President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. (Getty Images)
After winning her first contest in the race for the Republican nomination in the Washington, D.C. primary over the weekend, Haley secured her first statewide victory by narrowly edging Trump in Vermont.
The Fox News Decision Desk called the race after both candidates alternated taking the lead as the votes were counted over a period of a few hours following polls closing.
Haley was widely expected to do well in Vermont, one of the few states that held an open primary on Tuesday night where both Republicans and Democrats could vote.
Leading up to the primary, Haley held an event in the state featuring Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott, a vocal critic of Trump, who had previously endorsed her White House bid.
Vermont will award 17 delegates in the primary. If Haley hits 50%, she will be awarded all the state's delegates. If not, the delegates will be divided up between her and Trump.
TEXAS DEMOCRAT'S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION POSITIONS COULD COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM IN BID TO OUST TED CRUZ
Democrat presidential candidate and businessman James Palmer. (Palmer for President)
Palmer reacted to his victory in American Samoa in a post on X, saying, "Honored to announce my victory in the American Samoa presidential primary. Thank you to the incredible community for your support. This win is a testament to the power of our voices. Together, we can rebuild the American Dream and shape a brighter future for all."
The Biden campaign downplayed the loss by pointing to what it said was the likelihood that less than 500 total votes were cast in the contest.
As a territory, American Samoa does not get a vote in the general presidential election, and is only permitted to send delegates to the convention during the primary season.
Haley did not make any public address on Tuesday after most of the races had been called for Trump except for her lone victory in Vermont's primary. It's unclear if she intends to remain in the race, but a statement released by her campaign after most of the races had been called claimed a "large block" of Republican voters still had "deep concerns" about Trump.
"We’re honored to have received the support of millions of Americans across the country today, including in Vermont where Nikki became the first Republican woman to win two presidential primary contests," campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said.
Former US President Donald Trump, center, greets attendees during a Super Tuesday election night watch party at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rove, who made the comments while appearing on Fox News' Super Tuesday coverage, pointed to Haley winning a significant share of the vote in Vermont, Virginia, Massachusetts, Maine, and North Carolina.
"There's still some work to be done to unify the Republican Party, and that's going to depend a lot on [Trump's] tone tonight, and whether or not he stops doing things like calling [Haley] ‘birdbrain,' and threatening that if you give money to her campaign you're going to be permanently banned," he said.
Trump spoke for around 20 minutes not long after Rove's comments, but didn't once mention Haley. He has consistently condemned Republicans not considered part of the "MAGA" wing of the party.
Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on X at @BGillespieAL.
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