Former President Donald Trump reached a major political milestone on Saturday by winning the Republican caucuses in Michigan, Missouri, and Idaho in a political power showcase. These three wins are also known as the “GOP caucus trifecta”. With these wins, he is moving closer to getting the GOP nomination for 2024. Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador, is having a hard time keeping up with him. Even though she has worked hard and remain committed in effort to win the voters’ support, Haley has not yet won a primary or caucus, and has consistently trailed Trump by significant margins.
Michigan
Trump won by a large margin in Michigan. He won every single one of the 13 congressional district caucuses and all 39 delegates at the Michigan Republican Party’s caucus convention in Grand Rapids. Surprisingly, Trump won more than 90% of the votes in every race, and in three districts, he won by a unanimous vote. After winning the Michigan primary earlier in the week with 68% of the vote, he came out on top again. The caucus convention was a result of a compromise between the Michigan GOP and the Republican National Committee (RNC) after Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer moved the primary date earlier at President Biden’s suggestion. This led to an unusual two-contest system to distribute the state’s delegates.
Missouri
The situation in Missouri mirrored Trump’s success in Michigan. He won all 51 of the state’s convention delegates who were up for grabs in the caucus, which made his lead even stronger. Haley’s campaign announced a Missouri leadership team in hopes of gaining traction. They highlighted that voters had to choose between staying the same under Trump or getting a new generation of conservative leaders under Haley. The results, however, did not show the support Haley had hoped for, as Trump won all of the precincts by 50% or more.
Idaho
With 84.3% of the vote, Trump won all 32 of Idaho’s delegates in the caucuses, which completed the great Saturday. Haley only got 13.8% of the vote, and former Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who dropped out of the race earlier, got 1.3%. Because Idaho has a winner-take-all system, Trump got all the delegates with the majority vote, leaving Haley and the other candidates with no share.
Super Tuesday races
These victories not only give Trump more delegates, but they also reminded everyone of Trump’s power inside the Republican party. Meanwhile, Haley has a tough fight ahead and it seems almost impossible to overturn the results in her favor. Even though she said she would keep running for office at least until the upcoming Super Tuesday races, literally no one expects that Harley can do a miracle in just few days. Saturday’s wins in Michigan, Missouri and Idaho are another confirmation that he is the likely Republican presidential candidate that will face President Joe Biden again in the general election.
Trump wins despite GOP internal problems in Michigan
The backdrop to these contests includes significant political dynamics within the Republican Party, particularly in states like Michigan, where GOP infighting has led to confusion and divisions. These internal struggles, however, have not hindered Trump’s campaign momentum, as demonstrated by his clean sweep of the weekend’s caucuses. As the GOP heads into Super Tuesday, the biggest day of voting before the November election, Trump’s recent victories position him as the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
A test for Haley
The next few days will test Haley’s plan and determination as she tries to make a big difference on Super Tuesday and beyond. But Trump’s lead is growing, and supporters of the former president are rallying behind him. This makes the task even harder for Haley and anyone else who might join the GOP race late.
At this point, Trump seems to have a firm grip on the Republican nomination, which sets the stage for the next stages of the 2024 presidential election cycle.
Weekend caucuses
After Saturday night, there are only two Republican contests — in the District of Columbia and North Dakota — before Super Tuesday, in which 865 delegates will be up for grabs across 15 contests.
Haley said she hoped for a “good, competitive showing” on Super Tuesday and said she would stay in the race “as long as we’re competitive” — but refused to disclose when exactly she would consider dropping out.
