Nikki Haley WINS the Vermont Republican primary: Republican robs Trump of a Super Tuesday clean sweep with just her second victory and refuses to drop out

Nikki Haley seized an electoral prize in Vermont Tuesday night even while being trounced by rival Donald Trump in other Super Tuesday primaries.

It was the first state the former South Carolina governor was able to put in her column this primary season. Up until Tuesday night, the only primary or caucus Haley had won was in the District of Columbia, where slightly more than 2,000 people voted in a downtown hotel. 

Trump's campaign ridiculed her for that achievement, calling her 'queen of the swamp.

Haley trailed Trump by less than 2 percentage points with nearly 50 per cent of the vote counted. She then seized the lead as more votes came in, and her edge grew to nearly 4 per cent lead with 92 per cent of the vote in. 

The AP called the race for her at about 10:40 pm, just after Trump had delivered a meandering speech at Mar-a-Lago that looked ahead to November and bashed Joe Biden on immigration without mentioning Haley by name. 'We're going to win this election because we have no choice,' Trump said.

Haley's victory in the state came after Trump seized Virginia, another state Haley might have had a shot at winning, went convincingly for Trump Tuesday, as did North Carolina, along with a handful of other states.

Vermont is an 'open primary' state, allowing Democrats and Independents to participate.

That is a formula that helped Haley in New Hampshire and other states where she performed even while Trump lapped her multiple times in the race for delegates.

Nikki Haley was in a close race with Donald Trump in Vermont Tuesday night, while the former president trounced her in other states

The news gave her camp something to cling to on a night Haley did not schedule any public appearance or speech to her supporters as Trump racked up victories in Texas, Oklahoma, and other states.

Although she had something to celebrate, there were no announced plans for her to speak. Instead, she laid low in Charleston and watched returns with staff, who sources described as happy warriors in a jubilant mood.  

Winning a state or two wouldn't transform the fundamentals of the contest, but could give Haley something to point to if she wants to resist calls to drop out of the race. Vermont sends 17 delegates to the Republican convention.

Haley said as recently as Tuesday that she would stay in as long as she remains 'competitive.' 

Vermont has an independent streak, and Trump has experienced weakness in other parts of New England. Trump beat Haley 54 to 43 in New Hampshire, which was her high-water mark.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley spoke to Fox News Tuesday as millions headed to the polls on Super Tuesday. ‘As much as everybody wants to go and push me out, I’m not ready to get out yet,’ she said

Trump ran up his delegate lead in states in the south and southwest while the two fought it out for another a New England prize

Trump held a packed event at Mar-a-Lago while Haley had nothing planned Tuesday night

A win in Vermont would add to Haley's delegate haul and allow her to lay claim to her first state, after winning the Washington, D.C. primary

A overflow crowd signs in before attending a town meeting and voting in the primary election, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Stowe, Vt.

Days ago, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins endorsed Haley, although Trump was running far ahead of Haley there and the AP called the race for the former president.

Haley's campaign did not announce any future campaign stops for after Tuesday, even though Trump was not expected to nail down the requisite delegates immediately.

Nor did her campaign organize any kind of a call to try to describe a way forward for the media members covering the lopsided two-person race. 

Her campaign's only public presence Tuesday as millions of Americans went to the polls was a new web and a TV appearance by the candidate where Haley pushed back on urgings that she  'get out' of the race for the White House while facing a deluge of potential losses on Super Tuesday.

Haley faced pointed questions about her future when she would get out of the race during a Super Tuesday appearance on Fox & Friends.

‘As much as everybody wants to go and push me out, I’m not ready to get out yet,’ she said as people began voting in 15 states across the country with hundreds of delegates at stake.

‘I'm still sitting there fighting for the people that want a voice, so they deserve that,’ she added.