Haley makes history as she hands Trump first Republican primary defeat

Nikki Haley is the first woman to win a Republican primary in US history, but victory looks little more than symbolic.

Nikki Haley has become the first woman to win a Republican primary following victory in Washington, DC.

The former ambassador to the United Nations was declared the winner late on Sunday. The victory offers a small boost to her campaign, but former United States President Donald Trump retains a huge lead in the race to become the Republican candidate in November’s presidential election.

Trump’s only remaining challenger for the nomination won 62.9 percent of the vote in the capital. The controversial former president took 33.2 percent. The result handed Haley all 19 delegates at stake.

“It’s not surprising that Republicans closest to Washington dysfunction are rejecting Donald Trump and all his chaos,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement.

However, the GOP appears ready to look past that chaos, which includes numerous legal cases, including efforts to brand Trump ineligible to run in November.