to do different."



The Tea Party favorite's comments are a rare warning from a GOP governor against the group of potential candidates, especially considering that some of them are Haley's gubernatorial colleagues.

Several potential GOP candidates have visited the Palmetto State during the early stages of the campaign and the state will host the first GOP presidential primary debate next week, featuring former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer.

Haley had a piece of advice for the candidates in advance of the debate.



"There is a group … that has come through South Carolina. They are trying to tell me how they are going to win. I don't care how they are going to win, I want to know how they are going to fix our country."