On a pivotal night for the 2024 U.S. presidential race, President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, dominated their parties’ nominating contests across 15 states on Super Tuesday. The convincing victories have paved the way for a rematch between the two bitter rivals in November’s general election while putting immense pressure on Indian-American Nikki Haley’s underdog Republican campaign.
A Resounding Super Tuesday for Biden, Trump
According to the Associated Press, President Biden and Trump have secured sweeping wins in the biggest day of the primary calendar so far. Nominating contests were held in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and American Samoa.
While full results were still trickling in late Tuesday night, it was clear that the two frontrunners had extended their delegate leads substantially over their respective challengers.
Trump Eyes Knockout Blow Against Haley
For Trump, the main objective on Super Tuesday was to effectively knock out his remaining Republican rival, Nikki Haley and allow him to shift his focus to Biden for the general election campaign.
The former president, who has dominated the GOP race despite mounting legal troubles, won at least the first 13 Super Tuesday states, including big prizes like Texas and California. However, Haley pulled off a surprise upset win in Vermont.
“We’re going to go on and keep making America great again,” Trump told supporters, projecting he would win over 770 delegates on the day and clinch the Republican nomination within weeks.
But Haley portrayed her single-state victory as an “astonishing achievement” against the commanding Trump campaign. “The race has only just begun,” she insisted.
Delegates Up For Grabs
Over 1,400 delegates were at stake for Democrats across the Super Tuesday states, about a third of the total required to clinch the nomination at their convention this summer.
According to AP estimates, Biden aimed to build a formidable delegate lead, having already amassed over 600 delegates based on previous contests; his lone remaining challenger is self-help author Marianne Williamson.
Trump was competing for 865 Republican delegates on offer. Based on AP estimates, he has faced minimal opposition and held a roughly 200 delegate lead over Haley heading into Super Tuesday.
A Republican nominee must win 1,215 delegates, while the Democrat requires 1,968 delegates to secure their party’s nomination.
Path Ahead for Haley
Haley, the former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor faced an increasingly improbable path to derailing Trump after her single-state victory. She has struggled to gain traction, failing to meet polling criteria for several Super Tuesday debates.
“We have a little ways to go, but we’re going to keep fighting,” Haley told supporters in a speech Tuesday night. However, campaign aides privately acknowledged her path had narrowed considerably.
The 74-year-old Trump, facing criminal charges in New York over hush money payments, made no reference in his victory speech to the legal threats looming over his campaign.
As the results solidified the expected Biden-Trump rematch, Democrats and Republicans were gearing up for a gruelling and divisive general election battle ahead.
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