DATA POINTS
- 10 a.m. ET: The time on March 6 Nikki Haley suspended her presidential campaign
- 11: The total number of delegates awarded to the “uncommitted” Democratic vote on Tuesday
- 15: The number of states that held a Republican primary on Super Tuesday
- 17%: The percentage of registered voters who voted on Super Tuesday in Alabama
- 18.9%: The percentage of “uncommitted” voters in Minnesota
- 49.3%: The percentage of the vote Nikki Haley won in Vermont
- 62%: The percentage of Republicans who support Ron DeSantis as Trump’s running mate
- 358: The number of additional delegates Biden needs to secure the Democratic nomination
- 789: The number of delegates Trump secured on Super Tuesday; up from the 764 won on Super Tuesday in 2020
- 460 Billion: The cost of the spending bill package passed by the House ahead of today’s shutdown deadline
Here’s the Skinny on Super Tuesday
Every four years, Taco Tuesday gives way to Super Tuesday – a litmus test that forecasts the main players and issues that will compete in the November general election for President of the United States. This year, Super Tuesday eliminated Trump’s last viable primary challenger and turned up trouble (or not?) for Biden in the tropics. Get your Super Tuesday fix right here in The Weekender.
Age is not a Primary Concern
Super Tuesday sealed the deal: the Presidential election is shaping up to be the rematch of the ages (for those between 77 and 81 years old). Joe Biden and Donald Trump are all but solidified as the candidates to pursue each of their own second terms. While the primaries were handily won by each candidate, they exposed some of the wrinkles in each of the campaigns.
Trump continues to struggle with well-educated suburban voters, and his success in the primary bled into red candidates down-ballot. He is on a mission to rebrand (re-rebrand?) the GOP as a working-class party – a mission that has received significant support from MAGA voters.
Biden is wading through intra-party criticisms over his support for Israel amid its actions against Palestine. Minnesota saw a huge wave of “uncommitted” votes in the Democratic Party similar to Michigan. While he is realistically safe against these electorate protests during primary season, he will need party unity once the general election season begins.
While Trump no longer faces a primary competitor, the dynastic descendant Robert F. Kennedy remains in the race and may make the ballot in as many as six states. Some of his qualifying states, like Nevada and Arizona, could position him as a mutual spoiler against Trump and Biden.
Haley’s Message? “Not Trump.” The Reality? “Not Nikki.”
Super Tuesday knocked out Nikki Haley, who served as the last remaining trump card to Trump. Although the former South Carolina governor became the first woman to win a GOP presidential primary, she couldn’t gain enough airspeed to outfly the bravado of Trump. As she bowed out of the race, she congratulated Trump, but notably did not endorse him.
Nikki Haley is well-spoken, mature, intelligent, and drew support across the country. Her direct foreign policy know-how served as the Yin to Trump’s isolationist Yang. In any other election against any other opposition, she may have performed far better – but Donald Trump is a force to be reconciled. If giants like Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis couldn’t bring the job to task, then it should not be expected that the 91 criminal charges in four states against him will be able to do the job either.
Voters now have the choice of two four-year long entrees that few have an appetite for: Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Samoa Swims Against the Stream
President Biden has dominated the Democrat primary season… except in American Samoa, where this week, he lost to long-shot candidate Jason Palmer. While both Biden and Palmer received three delegates, Palmer won 56% of the votes to Biden’s 44%. Notably, only 91 votes were cast.
Palmer, a 52-year-old businessman from Baltimore, has kept his campaign primarily online through social media and Zoom town halls. Improving education is a key priority, and he said he’ll soon be releasing a plan to “solve” the immigration crisis. On the day before the caucus, Palmer posted that “Washington D.C. is long overdue for a president who will be an advocate for American Samoa.”
Biden’s trouble in the tropics will not affect the race, though interestingly, the upset is not unprecedented. In 2020, American Samoa side-stepped Biden and cast their caucus vote for Michael Bloomberg.
The Weekender is taking spring break – see you in two weeks!
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