Former President Donald Trump won the Republican Party caucus US Virgin IslandsNBC News projects the GOP continues its dominant march toward the presidential nomination.
The victory is Trump’s third in as many contests – after Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire handing another loss to her primary — and last known — challenger, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley.
At this summer’s convention in Milwaukee, Trump is expected to pick up all four delegates the Republican National Committee plans to vacate from the area.
U.S. Virgin Islands GOP officials have argued that five delegates were improperly placed because of how early they scheduled their ranked-choice, winner-take-all contest. But unless the vote at the congress changes everything, the party will recognize only four representatives from the islands.
National party rules limit the ability of states and territories to hold winner-take-all contests until mid-March. But party leaders in the U.S. Virgin Islands were eager to be ahead of the pack and worked hard to campaign for them, even as Nevada’s GOP caucuses drew more attention on Thursday.
U.S. Virgin Islands GOP Chairman Gordon Ackley said in a statement Thursday morning that “using hard-choice voting to be third in the nation with an illegal commission created a fair and level playing field for every candidate and unprecedented attention for the Virgin Islands.” “Virgin Islands to decide trajectory of Republican nomination.”
Unlike the first two contests, where polls showed Trump significantly ahead, the outcome of the Virgin Islands caucus was more uncertain.
Neither Trump nor Haley campaigned in the Virgin Islands, although Haley made several virtual appearances via video in the days and weeks leading up to the caucuses. cut Trump a video On Thursday, he sent Republican surrogates to the islands for voters there, including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Reps. Wesley Hunt of Texas.