What is Super Tuesday? Why 15 state primaries are important for Trump and Biden
Fifteen US states will hold their primaries on Super Tuesday, the most important day in the 2024 presidential election calendar yet.
The most important day yet leading up to the 2024 presidential election, aptly named Super Tuesday, is happening today.
On March 5, 15 US states and one territory will vote for candidates for president. It is the day that the highest number of states will be holding presidential primaries or caucuses.
The states and territory with nominating contests are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and American Samoa.
Why is Super Tuesday important?
More than one-third of all delegates for Democratic and Republican nominations are up for taking on Super Tuesday. That’s at least 1,420 Democratic and 865 Republican party officials.
The delegates in turn formally choose and announce their party’s presidential nominee at their respective convention in the summer.
What Super Tuesday means for Donald Trump
Ex-President Donald Trump is poised for victory, coming off the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday that states cannot ban him from their primarily ballots under a 14th Amendment provision.
The Trump campaign has projected that he will secure 773 or more delegates on Super Tuesday and clinch the Republican nomination later in March. Counting the state primaries that have already taken place, Trump has about 244 delegates.
Meanwhile, Trump’s lingering opponent for the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley, has 43 delegates. It is effectively Haley’s final opportunity to stop or slow Trump down.
Trump, who has a double-digit lead over Haley in the polls, is looking to finally eliminate her.
What Super Tuesday means for Joe Biden
President Joe Biden is practically guaranteed to win the Democratic nomination. Although many voters and some politicians have expressed their feelings that Biden, 81, is too old to serve a second term, challenges by author Marianne Williamson and congressman Dean Phillips are not considered threats to Biden.
Protest votes in states including California, Colorado, North Carolina, Minnesota and Vermont are also not expected to hurt Biden.
When will results be in?
Polls will close in the early evening in each of the 15 states across six time zones in the country.
Some US news networks will begin to call the races around 8pm ET, but the results will not be known immediately and a clearer picture is expected by Wednesday morning.