Washington, March 3 (Xinhua): Nikki Haley, the ex-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, won the Republican presidential primary in Washington, D.C., beating former U.S. President Donald Trump. This victory is her first in the party’s nomination race.
Washington, a predominantly Democratic city with a limited number of registered Republicans, reported that Haley won on Sunday with just 22,000 votes.
She achieved her initial triumph over the ex-president in the 2024 battle to secure the Republican presidential nomination.
She was defeated in South Carolina, her state of residence. She is the first woman to secure a victory in a Republican primary in the history of the United States.
CBS, the BBC’s US partner, states that Ms. Haley will be awarded all 19 Republican delegates available in Washington, DC, bringing her total to 43 delegates overall, significantly fewer than Mr. Trump’s 247.
Olivia Perez-Cubas, the national spokesperson for Ms. Haley’s campaign, stated that it is not unexpected for Republicans, who are closely associated with the dysfunction in Washington, to be turning away from Donald Trump and his chaotic behavior.
The former US ambassador to the UN, Ms. Haley, received 62.9% of the vote, while Mr. Trump got 33.2%.
The victory is mostly symbolic, given that the capital city has a strong Democratic-leaning population, with approximately 23,000 registered Republicans.
Local party authorities said that 2,035 Republicans took part in the primary election.