Nikki Haley clinched her inaugural victory in the Republican presidential primary held in Washington DC on Sunday. This triumph marks a significant moment for Haley’s campaign, which faces an uphill battle against the formidable force of Donald Trump.
Nikki Haley secured her first victory in the 2024 campaign by winning the Republican primary in Washington DC. This symbolic win interrupts Donald Trump’s prevailing momentum in the GOP voting contests. Despite Trump’s anticipated success in the forthcoming Super Tuesday contests, Haley garnered all 19 delegates available in Washington DC, marking a significant achievement as she strives to provide a viable alternative to Trump’s campaign.
Washington, D.C., is predominantly a Democratic stronghold, with a relatively small population of registered Republicans. According to CNN, there are approximately 22,000 registered Republicans in the nation’s capital. Despite this, Nikki Haley’s victory in the Republican presidential primary on Sunday stands as a significant achievement, especially considering her underdog status in the race against Donald Trump.
Nikki Haley secured an impressive 63% of the votes in the Republican presidential primary held at a downtown hotel in Washington DC.
In the 2020 election, Joe Biden, who was then a candidate, secured an impressive 92 percent of the votes in the state of Washington.
“It’s not surprising that Republicans closest to Washington dysfunction are rejecting Donald Trump and all his chaos,” Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement that touted the former governor as the first woman to win a GOP
Trump’s campaign in turn released what it called a “statement on Nikki Haley Being Crowned Queen of The Swamp.”
“Tonight’s results in Washington DC reaffirm the object of President Trump’s campaign — he will drain the swamp and put America first,” the statement said.
The Super Tuesday milestone is anticipated to bring Donald Trump within a whisker of clinching the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. He has prevailed in all the early state primaries.
Super Tuesday is viewed as the final opportunity for Haley to disrupt the former president’s path toward reclaiming the party’s standard-bearer position, competing against Biden.
ALSO READ | US Senate passes stopgap funding bill to avert government shutdown