In the run-up to the upcoming presidential election in the United States, Republican leader Nikki Haley has won the Republican primary in the District of Columbia, marking her first victory of the 2024 campaign. Her victory at least temporarily halts Donald Trump's continuous success in the GOP voting contests. However, Trump is expected to accrue several hundred more delegates in the upcoming Super Tuesday races this week.
Haley confident of being in race
Despite her early losses, Haley has said she would remain in the race at least through those contests, although she has declined to name any primary she felt confident she would win. Following last week's loss in her home state of South Carolina, Haley remained adamant that voters in the places that followed deserved an alternative to Trump despite his dominance so far in the campaign.
Washington, known as one of the most predominantly Democratic areas in the country, boasts approximately 23,000 registered Republicans within the city limits. In the 2020 general election, Democrat Joe Biden secured a staggering 92 per cent of the vote in the district. Before embarking on her campaign trail across states holding Super Tuesday primaries, Nikki Haley conducted a rally in the nation's capital on Friday (March 1). She then proceeded to North Carolina for further engagements.
Halet vows to perform better
She joked with more than 100 supporters inside a hotel ballroom, “Who says there's no Republicans in DC, come on. We are trying to make sure that we touch every hand that we can and speak to every person," Haley said. While campaigning as an avowed conservative, Haley has tended to perform better among more moderate and independent-leaning voters.
Four in 10 Haley supporters in South Carolina's GOP primary were self-described moderates, compared with 15 per cent for Trump, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 2,400 voters taking part in the Republican primary in South Carolina. On the other hand, 8 in 10 Trump supporters identified as conservatives, compared to about half of Haley's backers.
US presidential elections 2024
It should be mentioned here that the 2024 United States presidential election will be the 60th quadrennial presidential election, scheduled to take place in the first week of November. Voters will elect a president and vice president for a term of four years. Incumbent President Joe Biden, a member of the Democratic Party, is running for re-election. Meanwhile, his predecessor Donald Trump, a member of the Republican Party, is also running for re-election to a second, nonconsecutive term. Prior to the general election, political parties will choose their nominees at nominating conventions.
(With inputs from AP)
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