Former President Donald Trump has clinched victory in Michigan’s Republican primary, as projected by NBC News.

Trump’s triumph continues his dominant performance in this year’s presidential primaries and caucuses, despite the persistent presence of former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in the race.

Michigan’s GOP primary operates in two stages, with only 16 out of the state’s 55 delegates to the Republican National Convention being allocated based on Tuesday’s primary outcomes. The remaining delegates will be determined at a state party convention on Saturday.

The unconventional process, combining voter participation with input from party insiders during the convention, has limited reliable polling data on the GOP race. Nonetheless, Trump’s influence in the state remains robust. He played a significant role in the 2022 midterms, endorsing a slate of candidates who won their primaries with his backing, although they all suffered defeat in the general election.

At a rally in Waterford Township on February 17, Trump largely overlooked the primary contest and instead focused on a prospective rematch with President Joe Biden in November. Why would’t he, this is a joke at this point that Haley hasn’t thrown in the towel. She’s getting beaten like a government mule.

“We want to send a signal, but we want to win Nov. 5,” he asserted. “Nov. 5, we’re gonna get this guy out. We’re going to change our country. We’re going to bring our country back.”

Meanwhile, Haley campaigned in the Detroit suburb of Troy on Sunday and in Grand Rapids on Monday. Despite failing to secure victory in any primary or caucus prior to Tuesday, including in her home state of South Carolina, Haley has intensified her criticism of Trump’s perceived lack of electability in the upcoming fall election.

“He’s not going to get the 40% if he is not willing to change and do something that acknowledges the 40%,” Haley remarked on Sunday in Troy, alluding to her share of the vote in the South Carolina primary. “And why should the 40% have to cave to him?”

Michigan, a state narrowly won by Trump in 2016 and then narrowly by Biden in 2020, is anticipated to be a fiercely contested battleground in the general election.

The primary and the upcoming convention occur against the backdrop of significant turmoil within the Michigan Republican Party. A judge intervened on Tuesday in a protracted dispute between former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, recognized by the Republican National Committee as the new state party chair, and Kristina Karamo, who was ousted from the role by dissatisfied activists.

Karamo, refusing to relinquish her position, had pledged to proceed with plans for a rival GOP convention in Detroit on Saturday, while Hoekstra organized his convention in Grand Rapids. However, a court order issued on Tuesday bars her from conducting party business.

“When we finally get access to all of the information from the previous leadership of the Republican Party, we’re not going to find a campaign plan,” Hoekstra remarked in an interview with NBC News last week. “And I’m expecting we’re not going to find any financial resources. And so, yeah … we’ve got eight months to do what a political party normally does in 18 to 20 months.”