Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a Super Tuesday election night party, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
- While Trump celebrated a big night, the Biden campaign was left with a bit of a head scratcher as he became the first sitting President since Jimmy Carter in 44 years to lose a primary.
It was nearly a clean sweep for former President Donald Trump on Super Tuesday, with the Republican frontrunner winning in 14 of the 15 states voting in the day’s primary elections.
Up for grabs were 854 delegates, more than a third of all possible delegates available to win the GOP nomination. To win the Republican nomination, a candidate needs to win 1,215 delegates. Following Super Tuesday, Trump now sits at 995.
Trump’s dominant showing has sent his only remaining rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, exiting the stage. News broke early Wednesday morning that Haley would be suspending her presidential campaign during a press conference slated for 10 a.m. ET in Charleston, South Carolina.
Haley currently has 89 delegates, meaning her path to winning the nomination is nearly impossible. She did win one state on Tuesday – Vermont.
In the Democratic primaries, President Joe Biden swept through all of the states, as is the norm for an incumbent. However, Biden did lose in one race – the U.S. territory of American Samoa – making him the first sitting President since Jimmy Carter in 1980 to lose a primary.
Entrepreneur Jason Palmer, a little-known candidate, won the American Samoa caucuses, taking four delegates from Biden.
Here is a rundown of the Super Tuesday results on the GOP side showing the margin of victory in each race:
Republican Primaries
- Alabama – Trump +70 points
- Alaska – Trump +76 points
- Arkansas – Trump +58 points
- California – Trump +61 points
- Colorado – Trump +30 points
- Maine – Trump +47 points
- Massachusetts – Trump +23 points
- Minnesota – Trump +40 points
- North Carolina – Trump +51 points
- Oklahoma – Trump +66 points
- Tennessee – Trump +58 points
- Texas – Trump +60 points
- Utah – Trump +18 points
- Vermont – Haley +4 points
- Virginia – Trump +28 points
With Haley exiting the primary race, Trump will become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee for a third consecutive election cycle.
The Trump campaign must now seek to unify the party’s base, bringing in those voters loyal to Haley and tamping down fears among the party faithful as he continues to fight legal challenges on multiple fronts.
Trump’s main focus now, after next Tuesday’s March 12th voting in Mississippi, Hawaii, Georgia and Washington, turns to a rematch this November with Biden.
Frank Corder
