Former President Donald Trump clinched the 2024 Republican nomination and will be running for the third presidential election cycle in a row as the GOP nominee.
Donald Trump won the Utah GOP primary on Tuesday, March 5, after winning 56.4% to Nikki Haley’s 42.7%. The following morning, Nikki Haley officially dropped out of the Republican primary race.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that,” Haley said. “At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people.”
Utah wasn’t the only state Trump won that Tuesday, however. Trump won 14 of the 15 states that held primaries on March 5, the most commanding Super Tuesday victory of a Republican candidate this century.
Ryan Bell, a political science student studying U.S. politics and a Nikki Haley supporter, shared his analysis of the election.
“It’s impressive how Nikki Haley really didn’t stand a chance at all. Neither did Ron DeSantis,” Bell said.
Though Bell wasn’t a Trump supporter himself, he said Trump’s history as president spoke to his record of passing conservative policies.
“I think there is a portion of the Republican party who don’t like him as a person but like his policies enough to vote for him again. I think this is why he swept,” Bell said.
Trump currently leads Biden in the majority of general election polls in the last month, as well as in seven key swing states including Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan.
“I think enough people don’t like Biden and the situation the country is in. If I had to bet I think Trump wins,” Bell said. ”Moderates and independents might be less motivated to go out.”
Will Snow, an accounting student at BYU and a Republican said he supported Trump over Haley.
“I believe he’s a lesser evil compared to Nikki Haley,” Snow said. “She changes policies and ideas a lot.”
When asked who he thought would win the election in a Trump-Biden matchup, Snow said he believed voter turnout would be larger among Trump voters.
“I think Trump is going to win because honestly there is nothing that will change Trump supporters’ minds. I think there are a lot more people on the fence for Biden this election,” Snow said.
The general presidential election will be on November 5 this year. Those who want to vote and aren’t registered can do so at vote.utah.gov.
