Ahead of his CNN town hall participation on Wednesday night, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio received the endorsement of Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, will formally announce her endorsement of Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, during a South Carolina event. According to an advisory from Rubio's campaign on Tuesday, the Florida senator had planned a rally with special guest Connor Shaw at 6 p.m. in Chapin, South Carolina -- although the advisory did not list Haley's attendance.

Haley's endorsement may not have been a big surprise. The governor was selected by the Republican National Committee to deliver the State of the Union response last month, which she used to speak, indirectly, against Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump. Haley's speech said that despite the threats and anxious times, Americans must resist temptation to "follow the siren call of the angriest voices."

"In many parts of society today, whether in popular culture, academia, the media, or politics, there's a tendency to falsely equate noise with results. Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference," said Haley on Jan. 12. "That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference. Of course that doesn't mean we won't have strong disagreements. We will. And as we usher in this new era, Republicans will stand up for our beliefs."

Haley would later reveal Trump was a focus in her State of the Union remarks. She told NBC, "He was one of them, yes. Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk,"

The endorsement comes just days before South Carolinians are set to visit their local precincts for the state's primary election. Based on RealClearPolitics' average of four polls conducted between Feb. 14 and Feb. 16 in South Carolina, Rubio polled third behind Trump (34.3 percent) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (16.5 percent).

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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