New Delhi, February 06, 2024 : US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have moved one step closer to a rematch of the 2020 presidential election, after winning the majority of the party nominating contests held in a group of states spread across the country on Super Tuesday.
Biden has won in 15 of the states that held Democratic Party primaries or caucuses, including those in Virginia, Texas, Minnesota, and Colorado. Trump, on the other hand, has won in 13 states, including California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas.
The former leader, who lost his reelection bid to Biden in 2020, celebrated his round of wins Tuesday and touted the November election as “the single most important day in the history of our country.” Trump’s victories Tuesday included contests in California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas.
Meanwhile, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, the last major opposition to Trump in the Republican race, won Tuesday in the state of Vermont. The win for Haley was her second during the nominating cycle, after capturing Sunday’s primary in Washington.
Biden, in a statement, warned that another term for Trump would mean a term defined by “chaos, division, and darkness.” He spoke about the progress his administration has made on jobs, inflation, prescription drug prices, and gun control, and warned that the progress his administration has made will be at risk if Trump returns to the White House.
Trump, speaking to his supporters in Florida, said the country has taken “a great beating” during the past three years as he faulted Biden’s handling of the economy and immigration.
The result of the contest is expected to solidify both Donald Trump and Joe Biden as their respective party’s nominees for the general election in November.
Super Tuesday, which gets its name from the fact that there are more delegates up for grabs than on any other day in the primary campaign, is when the largest number of states hold presidential primaries or caucuses. According to CBS News, 15 states held GOP contests on Super Tuesday. Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia are holding primaries. Two states, Alaska and Utah, are holding caucuses.
On Super Tuesday, which states will cast ballots?
In the Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, voters came from fifteen states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. Tuesday is also when the Democratic primary elections are held in every state but Alaska.
Tuesday is the last day for Iowa Democrats to mail in their primary ballots. The Democratic caucus is also being held simultaneously in the US territory of American Samoa.
Eleven of the 15 states are holding GOP primaries that are open to more than just registered Republicans.
Meanwhile, Biden will be in the spotlight Thursday night when he gives his annual State of the Union address before Congress and a national television audience. He is expected to tout the U.S. economic advance during his three-plus years in office, although polls show many Americans do not think he has managed the economy very well and often complain about higher prices for groceries.
Looming in the background is Trump’s legal situation, as he faces an unprecedented four criminal indictments encompassing 91 charges and a trial in one case starting in three weeks. National polling shows Trump with a narrow edge over Biden eight months to the day ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
More states will hold their nominating contests in the coming weeks, with Biden and Trump seeking to secure enough delegates to clinch their party nominations ahead of the conventions where each party will formally select their candidates for the November ballot. The Republican Party holds its convention in July, with the Democratic Party following in August.
