Nighty Night, Nikki
TownhallMar 05
Trump Wins North Dakota GOP Caucuses
Image copyright: Alon Skuy/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Former Pres. Donald Trump won the North Dakota Republican caucuses on Monday, his ninth primary victory so far to become the GOP presidential nominee for a third time.
He garnered 84.6% of the votes — more than 70 points ahead of his closest rival Nikki Haley. The other candidates, David Stuckenberg and Ryan Binkley, received less than 1% each.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
If Haley had any hopes that her victory in the D.C. primary could somehow help her in Super Tuesday, the North Dakota caucuses crushed them. The former South Carolina governor will continue to be demoralized as long as she insists on lengthening her fruitless campaign. Whether she likes it or not, Trump is the only one that can win the Republican nomination.
Anti-Trump narrative
While Haley will almost certainly not win the GOP nomination, she may become an alternative base aimed at standing up to Trump at the Republican National Convention in July. If Haley manages to win at least five states, then she will be in a position to influence the party platform, remaining a thorn in Trump's side. This is her chance to continue to undermine Trump's cult of personality from within.
Nerd narrative
There's a 65% chance that Nikki Haley will end her 2024 primary campaign before March 15, 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
