State republican caucuses are won by Trump

Donald Trump won Missouri’s GOP caucuses on Tuesday, one of three events that will award delegates for the GOP presidential nomination.

The former president added to his delegate lead with the victory and made gains at a convention in Michigan. Idaho held its caucuses Saturday. His last major rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, still is seeking her first election-season win.

MICHIGAN

Michigan Republicans at their convention in Grand Rapids began allocating 39 of the state’s 55 GOP presidential delegates. Trump won 33, with six yet to be allocated.

But a portion of the party’s grassroots force skipped the gathering because of the effects of a monthslong dispute over party leadership.

Trump won Michigan’s primary this past Tuesday with 68% of the vote compared with Haley’s 27%.

MISSOURI

This year was be the first test of a new system, which is almost entirely run by volunteers on the GOP side.

The caucuses were organized after GOP Gov. Mike Parson signed a 2022 law that canceled the planned March 12 presidential primary.

Lawmakers failed to reinstate the primary despite calls to do so by both Republican and Democratic party leaders. Democrats will hold a party-run primary on March 23.

Trump prevailed twice under Missouri’s old presidential primary system.

IDAHO

Last year, Idaho lawmakers passed cost-cutting legislation intended to move all state primaries to the same May date. But the bill eliminated the presidential primaries entirely.

The Republican-led Legislature considered holding a special session to reinstate the presidential primaries but failed to agree on a proposal, leaving both parties with presidential caucuses as the only option.

For this year, all Republican voters who want to participate will have to attend in person. They will vote after hearing short speeches by the candidates.

If one candidate gets more than 50% of the statewide votes, that candidate will win all the Idaho delegates. If none of the candidates gets more than 50% of the votes, then each candidate with at least 15% of the total votes will get a proportionate number of delegates.

The Idaho GOP will announce the results once all the votes are counted statewide.

Trump placed a distant second in the 2016 Idaho primary behind Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

AP PHOTO/SUMMER BALLENTINE Missouri voters gather Saturday at the Family Worship Center of Columbia, Mo., to caucus for the Republican presidential nominee.