Donald Trump wins Florida's Republican primary
MIAMI - Former President Donald Trump won Florida's Republican primary on Tuesday. Republican voters were the only ones who were able to cast their ballots. Florida Democrats canceled their primary and awarded all 224 of their delegates to President Joe Biden.
Trump, a Florida voter, cast his ballot at a recreation center in Palm Beach and told reporters, "I voted for Donald Trump."
Which Republican candidates were on the Florida primary ballot?
On the Republican ballot, which was certified on December 19th, 2023, former President Donald Trump appeared along with six other candidates, all of whom have already dropped out of the race:
- Niky Haley, former UN Ambassador
- Ron DeSantis, Florida governor
- Chris Christie, former NJ governor
- Asa Hutchinson, former Arkansas governor
- Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur and politician
- Ryan L. Binkley, pastor, businessman and politician
The former president steamrolled through the early nominating contests, winning all but two of the primaries in his path. Haley, the last Republican to square off against Trump before dropping out the day after Super Tuesday, only won two GOP primaries, in Vermont and Washington, D.C.
Trump will be the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee after his win in Washington on March 12th, amassing the 1,125 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination. He also won the day in the Georgia and Mississippi primaries.
After Tuesday's election, "designated political party delegates from Florida meet at their respective party's national conventions to formally nominate the preferred party nominee based on party rules. These national conventions are typically held in July or August. The party then submits to the State the names of the presidential candidate who will represent the party on the General Election ballot in November," according to the Florida Division of Elections.
Outside of Trump's victory, Haley overshadows DeSantis in Florida
With almost all precincts reporting, Trump had received 81.15 percent of the vote, according to results posted on the state Division of Elections website. Haley was second at 13.9 percent, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 3.67 percent.
Haley, DeSantis and other candidates dropped out of the race after losing earlier contests to Trump but remained on the Florida ballot.
State GOP Chairman Evan Power issued a statement Tuesday night that said "Florida Republicans are united and ready to send Joe Biden back to his basement in Delaware this November."
CBS News Miami's Jim DeFede noted the discernment between Trump Republicans and non-Trump Republicans during a post-voting discussion.
"There's some in the Florida Democratic Party who's saying that [it was] a bad showing for [Donald Trump] — I'm not so sure that's the case," he told CBS News Miami's Eliott Rodriguez and Lauren Pastrana. "I think he made it pretty clear that Florida is Trump Country."
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
