Donald Trump Wins North Dakota GOP Caucuses, Adding To Victories Going Into Super Tuesday

BISMARCK, N.D. — Donald Trump emerged victorious in the North Dakota Republican presidential caucuses on Monday, adding another win to his streak leading up to Super Tuesday. Trump secured the top spot in voting across 12 caucus locations, outpacing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. This win puts Trump firmly back on the winning path after a brief interruption when Haley clinched her first victory in the District of Columbia’s primary on Sunday. All eyes are now on Super Tuesday, where 16 states will weigh in, making it the most significant delegate accumulation day in the presidential primary. Trump and President Joe Biden, from the Democratic camp, are both asserting dominance in their respective races and are poised to secure their nominations later this month.

According to North Dakota’s regulations, candidates can earn delegates by garnering a minimum of 20% of the vote. However, a candidate who manages to secure at least 60% of the vote takes home all 29 of the state’s delegates. The ballot featured four contenders, notably Trump and Nikki Haley. The other candidates, David Stuckenberg, a businessman from Florida, and Ryan Binkley, a businessman and pastor from Texas who recently suspended his campaign, have garnered relatively little attention.

Karen Groninger, a retired music teacher and librarian from Almont, expressed her support for Trump, deeming him the most suitable candidate. Groninger, aged 76, highlighted Trump’s speech at the 2020 March for Life event, marking the first such address by a sitting president, along with his stance on border policies. Dick Dever, a seasoned Republican state Senator from Bismarck, cast his vote for Haley, though he acknowledged her slim chances of winning. Dever, aged 72, remarked, “I hear a lot of people express admiration for Trump’s policies but are put off by his conduct, feeling he’s gone too far.” Robert Harms, chair of the caucus, encouraged caucus attendees to become dues-paying party members. However, those unwilling to pay the $50 annual fee were requested to sign a pledge to affiliate with the party.

North Dakota stands as the sole state without voter registration. The caucuses adhered to official state voter identification procedures, including presenting a driver’s license. Voting was exclusively conducted in person using printed ballots, which will undergo manual counting.

In 2016, a North Dakota delegate played a pivotal role in helping Trump clinch the Republican presidential nomination. Trump secured all three of North Dakota’s electoral college votes in both 2016 and 2020, capturing approximately 63% and 65% of those votes, respectively. During his presidency, Trump made appearances in Bismarck and Mandan in 2017 to discuss tax cuts. He also campaigned twice in Fargo in 2018 in support of Kevin Cramer’s successful Senate bid against Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.

Meanwhile, North Dakota’s Democratic-NPL Party is conducting a predominantly mail-in presidential primary, with mail-in voting open from Feb. 20 to March 30, supplemented by limited in-person voting for residents of Indian reservations. The ballot features President Joe Biden, Rep. Dean Phillips, and six other candidates. On March 30, a third party will tally the ballots in Fargo, with the results subsequently published on the party’s website.

{Matzav.com}