WASHINGTON — The Associated Press was able to declare former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley the winner of the Vermont Republican presidential primary based on vote returns that indicated she had opened a lead that former President Donald Trump would be unable to overcome. But AP called a string of Super Tuesday contests for the former president after initial results in a dozen states revealed no path for Haley to overtake him.
The AP called most races across several states shortly after polls closed, with Trump leading Haley in some places by margins of three- or four-to-one. That includes the contests in California and Texas, where the largest number of delegates are up for grabs in the GOP primary.
But in Vermont, the AP declared Haley the winner of a competitive contest at 10:38 p.m. ET, nearly four hours after polls closed. At the time AP called the race, Haley had a small lead over Trump with an estimated 83% of the total vote counted. The largest share of the vote still be counted was from the Burlington area, home to the state’s most populous city and a Democratic stronghold. Haley was leading Trump there by nearly two-to-one. There were not enough votes elsewhere in the state for Trump to retake the lead for a victory.
In previous races this year, Haley performed best in the most heavily Democratic areas, especially in states like Vermont where Democrats and independents were allowed to vote in the Republican primary.
Haley followed a similar gameplan as former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who came within three percentage points of beating Trump in the 2016 Vermont primary. Like Kasich, Haley posted strong numbers in the Burlington and Montpelier areas, while also holding down Trump’s lead in the Rutland area and points south.
The candidates’ roles were reversed in other Super Tuesday races AP has called so far.
In California, the AP declared Trump the winner at 11:13 p.m. ET based on the strength of his performance in initial vote results. Trump led…
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