The U.S. presidential election is rapidly approaching. As Biden’s term wanes, he works to appease voters. But it is uncertain who will occupy the next term. Biden holds full support from the Democratic National Convention to renew his term as president. It seems likely that Biden and Trump will be the candidates for the upcoming election, as they hold significant leads in the ongoing respective primaries.
The primaries precede the national election, and its is function to single out one candidate per party to contest for president. Delegates from all 50 states and U.S. territories vote in favor of candidates who are seeking the nomination for president. Delegates are representatives of regions or influential supporters in the election. They can either be fledged or unpledged. Pledged must vote based on the primary results in their region, while unpledged can vote however they want.
The Republican primaries began with a variety of candidates; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former ambassador to the United States Nikki Haley and wealth management executive Vivek Ramaswamy were all candidates. Despite spikes in approval throughout 2023, former president Donald Trump has remained the front runner for the Republican nomination. The former president holds a significant lead in the election, with Nikki Haley at a far second. DeSantis and Ramaswamy have both resigned their campaigns and endorsed Trump.
Multiple indictments, Supreme Court trials and lawsuits have contested Trump’s goals for a second term. Both the states of Maine and Colorado have banned Trump from their ballots, and other states like California have tried but faced pushback.
Currently the Supreme Court is ruling whether or not Trump can run for reelection considering his federal criminal charges. He recently appealed for “blanket immunity,” which would exempt him of charges and allow him to run for president. This was rejected by the Supreme Court, claiming that giving him blanket immunity would place him on a pedestal over other Americans. This trial is unprecedented in American history, as no other president has faced 91 felony counts while running for re-election.
The Supreme Court decisions on state autonomy and Trump’s ability to run is still unknown. The first presidential debate will occur on Sept. 16, and finally the general election will happen on Nov. 5.
Photo credits: All photos by Gage Skidmore are licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED.
