Protest votes loom for Trump in primaries post New York verdict

The first primary night held after Donald Trump became a convicted felon showed Republican voters still have an appetite for the former presidential candidate, Nikki Haley.

Haley won nearly 8% of the vote in New Mexico’s GOP primary Tuesday night and another 3% voted uncommitted in the primary, a sign that a persistent weakness in Trump’s 2024 campaign hasn’t dissipated.

Trump won nearly 89% of the vote in the Montana GOP primary with 6% of votes counted, according to the Associated Press.

But “no preference” won more than 10.3% of the vote with 24% of votes counted, a worrying sign for Trump in red-leaning Montana. Trump’s “no preference” vote share was higher than President Joe Biden’s “no preference” share at 7.7% with about a third of the votes counted.

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Last week, a 12-member New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records to cover up an affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.

The sentencing could potentially carry up to four years in prison. Judge Juan Merchan has set sentencing for July 11, days before the Republican National Committee convention is set to begin on July 15.

Unlike Trump’s former rivals, Haley has not yet commented on Trump’s conviction, although some of her supporters hope she will reconsider jumping back into the 2024 race.

Despite dropping out of the race the day after Super Tuesday, Haley has continued to rack up double digits in state primaries and has amassed 97 delegates in the presidential race.

Last month, Haley won nearly 23% of the Maryland GOP primary, compared to Trump’s 77.3%. In ruby-red Nebraska, Haley won a little over 18% of the vote while Trump won nearly 80% of the vote.

Haley won just a little over 9% of the vote in West Virginia, a Trump-friendly state, as the former president won 88.4%.

Even more concerning for Trump is Haley’s notable pull in the handful of states that will decide the election.

In Pennsylvania, a state that Trump lost in 2020, Haley pulled in more than 158,000 votes, or 16.6% of the vote. Haley won nearly 13% of the vote in Wisconsin, another battleground state, last month.

In Arizona, Haley won almost 18% of the GOP primary and while she was still a presidential candidate she won almost 27% of the vote in Michigan.

After challenging Trump to win over her supporters during her concession speech, Haley would later claim that she will vote for the former president in the November election.

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But that hasn’t stopped the Biden campaign from holding meetings with Haley supporters in a bid to win them over.

As Trump maintains his innocence and threatens to appeal the New York ruling, voters who could sway the election appear to be moving away from Trump early polls show.

A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll showed 52% of independents believe Trump should suspend his campaign after the conviction and 67% of “double haters,” those who dislike Trump and Biden, also said Trump should suspend his campaign following the trial.