Year after year, the results of Super Tuesday—the day when the greatest number of U.S. states hold their presidential primary elections—are seen as a strong indicator of who will become the presidential nominees of each political party. Held on March 5 this year, the results were no surprise to the American people, with Donald Trump and Joe Biden both dominating most of the primary states and the rest of the candidates dropping out.
Most of the Democratic candidates dropped out toward the beginning of the primary season, and the GOP race was the only one that had the appearance of some competition. Nikki Haley was the only candidate able to take any delegates away from Trump by winning her first and only state, Vermont. In addition, Haley also won all 19 delegates in Washington D.C., according to a March 4 NPR article. This win could mean that the Republicans closest to the state capital reject the chaos and drama surrounding Trump. This indicates the split of the GOP and with the support of Trump. Even though Trump has a lot of support, there is still a fair amount of dissent over his candidacy that divides the Republican party.
Haley was determined to stay in the race so that Republicans had another option besides Trump on the ballot, even though Trump was rolling through most of the state primaries and winning by large margins, according to a March 4 NPR article.
With Trump continuing to win state after state, Haley announced her early departure from the race on March 6 but did not endorse Trump, saying that he would have to earn their votes, according to a March 6 CNN article. Haley did not want to fully support Trump and his campaign, so her supporters could still have an open mind and choose a candidate based on their own beliefs, not just those of the Republican party. This could mean that she does not fully support Trump, and wants him to adhere to different beliefs so that he could support all of the Republican party. Trump has lost roughly 30 to 40 percent of the GOP vote because of his stubborn nature and unwillingness to compromise, according to reporting from CNN.
After her departure, Trump has not officially, but basically secured his spot as the Republican candidate. He claimed over 90 percent of the delegates in the primaries, and showed his strong grip over the Republican party, according to a March 6 CNN article. But time will tell if this iron-claw hold over the Republican party is enough to beat Biden in the general election.
Voting trends in the primaries suggest Democrat disapproval of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict could create a split in the party. His approval rates remained as low as 37 percent at the end of February, according to a Feb. 28 Reuters article, the Biden administration’s Israel policy and handling over Gaza, more than 100,000 Democrats voted “uncommitted” in the presidential party primary, CNN reported on March 6 likley played a large role in his ratings. Disapproval aside, Biden still has dominated the presidential primaries. No candidate that has been in the Democratic race has even come close to getting as many votes or as much support as Biden.
This Super Tuesday has brought no unusual surprises to the political ring. The candidates who were supposed to dominate did, but it did bring new hope for the future. Haley created a platform for herself by staying in the race for so long. Haley made connections and created a name for herself in this GOP race that no other candidate had the capacity or ability to do this year. Even though the 2024 election has Trump and Biden’s names, Haley might be in the ring for 2028.
