Former President Donald Trump swept American Samoa’s Republican caucus, securing 100 percent of the vote and nine delegates, according to NBC News and CNN.
Friday’s election marked the first nominating contest for Republicans in American Samoa since Nikki Haley withdrew from the race after Super Tuesday. The islands, situated nearly 5,000 miles off the coast of California, had garnered attention earlier in the week when Jason Palmer, an underdog candidate, unexpectedly tied with President Joe Biden with three delegates each.
Despite Palmer’s surprise debut in the Democratic contest, which highlighted the territory’s often overlooked role in the electoral process, the Republican caucus—all 110 of its voters— unanimously favored Trump. The result underscores the entrenched support for the former president within the Republican Party, even in far-flung territories like American Samoa.
More: These American Samoa residents supported Jason Palmer over Joe Biden. Here’s why.
As of Tuesday, 161 delegates will be up for grabs across four states—Georgia, Mississippi, Washington, and Hawaii—in the upcoming Republican contests on March 12. The GOP frontrunner is expected to surpass the 1215 delegate threshold needed for the GOP nomination by Tuesday evening.
More: Brace yourself: Raucous State of the Union launches a brutal Biden-Trump campaign
Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X @JeremyYurow
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump sweeps American Samoa’s Republican caucus with 100% of vote
