(PatriotSpotlight.org) – In Thursday’s Republican caucus in the U.S. Virgin Islands, former President Donald Trump achieved another victory amid claims the vote was not in line with certain GOP regulations. The caucus, which marked the third Republican electoral event of the season, saw Trump clinching 73.98 per cent of the votes, with his rival Nikki Haley securing just over a quarter (26.02 per cent) among delegates in the unincorporated and organized territory.
Virtually addressing supporters his supporters on the island of St. Thomas, Trump expressed thanks for the landslide victory, stating that he “didn’t expect to win” by such a high margin. Voters across the territory’s three main islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John participated in the nomination process, with ranked-choice voting taking place across a multiplicity of venues, including a local rum bar.
71-year-old Valerie Stiles, told US News that turnout had been high despite bad weather, and that she felt the caucus was a key event given the issues currently being faced by residents, namely stagnant wages and soaring inflation. She also stressed that non-state territories like the U.S. Virgin Islands often felt overlooked.
The decision to hold the caucus before Super Tuesday appears to have been motivated by a desire to increase the territory’s weight in the nomination process. Gordon Ackley, chairman of the Virgin Islands’ GOP branch, backed the caucus’ timing, stressing the need for the territory’s “voice” to be heard, given that it is not permitted to vote in November’s Presidential election. GOP officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands said they had complied with Republican National Committee regulations.
The U.S. Virgin Islands’ GOP plans to send nine delegates and six alternates to July’s Republican National Convention in Wisconsin, but the Republican National Committee says they will only be permitted four delegates. Three GOP contests took place prior to the US Virgin Islands caucus, in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, however the latter failed to award any delegates and did not allow Trump on the ballot. On Thursday Trump achieved a major victory in the Nevada caucus, taking over 99 percent of votes.
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