United States primary elections 2024: All you need to know about Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday is considered a big milestone in the presidential nomination process during the United States elections. It’s a big election day when the early contests are over and voters from multiple states cast ballots in primaries scheduled on the same date.
Super Tuesday is a crucial day in the United States presidential primary election process and occurs on the first Tuesday of March, this year it’s on March 5. During Super Tuesday, multiple states hold their primary elections or caucuses simultaneously, making it a pivotal day in the race for party nominations. This consolidated voting day allows a diverse range of states, often representing various regions and demographics, to influence the selection of candidates.
Approximately one-third of all delegates to the presidential nominating conventions can be won on Super Tuesday, helping candidates secure a substantial portion of the total delegates needed to win their party’s nomination. Approximately 36% of the Republican delegates will be chosen by these primaries and caucuses
March 5 will witness 15 contests for Republicans and 16 contests for Democrats spread across the country.
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Maine
Massachusetts
Minnesota
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
American Samoa
Ahead of the Super Tuesday scheduled for March 5, 2024 Biden and Trump have emerged as clear winners from their folds. Despite consecutive defeats in caucuses and primary elections Nikki Haley has refused to discontinue her presidential race. Meanwhile Biden’s race to the top has been largely uncontested.
In the Republican fold Donald Trump has won support of 244 delegates, Nikki Haley has only 43 by her side. They need 1215 delegates.
In the Democrats fold Joe Biden has won support of 206 delegates and needs support of 1918 delegates to make his race secure.
In 2020 primaries 14 primaries went to vote. Incumbent President Donald Trump defeated challenger Bill Weld in the Super Tuesday Republican primaries. He won seven of the 11 contests that day, although he lost the largest prize, Texas.
Tens of millions of Americans are eligible to vote in primaries and caucuses on Tuesday, with contests to be held from Maine in the northeast to California on the West Coast, as well as the remote Pacific territory of American Samoa.
On Republican side there are 874 delegates — more than a third of the 2,429 delegates who will officially vote for candidates at the party’s July nominating convention, offering Trump a chance to all but sew up his runaway lead, barring a major surprise. His campaign predicts he will win at least 773 delegates on Super Tuesday and surpass the magic number needed to secure the nomination about two weeks later.
Super Tuesday is going to be the D-day for challenger Nikki Haley who hopes to upend the former president’s march towards becoming the party’s flag bearer once again. Former South Carolina governor lost out to Trump in every constituency except Washington DC,eventhough she won 40 percent of votes in New Hampshire and South Carolina
Until she posted a symbolic win Sunday night in the Washington DC primary, Haley, a former South Carolina governor, had not won a single contest. But she did clinch 40 percent of the vote in New Hampshire and South Carolina — a sign, she argues, that the party remains divided over Trump. Haley maintains she would fare better than her rival in a general election matchup against Biden. Analysts see Haley deciding to remain in the hunt largely in the event Trump gets laid low by his legal woes or other circumstances such as ill health.
US President Joe Biden is facing a significantly high rebellion within the party with over 50% of Democrats hoping him to be replaced by Michael Obama. Even though he won Michigan, more than 100,000 Democratic primary voters opted for “uncommitted” rather than Biden. “Uncommitted” won two of Michigan’s delegates, the only delegates Biden has lost so far. Democratic primary voters in a state have been protesting the president’s Israel policy and want him to push much more forcefully for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.