Nikki Haley scored her first primary victory tonight, defeating Donald Trump in the Washington, DC Republican Primary by a 62-33% margin.
The DC primary is a closed primary where only Republicans can vote, so Trump can’t blame this loss on Democrats crossing over. It was also a winner-take-all contest where all 19 delegates are awarded to Haley. It may not have helped Trump that in his rally speech in Virginia yesterday he said that he would take over the city if elected president – DC may not be that enthusiastic about having Trump as both President and Mayor. He has also repeatedly disparaged the city of DC in speeches and interviews.
There aren’t many Republicans in DC, where they make up only 5% of the electorate. Trump has also done poorly in the past with this highly educated demographic, finishing 3rd in 2016 with just 14% of the vote. Haley was also the only candidate who campaigned in DC, appearing at the only voting location when polls opened on Friday.
