Everything You Need To Know about the Primaries So Far
The 2024 Presidential Election is around the corner and the primaries are in full swing. Most states have already held their primaries with a little less than half the states remaining to vote in the primaries. The Associated Press has already called both races.
Former President Donald J. Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee. He has earned 1,074 delegates as of March 25. 1,215 delegates are required to secure the nomination. Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina, secured only 94 delegates and only won Vermont. Trump won in the rest of the states where the primaries have already been held (The New York Times).
Haley dropped out on March 6 following “Super Tuesday” (March 5), saying she had “no regrets.” Breaking typical precedent, Haley refused to endorse Trump and stated that she hoped Trump could “earn the votes of those in our party” (The Wall Street Journal). Republican candidates Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, and others have all dropped out.
A similar story is unfolding on the Democratic side. President Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee, having secured 2,539 delegates as of March 25. The Associated Press has also called this race in Biden’s favor. Biden has won every state so far. Every other candidate on the Democratic side has dropped out; Marianne Williamson dropped out on February 7 and Dean Phillips on March 6, following “Super Tuesday” (The New York Times).
In a surprising turn, politician and environmental lawyer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) may do far better than predicted as an independent candidate. A group campaigning for RFK Jr. managed to get him onto the ballot as an independent candidate in both Georgia and Arizona. (The Wall Street Journal) RFK Jr. may receive the Libertarian nomination and he is seeking to earn a major boost with the announcement of his running mate (CBS News).
In the upcoming primaries, Trump and Biden will continue to run unopposed and will likely secure the nominations in their respective parties. The Republican National Convention is from July 15-18, and the Democratic National Convention is from August 19-20. The next big announcement will be who each candidate is selecting as their running mate for Vice President.
