The Hill News

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has sat back during the high-stakes fight in Congress over whether to raise the debt ceiling.

Haley, the conservative rock star, hasn't taken an active role in pressing members of the state's delegation one way or the other on the plan put forth by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), on which Republicans are hoping to vote Friday.

The governor's office said it wasn't aware of any contact between Haley and members of the congressional delegation, which has developed into a key bloc of votes, especially in the House, in determining the fate of the Boehner plan.

And several offices of Republican members of the South Carolina delegation said they haven't heard anything from Haley, either, beyond the op-ed she co-authored with Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) i! n support of the "cut, cap and balance" plan pushed by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

It's not as though Haley's been afraid of staking out a position on national issues, but she's been careful in how she engages.

That said, a number of other conservative governors â€" including GOP heavyweights â€" have been willing to stake out a position on the Boehner plan. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), both erstwhile presidential candidates, have endorsed the Boehner plan.

South Carolina is particularly vulnerable, though, to economic harm if the government defaults on its debt because no deal is reached by Aug. 2. Moody's, one of the major ratings agencies, placed the state's bonds on a watch list for risk ! of downg rade if the federal government doesn't reach a deal. Haley met this week with officials from the ratings agency.

All members of the South Carolina delegation have held firm against the Boehner plan so far, but that could change Friday after the tweaks made overnight by members of the Republican leadership to make it more palatable.

"I think we made progress last night," Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said Friday morning on CNN, who predicted passage today. Gowdy did not say, though, that he had changed his vote at all.