Super Tuesday Delivers a Biden-Trump Rematch

Trump forces Haley out of the race, and Biden faces warning signs.

What’s happening: Super Tuesday — a decisive day in the presidential primary calendar when 16 states and territories hold primaries or caucuses — is over. Both Democrats and Republicans voted for the top of the ticket as well as a litany of down-ballot races.

  • Keep in mind: Some states, like California, are slow to count. As a result, final vote counts may not be known for weeks.

Why it matters: Predictably, Trump and Biden secured victories in most of their primary contests. However, the data reveals two key insights about the state of the race: Trump has solidified his hold over the GOP nomination, and Biden is in trouble.

The GOP: Despite once picking up momentum, Nikki Haley dropped out of the race on Wednesday morning after winning only Vermont. Donald Trump had a banner night, locking up the GOP nomination and capping the most dominant presidential primary run ever for a non-incumbent candidate.

  • Haley’s support: Despite some analysts making hay over Haley’s backing in certain primaries, many of her supporters on Super Tuesday were likely crossover Democrats; exit polls in Virginia even found that 92 percent of her voters approved of Joe Biden’s presidency.

The Democrats: Joe Biden won every presidential primary, though he lost the caucuses in American Samoa to a relatively unknown candidate named Jason Palmer. Meanwhile, in Minnesota — where a significant Muslim population is upset with the White House’s policy toward Israel — almost 20 percent of Democrats selected “uncommitted” rather than voting for Biden.

  • Facing trouble: The “uncommitted” pushback, as well as a stubborn approval rating that won’t budge over 40 percent, could spell serious trouble for the incumbent president in November.

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