However, Trump maintains a lead in every other state as he is charging towards the Republican nomination for a possible rematch with rival Joe Biden, who is also sweeping the Super Tuesday primaries in 15 states and one territory. Haley’s campaign said on Tuesday that it was "honoured" by her projected win in Vermont's Republican presidential primary.
"We’re honoured to have received the support of millions of Americans across the country today, including in Vermont where Nikki became the first Republican woman to win two presidential primary contests," Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. "Unity is not achieved by simply claiming ‘we’re united'."
Haley's win not enough to dent Trump's performance
However, Haley's victory will do little to dent Trump's primary dominance as he won over 11 other states on Super Tuesday. Trump has a formidable delegate lead with 893 delegates, while Haley has 66. To win the presidential nomination of the Republican party, either of the two candidates needs 1,215 delegates.
Haley, Trump's lone remaining rival, no longer has a viable path to the nomination. However, her challenge has highlighted some of Trump's potential general election vulnerabilities. She has reached 40 per cent in some state contests, performing particularly well among independent, well-educated and suburban voters who could play a crucial role in battleground states in November.
Political pundits had pointed to Vermont as Haley's best chance to win a state, especially given its history of favouring moderate Republican candidates. Adding to that advantage, she received a crucial endorsement from Vermont Governor Phil Scott over the weekend. Vermont's primary operates on a winner-takes-all basis, offering 17 delegates to the candidate who secures 50 per cent or more of the statewide vote.
How are Biden and Trump faring on Super Tuesday?
Biden from the Democratic party and Trump from the Republican side have swept in their parties' presidential nomination primaries held in 15 states across the country, paving the way for a rematch between them in November, as was expected, putting pressure on Haley to quit. Trump prevailed in most of the Super Tuesday states: California, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Utah, Minnesota, Colorado, Arkansas and Maine.
Similarly, Biden won Minnesota and 14 other states, including a mail-in vote in Iowa that ended on Tuesday, although he lost to entrepreneur Jason Palmer in the US territory of American Samoa's caucus. The US President had been expected to sail through the Democratic contests, though a protest vote in Minnesota organized by activists opposed to his forceful support of Israel attracted unexpectedly strong results.
After a commanding performance across 15 states where more than one-third of Republican delegates were up for grabs on Super Tuesday, Trump had all but clinched his third consecutive presidential nomination, despite facing a litany of criminal charges. In a victory speech delivered at his Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida, Trump focused on Biden's immigration policies and called him the "worst president" in history.
"Our cities are being overrun with migrant crime," he said, though crime data does not support that assertion while comparing the US political system to "third-world countries". On the other hand, Biden again cast Trump as a threat to American democracy. "Tonight's results leave the American people with a clear choice: Are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division, and darkness that defined his term in office?" he said.
Trump’s campaign is also hoping that a definitive win in Super Tuesday will effectively force Haley to drop out of the race. Meanwhile, people close to Haley are speculating on whether the former UN ambassador would back Trump after he secures the nomination. Some say endorsing Trump would make her a team player, while others argue against the move as it would give Haley the freedom to be critical of Trump.
What do people think of Biden vs Trump again?
Another campaign between Trump, 77, and Biden, 81 - the first repeat U.S. presidential matchup since 1956 - is one few Americans seem to want. Opinion polls show both Biden and Trump have low approval ratings among voters, particularly casting concerns over the former's old age and mental acuity.
Despite Biden's and Trump's domination of their parties, polls make it clear that the broader electorate does not want this year's general election to be identical to the 2020 race. A new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds a majority of Americans don't think either Biden or Trump has the necessary mental acuity for the job.
However, the Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to Trump by restoring him to 2024 presidential primary ballots, and rejecting state attempts to hold the former US president accountable for the Capital riot on January 6, 2021. The outcome ends efforts in Colorado, Illinois, Maine and elsewhere to kick Trump, the front-runner for his party's nomination, off the ballot because of his attempts to undo his loss in the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.
(with inputs from agencies)
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