'Her participation trophy': Nikki Haley trolled as she wins Washington DC primary in first victory over Donald Trump

WASHINGTON, DC: Nikki Haley won her first GOP presidential primary election on March 3 in Washington, DC, reported NBC News.

The victory, also Haley's first against her competitor, former President Donald Trump, is expected to help build up momentum for her campaign ahead of the Super Tuesday contests on March 5. The primaries will be held in 15 states and American Samoa on the day, where Trump is dominating in most public polling.

While the GOP frontrunner is expected to extend his commanding delegate lead, Haley has long pledged to stay in the race through the day, even in the face of continued defeats.

What was the vote share of Nikki Haley in Washington, DC?

The former UN Ambassador received 63 per cent of the votes in the DC GOP primary, while Trump had to settle for 33 per cent. The number of Republicans taking part in the state primary was just over 2,000. Since she received more than half the share of the cast votes, Haley came away with the district's 19 delegates.

The Republicans in Washington are known to be moderates, with many working in politics or government. This makes the voter pool vastly different from states such as Iowa and South Carolina, where the earlier primaries were conducted.

Trump had failed to win the state primary even in 2016 when he first ran for president. He received only 14 per cent of the 2800 votes that were cast, and the winner was Florida Sen Marco Rubio.

District GOP chair Patrick Mara's take on the primary

In a recent interview with NBC, Mara shared that the expected turnout for the primaries in DC was low, so a lot of possibilities open up with thin margins.

In the case of this year's primary, he predicted, "It could be anywhere between 2,000 and 6,000 voters. So, quite frankly there is an opportunity here for anyone to win. It just depends on voter turnout and what the campaigns are doing.”

Both Haley and Trump called upon voters over the phone or via texts to inspire a larger turnout, with some volunteers even going door-to-door. The primary is run by the local Republican Party rather than the state, with just one polling location at the Madison Hotel.

“It’s run by the party, which is a different experience and we pay for it. So, it means that Washington Republicans had to be motivated to come to downtown D.C to a hotel to vote," said Mara.

According to him, Trump's dominance in earlier primaries further impacted the turnout. “The average Washington Republican is politically astute and more media-savvy, they have seen coverage telling people the race is over,” he added.

Internet trolls Nikki Haley after her DC win

The internet was quick to give a reality check to Haley after her DC victory, as the following tweets demonstrate.

"Well, the swamp had to vote for someone, and they chose Nikki Haley," wrote a user.

"And there it is ... her Participation Trophy," announced a second.

"This isn't the win you think it is," commented another.

"Nikki Haley is thankful that the District of Columbia that’s over 90 per cent Democrat supports her. What a joke. That’s the only primary she won and the only one she will win. Haley is an establishment RINO — those are the only people who’ll vote for her. She has no path to win," stated a fourth.

"Once again the Democrats came out and voted for their shadow candidate. Congrats on winning the Swamp," jibed a fifth.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.