Nikki Haley wins District of Columbia’s Republican primary, gets first 2024 victory

Nikki Haley has emerged victorious in the Republican primary held in the District of Columbia, marking her inaugural triumph of the 2024 campaign season. This win, announced on Sunday, temporarily disrupts Donald Trump’s dominance in the GOP voting contests, albeit Trump is poised to amass additional delegates in the forthcoming Super Tuesday races.

Despite facing setbacks earlier in the campaign, Haley reaffirmed her commitment to continue vying for the nomination, emphasizing her intention to contest through the upcoming primary battles. Notwithstanding her reluctance to pinpoint specific primaries where she anticipated victory, Haley remained resolute in offering voters an alternative to Trump, underscoring the need for diverse voices within the party.

The declaration of Haley’s victory came Sunday night following the release of results by D.C. Republican Party officials, with Haley securing all 19 delegates at stake. Notably, Washington, D.C., predominantly leans Democratic, boasting a relatively small Republican electorate of approximately 23,000 registered voters. In the 2020 general election, Democrat Joe Biden overwhelmingly carried the district with 92% of the vote.

Ahead of her triumph, Haley convened a rally in the nation’s capital on Friday before shifting her focus to North Carolina and other states hosting Super Tuesday primaries. Addressing a gathering of over 100 supporters, Haley expressed determination to engage with voters across the spectrum, emphasizing the importance of outreach and dialogue in her campaign strategy.

While articulating her conservative principles on the campaign trail, Haley has demonstrated appeal among moderate and independent-leaning constituencies. Notably, a significant portion of Haley’s supporters in South Carolina’s GOP primary identified as moderates, contrasting with Trump’s predominantly conservative base, according to AP VoteCast data.

Trump’s performance in previous D.C. primaries has varied, with an uncontested victory in 2020 contrasted by a distant third-place finish in 2016 behind Marco Rubio and John Kasich. Historically, more centrist Republican candidates, including Mitt Romney and John McCain, have secured victories in the city’s primaries en route to securing the GOP nomination.