Trump wins NMI Republican Primary
Former U.S. President Donald Trump won over former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley by a huge margin, 319-25, for the entire CNMI during the NMI Republican Party’s presidential primary at the Garapan Central Park Friday night.
NMI Republican Party chair Diego Benavente announced that, according to their unofficial count, 140 on Saipan voted for Trump and 21 voted for Haley. On Tinian,134 voted for Trump, and three for Haley, while on Rota, Trump received 45 votes and Haley got one.
Haley recently announced she is exiting the Republican presidential race.
Benavente said in a later interview that, even though Trump has already met the required number of delegates in the biggest Republican primaries around the nation, they are voting in the CNMI for the presidential primary between Trump and Haley.
At the same time, Benavente said, they are also electing their six delegates who would represent the CNMI in the Republican national convention this July. The seven delegation candidates are Maria Javier, former representative Marco Peter, former senator Vinnie Sablan, Jess Taisague, Joaquin Torres, Ray Dela Cruz, and Ivan Mereb Jr. Whoever lands on seventh place will serve as an alternate. The voting started at 6:30pm and ended at 8pm.
“I’m happy. I’m super, super happy,” said Benavente, referring to the turnout.
Former senator Pete Reyes, who was among those who voted in the primary, said in an interview that he voted for Trump as the former president is not a stranger to the CNMI.
Reyes said history tells that Trump has been very generous to the CNMI and he understands and knows the Commonwealth.
Former governor Ralph DLG. Torres is another one who supported Trump, saying the CNMI got all the support it needed when he worked with Trump when he was still governor. Torres said they got all the waivers during super typhoons and even COVID-19 pandemic.
He said just having that relationship and acknowledging the CNMI’s needs gave the Commonwealth a head start on recovery.
The former governor said it’s been proven that Trump is a friend of the CNMI in terms of helping its people.
Joaquin DLG. Torres, who is the Republican Party’s precinct club chairman for Precinct 1, said he voted for Trump because the former president has been proven to help the CNMI.
Former governor Ralph DLG Torres votes for former U.S. president Donald Trump during the NMI Republican Party’s presidential primary and national convention delegate caucus at the Garapan Central Park last Friday night. Trump easily won over former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley with a huge margin, 319-25, for the entire CNMI.
-FERDIE DE LA TORRE
