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With victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, the US Virgin Islands, South Carolina, and now Michigan, Missouri and Idaho under his belt, Trump is far and away the frontrunner in the race. Haley is hanging on thanks to support from donors keen for an alternative to the former president.
For this election cycle, Michigan Republicans devised a hybrid nominating system, split between a primary and a caucus.
A supporter holds signs as Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina on Saturday.Credit: AP
Trump won the primary convincingly on Tuesday, securing 12 of 16 delegates up for grabs. He took all of Michigan’s remaining 39 delegates at stake on Sunday (AEDT).
At one of the 13 caucus meetings, the participants – knowing Trump would win easily – decided to save time by simply asking anyone who backed Haley to stand up. In a room of 185 voting delegates, 25-year-old Carter Houtman was the only person who rose to his feet.
“It was a little lonely,” Houtman said afterwards.
Houtman said he would likely vote for Trump in November’s general election if he is the nominee but felt it was important to stand up for his beliefs.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.Credit: AP
“I didn’t like the way that Trump handled himself after the last election,” Houtman said.
Dennis Milosch, 87, a Trump supporter, said the former president’s dominating win underscored how the party has been transformed from one aligned with big business to one focused on the working class.
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“Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he pays attention to, responds to, the average person,” Milosch said.
The contest in Michigan had held the potential for confusion.
Internal turmoil has been percolating in the party for months, pitting backers of Michigan’s former Republican Party chair, Kristina Karamo, against the faction of party members who voted to oust her on January 6, and installed Hoekstra as chair.
Hoekstra, whom Trump backed as chair, was overseeing the convention in Grand Rapids. Karamo had been planning to chair a duelling convention in Detroit, but that was cancelled after a Michigan court this week affirmed her ouster and an appeals court denied her request to stay the ruling.