The 2024 presidential race narrowed following the expected election results from Super Tuesday, held on March 5 in 16 states and American Samoa.

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia held primaries on Super Tuesday. The Democratic party held a caucus in American Samoa in place of Alaska.

Super Tuesday is usually held in the first week of March when around 15 states hold their primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties. The delegates awarded during Super Tuesday account for over a third of all delegates awarded during a presidential primary.

This year, former president Donald Trump and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley competed for 865 GOP delegates. On the Democratic side, 1,383 delegates were up for grabs, almost all being assigned to President Joe Biden.

On Wednesday, March 6, following a continued string of losses, Haley was the last of Trump’s competitors to drop out of the race, leaving Trump as the sole Republican candidate heading into the election against Biden this fall. At the time of dropping out, Haley had won 51 of the 865 delegates on Super Tuesday.

Tuesday was not a total sweep for Biden or Trump, though. In Vermont, Haley was able to slightly edge out Trump with 50% of the vote. Haley also came out on top in the District of Columbia, winning 60% of the vote. These victories did little for Haley’s chances as Trump took states like California and Texas.

Another surprise came out of American Samoa, where Biden received fewer votes than Jason Palmer, a candidate who was previously unknown. As is usual with incumbent presidents, Biden won most of the Democratic delegates up for grabs on Tuesday.

As the United States heads into yet another round of Trump vs. Biden, it seems that many Americans are not optimistic about the way the election is headed. According to the Associated Press, 41% of Americans approve of Biden’s performance in office.

Disapproval for the current president largely comes from his age. If Biden is reelected, he will be 86 when he finishes his second term. This brings into question his cognitive abilities. The Biden administration has recognized this fact and has instead highlighted his presidential successes, focusing on his response to COVID-19 and his efforts to strengthen the American economy.

Trump has not been faring much better. Although he has a slightly higher approval rating than President Biden, his legal woes have proved intimidating for moderate voters.

While Trump and Biden are the expected candidates for the 2024 election, the vote for president is still several months away. Americans can expect to see fierce campaigning from both sides in the build up to this fall. 

The following week on March 12, primary elections in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington, Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands brought both Trump and Biden the delegates needed to clinch their respective parties’ nominations. 

Trump has secured 1,273 delegates as of March 16, pushing him past the goalpost of 1,215 needed to win the Republican nomination. Likewise, Biden now sits at 2,107 delegates, surpassing the 1,968 required for the Democratic nomination.

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