More than a third of the total delegates available in the presidential primaries of the Republicans and Democrats will be awarded the super tuesdayafter the votes for the nominations for the presidential candidates.
On the Republican side, 854 of 2,429 delegates will be at stake in the super tuesday, which is traditionally the most important day on the presidential primary calendar in terms of the number of states holding primaries and caucuses, as well as the number of delegates at stake. Democrats will compete for 1,420 delegates.
On this occasion he will confirm the duel between the Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden in November.
Haley’s last chance
With the exception of Sunday’s primary in Washington, which was won by former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, former President Trump won in all the states that have already voted.
And Tuesday could be the last chance day for her only rival in the race: Haley.
Former President Donald Trump has a total of 244 delegates and needs 971 more to reach the so-called “magic number” of 1,215. Once he reaches that delegate total, he will have won a majority of the available delegates for the mid-year Republican convention and will be considered the party’s nominee.
The earliest Trump can reach that number is March 12. The former president scored more victories over the weekend in Michigan, Idaho and Missouri. Although Nikki Haley won all 19 delegates in the District of Columbia primary, the only victory obtained so far, Trump could win the nomination if he wins around 90% of the delegates in dispute between now and March 12.
Republican delegate rules vary from state to state, but their system generally makes it easier for frontrunners to quickly reach large numbers of delegates because many states — including California, the Super Tuesday jackpot — award all their delegates to the candidate. who gets the majority of the votes.
In Texas, which has the second largest number of delegates available, 150 delegates will be allocated based on the results of the primary. super tuesday, although state officials say they will award another 11 at a state convention in May. The exact number of delegates available on a date can also change as state parties finalize their plans.
Biden without competition in his party
On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden is in position to add a significant number of delegates. Biden’s magic number currently stands at 1,968, although that could change slightly depending on how the party decides to handle New Hampshire, a state that violated party rules by holding its Democratic primary in January. The soonest Biden can reach that number is March 19. At this moment he has 206 delegates.
Democrats award their delegates proportionally across states, which—at least in theory—makes it easier for disadvantaged candidates to win delegates. Biden’s main rival, Representative Dean Phillips, has not been able to take advantage of this, but these rules open the door for options such as “uncommitted” or “no preference” votes to obtain delegates, if they are eligible upon reaching the 15% vote threshold, whether at the state level or in a legislative district.
These unpledged delegates, who will make it to the Democratic convention midyear and can choose who to back, have been the only thing separating Biden from a clean sweep so far. In Michigan, the “uncommitted” voting option gained two delegates. Seven states of super tuesday —including Iowa, whose results of its voting to be carried out exclusively by mail will be announced that same day— offer an option similar to the “uncommitted” vote.
These are some elements to consider for this unusual “super tuesday“.
Millions of voters
Tens of millions of Americans are called to the polls, from Maine, in the extreme northeast of the United States, to California, on the west coast, through Texas, in the south, and even to American Samoa, a small territory in the Peaceful.
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and Virginia will also vote.
In the past the “super tuesday“It monopolized all the attention and efforts, both human and fundraising.
It was the opportunity for the candidates to demonstrate whether they were capable of mobilizing voters with very different profiles and geographical origins.
No surprise?
And Joe Biden does not have a serious rival for the nomination, something normal for an outgoing president.
What is unusual is that Donald Trump, as a former president trying to return to the White House, has crushed the competition.
At stake on Tuesday are 854 delegates of the total of 2,429 who will designate the Republican Party’s presidential candidate at the July convention. Enough to offer the former president an almost insurmountable advantage since the beginning of March.
His campaign team predicts he will win 773 delegates on “super tuesday” and will be mathematically unbeatable two weeks later.
Meanwhile, experts believe Nikki Haley is holding out in hopes that Trump won’t be able to run in November because of his legal setbacks, or perhaps a health issue.
Source: With information from AFP and AP
