On Super Tuesday, March 5, voters across 16 US states and one territory voted for presidential candidates, as President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, two bitter rivals, hurtle towards a rematch in November's general election. Meanwhile, Trump's last remaining rival, Nikki Haley, was searching for some rationale to continue her increasingly implausible bid.
According to the Associated Press, the biggest night of the primary campaign is half over, but full results will take at least a few more hours. Nominating contests were held in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and the US territory of American Samoa.
President Joe Biden has so far easily carried all the Democratic contests, winning Alabama, Minnesota, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, California, Virginia and Vermont, the Associated Press reported.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump has clinched Alabama, Arkansas, Minnesota, Colorado Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, California, and Virginia, according to the Associated Press. This comes as he sought to force rival Nikki Haley from the race on the primary calendar's biggest day and set up a rematch with Joe Biden. Trump, who frequently denigrates migrants, has promised to mount the largest deportation effort in US history if elected.
President Joe Biden is all but certain to seal his party's nomination, despite long-shot challenges from Congressman Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson. On February 27, the Biden campaign had a setback in Michigan, when 13 per cent of voters declared themselves "uncommitted" amid a campaign to register a protest ballot over the President's support for Israel.
Meanwhile, with a double-digit lead in the polls, Donald Trump - the Republican front-runner, will be hoping to finally knock Haley out of the race. Nikki Haley is still standing despite only racking up a single win in a string of nominating votes so far and deep-pocketed donors closing their wallets. Although she has no clear path to victory, Super Tuesday may be her last chance to impede Trump's momentum or expose his potential vulnerabilities heading into the general election.
Super Tuesday is the biggest day for primary elections and caucuses before the actual Election Day in November. This Tuesday, voters in 16 different states and one territory voted for who they want to run for president. Some states also voted for who should run for governor or senator for their state, and some district attorneys, too. Just as Thanksgiving is usually the fourth Thursday in November, Super Tuesday is almost always the first Tuesday in March.
Democrats and Republicans vote on who they want to run for president and other offices. Later, once those votes are tallied, delegates are awarded. (Delegates are people chosen to represent their community at their political party's presidential nominating convention. They are the ones who select the candidate to represent their party on the November ballot.)
Candidates need to win a majority of them to pick up their party's nomination. No other date has more of those delegates at stake than Super Tuesday. On the Republican side, 854 of 2,429 delegates — more than 35 per cent — are up for grabs. About 36 per cent, or 1,420 delegates, are in play for Democrats
