How close is Donald Trump to securing the 2024 GOP nomination? Here's what to know.
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s path to the Republican nomination appears to be widening after his victory in the South Carolina GOP primary over former Palmetto State Gov. Nikki Haley.
But Trump still has a ways to go if he wants to be the face of his party in November, and that includes securing the majority of delegates in primaries and caucuses.
But why does a candidate need delegates to become a party's nominee? After a state holds its primary or caucus, a certain number of delegates are awarded to each candidate, and those delegates become the power players at official nominating conventions.
Some states may choose to award all delegates to the candidate who wins the state. In other areas, delegates may be divided among candidates depending on how much support they received in a primary or caucus.
Trump also has to worry about unpledged delegates, who can cast a vote for whichever candidate they choose at the national nominating convention. Pledged delegates, on the other hand, must support the candidate they were allocated to after a primary or caucus in their respective state.
Here’s a rundown of how many delegates the former president has and how many more he needs to officially win the GOP nomination.
How many delegates does it take to win the Republican nomination?
There are 2,429 total delegates: 2,325 pledged and 104 unpledged. In order to win the Republican nomination, a candidate must secure the majority of delegates: 1,215.
If no candidate wins the majority of delegates during the primaries and caucuses, then delegates at the national nominating convention will vote amongst themselves to choose the Republican nominee.
How many delegates does Trump have so far?
Trump has 110 delegates in total, and he is 1,105 away from winning the nomination. He has secured victories in the Iowa Caucus, New Hampshire primary, Virgin Islands caucus, Nevada caucus and the South Carolina primary.
Haley has 20 delegates, and businessman Ryan Binkley has zero delegates.
How many delegates did Trump get in South Carolina?
The former president received 47 delegates after his South Carolina primary win. Haley received just three.
Trump easily defeated the former South Carolina governor, marking an embarrassing defeat in Haley's home state. Most Republicans who win the Palmetto State's primary go on to win the party's nomination − including former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Trump in 2016.
He previously won 20 delegates in the Iowa Caucus, 13 delegates in the New Hampshire primary, 26 delegates in the Nevada Caucus and four delegates in the Virgin Islands Caucus.
Will Super Tuesday clinch Trump's win as Republican nominee?
The Trump campaign suggested in a memo this month that the former president will likely lock in the nomination on March 12 with 1,223 delegates. In a worst case scenario, the campaign estimates he will become the designated nominee no later than March 19.
In the lead up and including Super Tuesday (set for March 5,) 19 states, the District of Columbia and American Samoa will hold their primaries for a total of 1,063 delegates up for grabs for Republican primary candidates.
If Trump continues to win in landslides over the next two weeks it's likely he will expand his 110 delegate total to reach the 1,215 delegate threshold needed to become the Republican nominee.
The next GOP primary is Tuesday in Michigan.