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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who rose to national prominence with the help of the Tea Party in last year's midterms, threw her support behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Friday, less than six weeks until the Palmetto State primary.

The governor endorsed Romney during an interview on "Fox and Friends," calling him "somebody who is not part of the chaos that is Washington. What I wanted was someone who knew what it was like to turn broken companies around, and someone who had proven results by improving failed Olympics that ended up being a great success story." In a statement released by the Romney campaign, Haley described the former governor as the right candidate to take on President Obama.

Romney named Haley a co-chair of his national steering committee and called her "a successful businesswoman who entered public service so government could better serve the people." They will appear together at a rally in Greenville, S.C., later today and will hold town hall meetings in Charleston and Myrtle Beach on Saturday.

Haley's support could offer a valuable boost for Romney as he looks to reassure Republicans about his conservative credentials, especially as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich leads him by double digits in recent polls of the state. Her endorsement was much coveted not only because she brings along with her Tea Party support but also because South Carolina has correctly picked the Republican nominee in each presidential election since 1980. Haley said she spoke with each of the candidates running for the GOP nod -- except for Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who she said didn't reach out to her.

"You put all these candidates together, and you've got one perfect candidate," she said on the Fox News morning program. "But you're never going to have a perfect candidate. So what you do is, you look at the times of the day, you look at what we need in the country, and you say . . . let's get behind the person and let's make this happen."

Haley's backing of Romney isn't entirely a surprise: She supported his first presidential bid in 2008 when she was a state legislator. Romney returned the favor last year by endorsing her before the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary. Sarah Palin later got behind Haley, pushing her onto the national stage. She's since been seen as a rising GOP star making waves outside an unpopular Washington.

At the Republican Governors Association conference last month, Haley pledged to endorse a candidate before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. South Carolina will weigh in on the Republican White House candidates on Jan. 21.