- Trump narrowly led Haley with almost half the votes
- It came when he defeated her in Virginia and other Super Tuesday states
Nikki Haley grabbed an election prize in Vermont on Tuesday evening, while she was defeated by rival Donald Trump in other Super Tuesday primaries.
Haley trailed Trump by less than 2 percentage points with nearly 50 percent of the vote counted, then grew to a nearly 4 percent lead with 92 percent of the vote secured.
That came after Trump took Virginia, another state where Haley might have had a chance to win, and went convincingly for Trump on Tuesday, as did North Carolina.
Until Tuesday night, the only primary or caucus Haley had won was in the District of Columbia, where just over 2,000 people voted at a downtown hotel.
Vermont is an ‘open primary’ state, in which Democrats and Independents can participate.
That’s a formula that helped Haley in New Hampshire and other states where she ran, even as Trump fielded her multiple times in the race for delegates.
Nikki Haley was in a close race with Donald Trump in Vermont on Tuesday night, while the former president defeated her in other states
There were significant outstanding votes in Burlington, where Haley led Trump, giving her the chance for further gains.
The news gave her camp something to cling to on a night when Haley had no public appearance or speech planned for her supporters as Trump racked up victories in Texas, Oklahoma and other states.
Trump’s campaign ridiculed her for that performance, calling her “queen of the swamp.”
Winning a state or two wouldn’t change the fundamentals of the race, but could give Haley something to point to as she seeks to resist calls to drop out of the race.
She said on Tuesday that she would stay as long as she remains “competitive.”
Vermont has an independent streak, and Trump has experienced weakness in other parts of New England. Trump defeated Haley 54 to 43 in New Hampshire, which was her highlight reel.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley spoke to Fox News on Tuesday as millions of people headed to the polls on Super Tuesday. “As much as everyone wants to push me out, I’m not ready to get out yet,” she said
Trump extends his delegate lead in states in the South and Southwest, while the two battle for another prize in New England
Trump held a packed event at Mar-a-Lago, while Haley had nothing planned for Tuesday night
A victory in Vermont would increase Haley’s delegate count and allow her to lay claim to her first state after winning the Washington, DC, primary.
An overflow crowd lines up before attending a town meeting and voting in the primary election, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Stowe, Vt.
Days ago, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine endorsed Haley, though Trump was far ahead of Haley and the AP called the race for the former president.
Haley’s campaign announced no future campaign stops beyond Tuesday, even though Trump was not expected to pick up the needed delegates immediately.
Nor did her campaign organize any calls to try to outline a path forward for the media members covering the lopsided two-person race.
Her campaign’s only public presence on Tuesday, as millions of Americans went to the polls, was a new Web and TV appearance by the candidate, in which Haley pushed back on the push to “drop out of the race for the White House” as she was confronted with a flood of potential. losing on Super Tuesday.
Haley faced pointed questions about her future when she reportedly dropped out of the race during a Super Tuesday appearance on Fox & Friends.
“As much as everyone wants to push me out, I’m not ready yet,” she said as people in 15 states across the country began voting, with hundreds of delegates at stake.
“I’m still out there fighting for the people who want a voice, so they deserve it,” she added.