Trump wins Michigan Republican primary, AP projects
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Former President Trump speaks on Feb. 24 in Columbia, South Carolina. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Former President Trump won Michigan's Republican primary on Tuesday, AP projects, as he inched closer to clinching his party's nomination.
Why it matters: Trump heads into Super Tuesday with a big delegate and polling advantage over his only remaining GOP rival, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.
- The Michigan Republican Party is holding a nominating convention on March 2, which will award 39 delegates of the 55 total up for grabs in the state.
What he's saying: "We have to win on November 5, and we're going to win big, and it's going to be like nothing that anybody has ever seen," Trump said in a call to the Michigan Republican Party after his projected victory.
- "We win Michigan, we win the whole thing," he said, according to a transcript provided by the campaign.
The big picture: Haley has vowed to stay in the Republican primary, even though Trump has dominated every 2024 Republican primary contest, including in her home state on Saturday.
- She lost to Trump by 20 percentage points on Saturday in South Carolina, where she served as governor for six years.
- Haley's campaign plans to travel to seven states and Washington, D.C., over the next seven days, hosting rallies and fundraisers in each.
Zoom in: The back-to-back Michigan Republican primary contests are the result of a rule change passed by the Democratic-led state legislature last year that bumped up Michigan's primary date earlier in the process.
- The state Republican Party opposed the rule change, as it conflicts with Republican National Committee rules that prohibits the state from holding a nominating contest before March 1.
- GOP loyalists elected by their local parties in Michigan will participate in the statewide convention on Saturday, which will function like a caucus.
Go deeper: "Suicide for our country": Nikki Haley goes scorched earth on Trump
