Republican Response to State of the Union address
President Barack Obama will give his eighth State of the Union address January 12.
The State of the Union address is a message from the president to Congress, usually given once a year in January or February. It is customary for the party not in control of the White House to speak in response to the president's address, and the honor is usually given to a lawmaker who is gaining stature in that party.
Here are the previous Republicans who have given the GOP response during Obama's tenure:
February 24, 2009: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
January 27, 2010: Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell
January 25, 2011: U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, who is now Speaker of the House
January 24, 2012: Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels
February 12, 2013: Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is now running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.
January 28, 2014: U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state
January 20, 2015: U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa
January 12, 2016: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
Sources: The White House, American Presidency Project