Swamp Queen? Nikki Haley Finally Wins A Republican Primary

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For the first time in the 2024 campaign, Nikki Haley got to experience what the happy side of election night feels like. After multiple thrashings in primaries and caucuses – including a stinging defeat in her home state of South Carolina last month – Haley beat former president Donald Trump in the District of Columbia GOP primary on Sunday evening.

Despite only 2,030 Republicans casting ballots in the so-called “Swamp primary,” Haley walked away with 1,264 votes – or 62.8 percent of GOP ballots cast. That result was good enough to net her all 19 D.C. delegates to this summer’s convention. Haley also made history – becoming the first woman ever to win a Republican presidential primary election.

Trump’s former UN ambassador was ebullient in the aftermath of her first victory.

“Republicans closest to Washington’s dysfunction know that Donald Trump has brought nothing but chaos and division for the past eight years,” Haley wrote on X. “It’s time to start winning again and move our nation forward!”

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The timing was especially good for Haley’s heretofore moribund campaign. She was declared the winner by major news outlets two days before voting is scheduled to begin on Super Tuesday – a date which will see 15 states cast ballots and 874 GOP delegates (36 percent of the total) awarded.

Yet the District of Columbia win was an outlier during an otherwise dismal weekend for the former Palmetto State governor. Haley was easily defeated in causes in Idaho, Michigan, and Missouri on Saturday – losses which came on the heels of the utter shellacking she received in last Tuesday’s GOP primary in Michigan (in case you’re wondering, the Wolverine State awards its convention delegates through a hybrid caucus-primary system).

Polling suggests Trump is poised to do exceedingly well on Super Tuesday – including anticipated blowout wins over Haley in delegate-rich California, Texas and North Carolina, among other states. When all the votes are counted, it’s believed the former president will emerge with his goal of clinching the GOP nomination well within reach.

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Trump currently has 249 of the 1,215 delegates necessary to secure his party’s nomination – and his campaign expects to add at least 770 to that total on Super Tuesday. Haley has just 43 delegates, while Florida governor Ron DeSantis – who dropped out of the race on January 21, 2024 – has 9 delegates and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out on January 15, has 3 delegates.

And while Haley finally has a primary win under her belt, this particular one may prove problematic for her.

“Saying ‘Washington, D.C. loves me’ isn’t the best look for Haley in this political environment,” a GOP strategist told us. “When your opponent is running on ‘Drain the Swamp,’ having the swamp creatures on your side is poor salesmanship for her campaign right now.”

Count on this media outlet to keep our audience in the loop as Super Tuesday approaches … and as Trump is expected to take a major leap forward in his bid to become the Republican presidential nominee for the third consecutive election.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.

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