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Former President Donald Trump has picked up another win in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
The Republican Party of the Virgin Islands declared on Thursday that Trump had won the GOP caucus in the territory.
The Virgin Islands contest, open only to Republican voters, was for nine delegates to the GOP presidential nominating convention this summer.
The candidates who were still in the running for the nomination were Trump, former U.N. ambassador and two-term governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley, and four others who withdrew from the 2024 contest.
There was ranked-choice voting in the caucus. Voters ranked their choices, and the ranked-choice method would have been implemented if no candidate received a majority of the total votes.
BREAKING: Decision Desk HQ projects Donald Trump wins the U.S. Virgin Islands Republican Caucus pic.twitter.com/UCSLJ1jEUb
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) February 9, 2024
Trump continues to rack up endorsements, scoring one from the International Association of Police Unions on Tuesday.
IUPA President Sam Cabral announced in a statement that the organization’s board of directors unanimously endorsed Trump, Breitbart News reported.
“President Trump’s history of support for the men and women of Law Enforcement is unmatched. His policies and actions were directed at improving safety in our communities and the men and women who provide that shield,” the release stated, adding that Trump “earned and deserves” the IUPA’s “wholehearted support.”
The group, which was formed in 1979, noted that Democratic policies and “doctrine” have had “tragic” impacts on communities.
“Much of the Democrat’s doctrine supports defunding the police; favors sanctuary cities, open borders, and reduced accountability for criminal behavior. The tragic result is apparent in those cities who have embraced these policies—the unfortunate forced business closures and plight that followed,” the group said.
“Roving gangs are terrorizing retail businesses, raiding them with absolute impunity, akin to a thousand years past — regressive rather than their progressive ideology. They have not dealt with the consequences of their own failed strategies, while we have all suffered,” the IUPA noted further.
The group is the first police organization to formally back Trump this election cycle. It added that around the country, left-wing Democratic policies are leading to a loss of officers at an “alarming” pace, which then leads to a “diminished presence” in cities that leave citizens vulnerable.
“We firmly believe that Donald Trump can and will address these issues effectively while reinstating the confidence of a safe and prosperous United States of America,” the group added.
Trump earned the IUPA’s endorsement in 2020, along with that of the National Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Police Organizations that same year.
According to a TIPP Insights poll, the endorsement comes at a time when people believe that crime is a significant issue early in this election year.
The survey asked participants to identify the top three “issues facing the country.” While respondents mentioned a total of 20 different issues, the top three were the economy (38 percent), immigration and border security (36 percent), and crime (19 percent), Breitbart News noted.
Meanwhile, Democratic senators in swing or trending red states are increasingly shying away from President Joe Biden and declining to have him appear with them on the campaign trail as his poll numbers decline, even though all of them have supported his legislative and policy agendas.
The Democratic candidates, many of whom are running in either red or battleground states, have refrained from prominently featuring Biden in their social media posts on the X platform since announcing their 2024 campaigns.
While none of these Democrats have explicitly endorsed the president’s reelection bid, they have consistently voted in alignment with his agenda throughout 2023, the Daily Caller reported over the weekend.
“Vulnerable Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Jacky Rosen of Nevada agreed with the president anywhere from 94.6 percent to 99.3 percent of the time last year, according to FiveThirtyEight’s estimates,” the outlet noted.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who is running to replace independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, agrees with Biden’s positions in about 97.9% of his votes.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democratic congresswoman running for the seat that Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan will vacate, has shown support for the president’s agenda in about 88.9 percent of her votes.
