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Former president Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley in the Michigan Republican presidential primary on Tuesday evening, continuing his streak of victories as he marches toward his party’s nomination.
But Mr Trump severely underperformed despite only nominal competition from Ms Haley, as he continued to show weak performances in the suburbs of Detroit and elsewhere in the state.
The contest came after he resoundingly defeated Ms Haley in her home state of South Carolina, where she won two terms as governor before Mr Trump nominated her to be US ambassador to the United Nations in his administration.
The vote comes as President Joe Biden hoped to pushback against a campaign for Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in protest against his support for Israel in the country’s war against Hamas as it continues to assault Gaza.
Ms Haley’s campaign released a statement insisting she would not leave the primary.
“Joe Biden is losing about 20 percent of the Democratic vote today, and many say it’s a sign of his weakness in November. Donald Trump is losing about 35 percent of the vote,” spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement. The statement also noted the internal civil war between the Republican Party in the Wolverine statement.
“That’s a flashing warning sign for Trump in November. Since Trump became president in 2016, he lost Michigan Republicans the state House, state Senate, and Governor’s mansion,” the campaign’s statement said. “What was once a beacon for the conservative cause, the Michigan Republican Party is now fractured and divided.”
