Nikki Haley ends Donald Trump’s undefeated streak with first primary win

Nikki Haley received 63% of the vote in a primary held in just one location.

United States Washington:

Nikki Haley won the Republican presidential primary in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, her first victory as she struggles to stay relevant in her underdog race against Donald Trump.

Haley’s symbolic victory in the nation’s capital comes just ahead of Super Tuesday, a decisive day in the nation’s long nominating process, when 15 states and one territory will vote.

Washington is a solidly Democratic town with only a handful of registered Republicans. CNN, one of the outlets reporting on Haley’s win on Sunday, said the number was just 22,000.

Politico cited party officials in Washington who said Haley received 63 percent of the vote in a primary held in just one location — a downtown hotel.

In the 2020 election against Trump, then-candidate Joe Biden won 92% of the vote in Washington.

The city has never produced a majority for a Republican presidential candidate.

“It’s no surprise that the Republicans closest to Washington’s dysfunction reject Donald Trump and all his chaos,” Haley’s campaign said in a statement.

The Trump campaign later released what it called a “statement regarding Nikki Haley being crowned Queen of the Swamp.”

“Tonight’s results in Washington, D.C. reaffirm President Trump’s campaign goals – that he will drain the swamp and put America first,” the statement said.

The Super Tuesday milestone is expected to put Trump within striking distance of clinching the Republican presidential nomination. He has swept all the early state primaries.

Super Tuesday is seen as Haley’s last real chance to upend the former president and once again become the party’s standard-bearer, taking on Biden.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)