Nikki Haley woos Republican voters in DC as the nation's Democratic capital may be her BEST shot at winning a primary contest over Donald Trump

• 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is in Washington, D.C., today
• There are 19 delegates up for grabs in the D.C. primary, which is party-run
• Republicans in the nation’s capital are able to cast their ballot at just one location
• The former South Carolina governor is asking the district’s roughly 23,000 registered Republicans to back her over Trump 

2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is in Washington, D.C., today to try and woo the few Republican voters in that nation’s Democratic capital, which may be her best shot at beating Donald Trump in a primary contest.

Trump and Haley are vying for the district’s coveted 19 Republican delegates, and it is a must-watch primary race that is likely to come down to the wire.

Republicans in the nation’s capital are able to cast their ballot during the closed party-run primary at just one location – the Madison Hotel – from Friday through Sunday.

And D.C. may be Haley’s best – and only – shot at beating Trump in any primary race.

In 2016, Trump finished at just 14 percent in a distant third place in D.C.’s GOP primary behind Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. And although he won in 2020 in an uncontested race, only about 2,800 Republicans voted.

The former South Carolina governor made a stop at the Madison Hotel Friday after polls opened to rally the district’s roughly 23,000 registered Republicans to back her over Trump.

She cracked a joke at the top, teasing ‘who says there are no Republicans in D.C.!’ to laughs among the crowd of GOP voters living in a heavily Democratic district.

The former South Carolina governor made a stop at the Madison Hotel Friday afternoon after polls opened in a plea for the district’s few Republicans to back her over Trump

2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is in Washington, D.C., today to try and woo the district’s few Republican voters in that nation’s capital

The Trump campaign is signaling that the D.C. contest isn’t as important as 15 states and one territory are set to vote on Super Tuesday

The 2024 hopeful ran through her stump speech taking shots at the inefficiency of Congress, which landed well in the DC-based group, and at Biden and Trump’s failures on the economy and immigration.

Haley urged voters to ‘get loud’ and gather friends and family to ‘send a message’ in the primary that ‘we need to go in a new direction.’

‘I can’t believe this is the only place you can vote,’ she quipped to laughter among the roughly 150 gathered in a tight space within the hotel.

‘So y’all cannot leave until you vote,’ she teased.

‘This is the time we need to go in a new direction with a new generation a leader that can put in eight years, day and night. No negativity, no drama, no vendettas just hard core results for the American people. It’s time.’

GOP voters in the crowd Friday said they are fed up with Trump and want Haley to restore a sense of dignity to the office of the president.

They loudly ‘booed’ whenever she mentioned Trump and were riled up over the former president’s swipes at veterans and at his political rivals.

This is good news for Haley.

If she can successfully motivate more Republicans to come out and vote for her than Trump over the weekend, she has a shot at victory in the D.C. primary.

D.C. voter Dan Schubert told DailyMail.com that he’s voting for Nikki because America needs a ‘fresh face’ in the White House after years of ‘chaos’ from Trump and Biden.

‘We’ve got an alternative now to have a bright future with a smart, savvy experienced candidate that’s going to take our country in a bright new direction,’ he added.

Dan said the ‘energy in the room’ during her remarks proves that there is momentum for her and she has a ‘tremendous chance to win this weekend.’

‘I think if she wins in in the District of Columbia, I think Super Tuesday is gonna look a little different,’ he added.

National security was an especially important issue to voters assembled, who cited it as their top concern.

Another D.C. voter, Laura, told DailyMail.com that Haley is efficient on the issue.

‘A large part of the job of president is foreign relations,’ she said. ‘And I think [Haley] would do a better job than any of the other candidates who are still in the race.’

She also said it’s time for a ‘pro-life female president’ in the White House.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is signaling that the D.C. contest isn’t as important as 15 states and one territory are set to vote on Super Tuesday – upcoming on March 5.

There are 874 delegates up for grabs – 36 percent – of all delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

‘Republican voters have delivered resounding wins for President Trump in every single primary contest and this race is over,’ a Trump campaign spokesperson said.

‘Our focus is now on Joe Biden and the general election.’

His campaign sent texts out to voters in the area urging them to head to the Madison Hotel and vote.

Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are the three left in the 2024 contest

The Haley campaign has been urging voters in the district to get to the hotel

Haley’s campaign is not losing momentum – she also revealed earlier Friday that her campaign raised $12 million in February alone despite losing every primary contest thus far

‘Make sure you vote. President Trump needs You!’ reads a text obtained by DailyMail.com.

‘Don’t delay. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP.’

The former South Carolina governor pledged to remain in the race until at least Super Tuesday.

Trump is up 81 percent to Haley’s 18 percent in the most recent 2024 Republican primary poll conducted by Morning Consult.

But her campaign is not losing momentum – she also revealed earlier Friday that her campaign raised $12 million in February alone despite losing every primary contest thus far.

The Haley campaign has been urging voters in the district to get to the hotel, saying in a text ‘we can’t afford four more years of Biden’s failures or Trump’s lack of focus.’

‘You deserve better than a choice between Joe Biden and Donald Trump,’ Haley states in the campaign text.

Other GOP candidates on the D.C. ballot include: David Stuckenberg, a businessman, Ryan Binkley, Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Both early voting and absentee voting were not permitted in D.C.’s GOP primary.

According to the Associated Press, only two voters requested a military or overseas mail-in ballot in 2016.

If a candidate gets over 50 percent of the vote, they will take all 19 delegates, otherwise they will be divided up proportionally.

Polls in D.C. will close Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.

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