BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley clinched her only Super Tuesday win Tuesday in Vermont, but it wasn’t enough to keep her campaign alive. Hailey Morgan spoke with voters and Vermont GOP officials about what the results mean for the divided party come November.
Hours after winning Vermont’s GOP primary, Nikki Haley is out of the race for the White House.
“I did not anticipate anything really different happening, but now it’s between the Donald and Joe,” said Steve Willoughby of Williston. Like the majority of his Chittenden County neighbors, he voted for Haley. But now that she is out of the race, he is not sure who to vote for in November. “I think history will change over the six or seven months between now and November. So, there will be unexpected surprises — either domestically or internationally — so I will be very curious to see what will happen.”
It’s a dilemma many Vermont moderate Republicans face, including Gov. Phil Scott, who endorsed Haley and has frequently broken with the more conservative elements of his party,
“Vermonters think that character matters. I even heard that from very, very conservative Republicans who felt that they could not vote for Trump,” said Paul Dame, chair of the Vermont Republican Party. He’s been working to craft the identity of the party as conservative candidates are largely absent from major races statewide. While some are in the “never Trump” camp, there are others in the party who are on the other end of the spectrum. “Then I hear from other Republicans that the character issues are secondary. They say, ‘I wouldn’t want him to be my pastor. But when he was president, my life was better.’”
Regardless of party, some voters are not looking forward to the general election.
“I am scared to death because I think that the way is being paved for Trump to become president — scares the living daylights out of me,” said Sam Sanders, a Montpelier voter.