Washington
\nDonald Trump has won the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, defeating Nikki Haley on her home turf as he completed his sweep of the early voting states.
\nAlready the prohibitive favorite to claim his third straight nomination, the former president\u2019s victory in the Palmetto State, where Haley was twice elected governor, has all but ended the race \u2014 even as Haley insists that she will keep battling at least into next month.
\nTrump\u2019s dominance in South Carolina was hardly surprising. The state is among the most conservative in the country and has backed the former president every time he\u2019s been on the ballot. According to a CNN exit poll of primary voters, more than 4 in 10 described themselves as being affiliated with the MAGA movement, while roughly 8 in 10 described themselves as conservative.
\n Only a third of respondents acknowledged President Joe Biden as the rightful winner of the 2020 election.
\nBiden and Trump both pivoted to the general election campaign weeks ago, but Haley\u2019s decision to play out the race has been gnawing at the former president, who is positioning himself to close his grip on the GOP political apparatus.
\nWhile the result in South Carolina was never really in doubt \u2014 most polls showed Trump with a 25- to 30-point lead \u2014 there are still a few outstanding details. Chief among them: How many delegates can Haley win? South Carolina gives most of its plunder to the statewide winner but also doles out delegates to the winner in each of its seven congressional districts.
\nCNN projected late Saturday night that Haley will win the state\u2019s 1st Congressional District and its three delegates.
\nDistrict wins for Haley won\u2019t change the trajectory of the race but could tell us something about Trump\u2019s road ahead.
\nWhile we\u2019re waiting, here are takeaways from the GOP\u2019s 2024 South Carolina presidential primary.<\/p>\n
The race accelerates now
\nThe contest shifts into a new gear starting now. The slow march through the early voting states is over. The primary is now a national one.
\nBy March 12, 56% of the delegates to the Republican National Convention will have been awarded. And in most states, Republicans\u2019 delegates are winner-take-all \u2014 which means Haley gets no credit for strong second-place showings.
\nWith Haley winless so far, the finish line \u2014 1,215 delegates necessary to clinch the nomination \u2014 could be in sight for Trump within weeks.
\nThe next test comes Tuesday in Michigan\u2019s primary, though state Republicans have opted to award their delegates partially through the primary and partially through a caucus convention days later. Caucuses in Idaho and Missouri, along with primaries in North Dakota, follow. Then, on Super Tuesday, 36% of the party\u2019s delegates are at stake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington Donald Trump has won the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, defeating Nikki Haley on her home turf as he completed his sweep of the early voting states. Already the prohibitive favorite to claim his third straight nomination, the former president\u2019s victory in the Palmetto State, where Haley was twice elected governor, has all but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-389627","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n