In one of the last contests before Super Tuesday, caucus-goers in Idaho and Missouri will pick between President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on March 2.
On the same day, the Michigan Republican Party will bind the remaining 39 of its 55 delegates, with most going to President Trump, who easily defeated Ms. Haley at the state primary on Feb. 27.
Meanwhile, Republican voters in DC are continuing to cast votes in its three-day presidential primary contest set to end on Sunday.
Rounding out a busy Saturday, President Trump is scheduled to address voters at a rally in Virginia.
Follow here for live updates.
In Grand Rapids, Second District Hears from Possible RNC Delegates
At the Republican state convention in Grand Rapids, the Second District’s meeting is underway.
On stage, Andrew Sebolt asks possible candidates to serve as delegates to the Republican National Convention (RNC) to speak. It’s early in a process that could last a few hours or many more.
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“They’re all for Trump,” Sebolt says of a list of possible delegates he’s examined.
“We all love Trump as RNC delegates,” he says later while introducing one potential delegate, Linda Lee Tarver of Black Voices for Trump, who said she is running for RNC national committeewoman.
“I love this party. I love what it stands for,” Ms. Tarver tells the crowd before outlining her experience raising money and working on election integrity for the GOP in the state.
She described being labeled a “racist white supremacist” by a local newspaper, eliciting chuckles from the crowd.
—Nathan Worcester
Likely Pro-Trump Vote Looms in Grand Rapids
At the Amway Grand Plaza, Republican delegates from many parts of the state are voting or preparing to vote on the allocation of the remaining delegates the state will send to the Republican National Convention.
An insider told The Epoch Times that the vote is likely to go very much in favor of former President Donald Trump. Individuals favoring former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are few and far between.
Meanwhile, rival meetings are taking place elsewhere in the state, downstream of a leadership battle between former Congressman Pete Hoekstra and Kristina Karamo over who is really in charge of the state Republican Party. Yet, a planned convention in Detroit led by the Karamo faction was ultimately canceled, a strong sign for Mr. Hoekstra’s faction after a judge ruled just days ago that he is the rightful GOP chair.
—Nathan Worcester
Missouri Republicans Head to the Caucuses
KANSAS CITY, Missouri—Caucusgoers are arriving early for the Missouri GOP Caucus at the Clay County, Missouri, location in suburban Kansas City. As many as 1000 are expected to attend.
A number of the voters are wearing red Make America Great Again hats or memorabilia supporting former President Donald Trump.
The Missouri Republican Party will host caucuses in all 114 of the state’s counties and St. Louis City. The caucuses will begin the three-step process of assigning delegates that will ultimately support one candidate at the RNC Convention in Milwaukee in July.
Missouri Republican Party Chairman Nick Myers told The Epoch Times all of the caucuses will begin at the same time, 10 a.m. Central Standard Time, and they should last for a number of hours. At the events, caucusgoers will participate in a presidential preference poll where they move to one side of the room or the other to indicate their allegiance. A candidate needs more than 50 percent of the vote to win the caucus.
Multiple Michigan GOP Conventions Spell Uncertainty for Saturday Party Caucus
A battle over Michigan GOP leadership is creating confusion for party factions ahead of the Great Lakes State’s Republican convention caucus today.
After former state chairwoman Kristina Karamo was ousted from party leadership in January and replaced with Pete Hoekstra, multiple conventions have been scheduled throughout the state for Saturday.
Mr. Hoekstra was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and scheduled a convention in Grand Rapids. Ms. Karamo, who was ordered by a judge this week to stop calling herself the party chair, had scheduled a convention in Detroit.
A judge rejected Ms. Karamo’s request to invalidate Mr. Hoekstra’s Grand Rapids convention, leaving delegations from 24 counties in uncertainty as they missed the deadline to register for the Grand Rapids convention.
Leaders in the 1st and 4th District Republican parties were left to organize their own Saturday conventions. The 1st District is planning to meet in Houghton Lake, while the 4th District plans to meet in Battle Creek, according to 4th District chairman Ken Beyer.
—Jacob Burg
Haley Strives for Potential First Primary Win in DC
WASHINGTON—The Republican primary in the nation’s capital represents presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s best chance to secure her first primary victory.
The district has 19 delegates up for grabs in a winner-take-all race. Ms. Haley held a rally on the first day of the primary on March 1 at the Madison Hotel, the only location where D.C. Republicans could cast their votes. The polls will close on March 3.
The 2020 Republican primary here was uncontested, but in 2016, former president Donald Trump finished in a distant third behind Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
Over 200 attendees packed the hotel room, showing their support for a candidate they describe as “level-headed,” “smart,” and “a good alternative.”
—Terri Wu
First Senator Endorses Haley, Days Before Super Tuesday
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is endorsing Nikki Haley for president.
On March 1, ahead of the Super Tuesday voting in 15 states, including The Last Frontier, Ms. Murkowski formally endorsed the former U.N. Ambassador. It’s Ms. Haley’s first endorsement in the Senate.
In a release, Ms. Murkowski said the country needs “someone with the right values, vigor, and judgment” to serve as the next president.
“In this race, there is no one better than her,” Ms. Murkowksi said. “Nikki will be a strong leader and uphold the ideals of the Republican Party while serving as a president for all Americans.”
In her statement, Ms. Haley said Ms. Murkowski represents the “best of Alaska.”
“She is a trailblazer and a strong, independent voice who doesn’t bow down to the powers that be in Washington,” Ms. Haley said. “As president, I will fight to make Alaskans—and all Americans—proud by restoring fiscal sanity, energy dominance, and limited government.”
—Austin Alonzo
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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