CNN
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Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to win the Republican presidential primary in Washington, D.C., after three days of voting at a downtown hotel, the party's only capital polling location, CNN reports. ing.
Haley's first primary victory came on the eve of what is expected to be a decisive week in the Republican primary, in a last-ditch effort as the race becomes national. Former President Donald Trump has dominated all other early nomination contests and is poised to collect even more delegates on Super Tuesday.
“It's no surprise that the Republicans closest to Washington's dysfunction reject Donald Trump and all of his chaos,” Haley press secretary Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. It touted the former governor as the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary.
Although Haley's win was her first, it wasn't a huge surprise. Many in Washington believed this district represented her best, and perhaps only, chance to win in her primary. Mr. Trump's dominance of the Republican Party in the nation's capital, which numbers about 22,000 registered voters, does not fully reflect his dominance nationally. Trump won the 2020 primary unopposed, but she finished third in the 2016 election cycle. Haley held an event with local Republican leaders on Friday, a clear sign of optimism.
In a statement, the Trump campaign tried to turn Haley's victory into a defeat.
“Tonight's results in Washington, D.C., reaffirm the purpose of President Trump's campaign: He will drain the swamp and put America First,” said President Trump's press secretary, Caroline Leavitt. I guess so,” he said. “The swamp has claimed the queen.”
Republicans will now largely forget about Washington, at least in the next general election. In 2020, Biden won with over 92% of the vote. The district has never supported a Republican presidential candidate. The Republican high water mark came in 1972, when Richard Nixon won just over 21% of the vote in a landslide re-election.
This story has been updated with additional responses.
