Trump wins North Dakota caucuses, resuming march to nomination
Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley in the North Dakota Republican caucuses Monday, according to the Associated Press, as he resumed his march to the nomination after a victory by Haley in the Washington, D.C., primary the day before.
Trump received more than 84% of the vote, according to the AP, an overwhelming victory that awarded the former president all 29 of the state’s delegates because he earned more than 60% of the vote.
Turnout was very low in this election. Just under 2,000 votes have been counted. The numbers are not directly comparable, but the Democratic caucuses in North Dakota tallied more than 14,000 votes in 2020, and North Dakota is a deep-red state.
Trump now has 273 delegates. Haley has 43.
The contest resumed Haley’s string of defeats in the nominating contests, most by double-digit margins, beginning with the Iowa caucuses in January and continuing through the Michigan primary last Tuesday.
Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, had briefly interrupted her losing streak with a victory in the nation’s capital, winning about 63% of the vote Sunday. The contest was small — just over 2,000 Republicans voted in the overwhelmingly Democratic city — but awarded Haley 19 delegates, nearly doubling her total.
But it is unclear if Haley can win any of the coming state contests. North Dakota was the last state to hold a nominating contest before Super Tuesday, when 15 states will hold Republican primaries and caucuses that will distribute about one-third of all delegates. Trump leads by wide margins in polls both nationally and in states that will vote Tuesday. Recent polls in Texas, for example, show Trump with about 80% support.
While Trump won’t be able to clinch the nomination on Super Tuesday, a strong performance could put him very close to the majority of delegates he needs. If Haley doesn’t win some states soon, Trump could secure the nomination by the end of March.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.