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In a letter making an endorsement for governor, South Carolina's first lady said her family was 'resilient' in the face of recent challenges.

(CNN) – In a letter released Wednesday, Jenny Sanford, the wife of embattled South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, said she and her family are persevering after a difficult year in which her husband admitted to an extramarital affair. And South Carolina's first lady endorsed Republican Nikki Haley's candidacy to be the state's next governor.

Haley, a South Carolina legislator and an ally of Gov. Sanford, is one of five Republicans who have formally announced bids to replace Jenny Sanford's husband.

In the letter to Haley's supporters, Sanford praised her husband's tenure as governor.

"I'm proud of the work Mark and his Administration have done over almost seven years now, trying very hard to move the ball forward on [growing the economy, improving public schools, and reforming government]."

Sanford also praises Haley as "principled, conservative, tough, and smart."

"So when I'm asked my wish for South Carolina's future, my wish is for a leader of state government like Nikki Haley," Sanford writes.

"And there's one other thing," Sanford writes before broaching the subject of her family's challenges in the last year.

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COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) – South Carolina State Rep. Nikki Haley, who has been widely viewed as both as a supporter of Gov. Mark Sanford and his likely pick as his replacement in next year's gubernatorial race, joined the chorus of Republican voices Wednesday urging the GOP governor to consider resignation.

"For the past five years I have worked with Mark Sanford trying to restructure our backward system of government and make our state more accountable and taxpayer-friendly. During that time I have also been fortunate to know Jenny, and have developed a tremendous admiration and respect for her. In the context of those two things, there are no words to describe the disappointment I feel over the revelations of the past week.

"The people of South Carolina have heard enough about the governor's personal life. We do not need to hear any more of that. What we do need to hear from the governor is an explanation as to how he can lead our state going forward. He has a responsibility to outline what he wants to accomplish over the next 18 months and how he intends to accomplish it. I remain willing to listen to that case, but if he cannot make it convincingly, then he must move on."

Because of her close ties to Sanford - both take advice from the same Washington-based political consultant, Jon Lerner - Haley has been forced to walk a fine line in responding to the Sanford scandal.

After news of Sanford's affair broke last week, Haley's campaign team was caught removing a large photo of Sanford from her Web site - a move that was quickly seized upon by her Republican rivals in the 2010 race.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) - South Carolina state Rep. Nikki Haley, a 2010 Republican gubernatorial hopeful and key ally of Mark Sanford in the state house, removed a large photo of Sanford from her campaign Web site on Wednesday just hours before the governor admitted to an extramarital affair.

Since mid-May, Haley's Web site featured a banner-like photo of the governor. Below the picture was a quote from Sanford describing Haley "a terrific and inspiring choice as governor."

While Sanford hasn't formally endorsed a candidate in next year's crowded GOP primary, Haley is widely thought to be his top choice.

Just before noon on Wednesday, the entire graphic was scrubbed from the site. Neither Haley nor her aides responded when asked about the quick re-design.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has a protege of sorts in the race to succeed him.

(CNN) – One of Mark Sanford's top political allies is entering the race to succeed him as South Carolina governor.

Rep. Nikki Haley, a 37-year-old third-term state representative from Lexington, announced her bid on Thursday and immediately signaled that she will assume the Sanford mantle of fiscal conservatism.

"For more than five years I've sat in the statehouse and watched - sometimes in disbelief - as our state government has spent with abandon and in the process wasted taxpayer dollar after taxpayer dollar," Haley said in a statement.

In the state house, she has been a loyal backer of Sanford's small-government initiatives, proposals which have often irked other Republican lawmakers. Haley also plans to hire Sanford's Washington-based political consultant, Jon Lerner, to run her campaign.

Haley became the first Indian-American Republican state legislator in the country in 2004 after winning a nasty primary runoff that featured an anonymous mail attack calling attention to her non-white heritage.

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