President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have both secured the delegates needed to clinch their parties' presidential nominations. This sets the stage for a general election rematch in November that has been anticipated for months.
Biden encountered little opposition in the Democratic primary, a common scenario for a sitting president, whereas Trump had established himself as the leading candidate in his party for months.
Biden, Trump Set For Presidential Rematch
Their upcoming collision seemed increasingly probable following Trump's significant victory in Iowa in January. The win eliminated all but one of his main Republican competitors and set him on a smooth path to securing his party's nomination.
The most recent primary opponent, Nikki Haley, ended her campaign last week, making the path even smoother for a candidate dealing with significant legal issues.
Biden was named the presumptive Democratic nominee by The Associated Press following his projected victory in Georgia, while Trump was declared the presumptive Republican nominee after winning the GOP contests in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington State.
The results from Tuesday have paved the way for an extensive 2024 general election campaign, which is expected to be one of the lengthiest in modern American history at just under eight months. It will also mark the country's first presidential rematch in almost seven decades.
On Tuesday evening, the 81-year-old president expressed gratitude for the support he received in his re-election bid, emphasizing the perceived threat posed by Trump.
Highlighting encouraging economic indicators, he confidently stated that the US was currently experiencing a resurgence. However, he pointed out potential obstacles to its democratic future, including efforts to impose abortion limitations and reduce social services.
"I believe that the American people will choose to keep us moving into the future," stated Biden in a release from his campaign.
US Presidential Election
Being the incumbent, Biden had a clear advantage and did not encounter any significant competition for the Democratic nomination. Despite ongoing concerns from voters about his age affecting his presidential duties, the party apparatus showed strong support for him.
Meanwhile, Trump, 77, continues to enjoy strong support from the Republican voter base, leading him to success in primary after primary despite facing well-funded opponents. The focus of his reelection campaign revolves around tightening immigration laws, with promises to secure the border and carry out unprecedented deportations.
Trump has pledged to combat crime, increase domestic energy production, tax foreign imports, resolve the conflict in Ukraine, and prioritize American interests in global affairs. The results from Tuesday night were not surprising, given the strong performance of both candidates in their respective races.
It appeared certain that both of them would be nominated again, even though polls show that Americans are unhappy about the idea of another election between iden and Trump in November.
The US presidential primaries and caucuses involve a state-by-state competition to secure the most party delegates. Both Democrats and Republicans have slightly different rules for their primaries, but the process remains essentially the same.
Every state receives a specific portion of party delegates, which can be given entirely to the winning candidate or distributed proportionally depending on the outcome. To win the presidential nomination, a Republican candidate needs to secure a minimum of 1,215 delegates from their party during the primary season, while a Democrat must secure 1,968, as per BBC.
Republicans held primaries in Mississippi, Georgia, and Washington State on Tuesday, along with a caucus in Hawaii. Meanwhile, Democrats conducted primaries in Georgia, Washington, and Mississippi, along with the Northern Mariana Islands and for Democrats residing abroad.
Both Biden and Trump's top rivals had withdrawn from the race prior to the primary elections on Tuesday, making the outcome almost guaranteed. Nikki Haley, the former UN Ambassador and Trump's final competitor, withdrew from the race earlier this month following defeats in 14 states on Super Tuesday.
Even though there are still more states left to hold their primary contests, with both Trump and Biden surpassing the delegate threshold, the 2024 general election is now essentially in progress. The upcoming US presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.
