Biden and Trump could clinch nominations in Tuesday’s contests, ushering in general election

By Steve Peoples, The Associated Press on March 12, 2024.

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary in Georgia on Tuesday as he sought to clinch his party’s presidential nomination in a slate of low-profile contests with the 2024 fight for the White House shifting into a new phase.

Former President Donald Trump, too, was poised to win Georgia, among other states, as he hoped to win the GOP nomination as well.

Neither Biden, a Democrat, nor Trump, a Republican, faces significant opposition in primary contests across Georgia, Washington state, Mississippi and Hawaii. The only question is whether they will earn the necessary delegates in each state to hit the 50% national threshold to become their parties’ presumptive nominees.

Whether it happens Tuesday night or in the coming days, the 2024 presidential contest is on the verge of a crystallizing moment for a nation uneasy with its choices this fall. There is no longer any doubt that the general election will feature a rematch between two flawed and unpopular presidents. And that rematch – the first featuring two previous U.S. presidents since 1912 – will almost certainly deepen the nation’s searing political and cultural divides over the eight-month grind that lies ahead.

On the eve of Tuesday’s primaries, Trump acknowledged that Biden would be the Democratic nominee, even as he unleashed a new attack on the president’s age.

“I assume he’s going to be the candidate,” Trump said of Biden on CNBC. “I’m his only opponent other than life, life itself.”

Biden, too, directed much of his attention toward Trump, whom the Democratic president described as a serious threat to democracy during a campaign stop Monday night in New Hampshire. He also signaled a more robust presence on the campaign trail.

“I’m looking forward to doing more and more of these events,” Biden said. Later, he joked about his age. “I know I don’t look it, but I’ve been around a while.”

Georgia leads the slate of four states holding primary contests on Tuesday.

The state was a pivotal battleground in the last presidential election – so close that Trump finds himself indicted there for his push to “find 11,780 votes” and overturn Biden’s victory.

But as both candidates seek to project strength in the key swing state, Biden and Trump are grappling with glaring flaws.

Trump is facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases involving his handling of classified documents and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, among other alleged crimes. He’s also facing increasingly pointed questions about his policy plans and relationships with some of the world’s most dangerous dictators. Trump met privately on Friday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has rolled back democracy in his country.

The 81-year-old Biden is working to assure a skeptical electorate that he’s still physically and mentally able to thrive in the world’s most important job.

He’s also dealing with dissension within his party’s progressive base, which is furious that he hasn’t done more to stop Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. Last month in Michigan, a related protest “uncommitted” vote attracted more than 100,000 votes and actually secured two Democratic delegates.

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, a scattering of lawn signs across Seattle urged primary participants to vote “uncommitted” as well, with some signs reading: “Over 30,000 dead. Vote Ceasefire by Tuesday 3/12.”

Moments after Bella Rivera, 26, dropped off her ballot at a drop box in Seattle, they said they hoped that by voting “uncommitted” that it would serve as a wakeup call for the Democratic party.

“If you really want our votes, if you want to win this election, you’re going to have to show a little bit more either support of Palestinian liberation – that’s something that’s very important to us – and ceasing funds to Israel,” said Rivera, a preschool teacher who uses they/them pronouns.

It’s much the same in Georgia, where local politicians and faith leaders are pushing Biden to call for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Trump is on pace to win the number of delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination.

Biden enters Tuesday 102 delegates short of the 1,968 needed to formally become the presumptive Democratic nominee. There are 254 Democratic delegates at stake Tuesday in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state, in addition to party-run contests for the Northern Mariana Islands and Democrats Abroad that conclude that day.

With no major opponents, Biden is on pace to reach that mark.

Trump, meanwhile, is on pace to reach his magic number as well.

He picked up an additional 11 delegates ahead of Tuesday’s primaries when the Texas Republican Party announced it was awarding all of the state’s 161 delegates to the former president, based on results from last week’s primary. The Texas GOP had been planning to award 11 delegates at the state party convention in May, but national party rules require the delegates to be awarded based on the presidential primary, which Trump won overwhelmingly.

That put Trump just 126 delegates short of the 1,215 needed to win the Republican nomination at the party’s national convention this summer. There are 161 Republican delegates at stake on Tuesday in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington state and Hawaii.

With a strong showing on Tuesday, Trump can sweep all the delegates in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state. Hawaii allocates delegates proportionally so other candidates could win a few, even with a small share of the vote.

Not certain he will hit the mark, Trump’s campaign has not planned a big victory party like it did last week when hundreds packed his Mar-a-Lago club for a Super Tuesday celebration with drinks and passed hors d’oeuvres.

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Associated Press writers Hallie Golden in Seattle, Fatima Hussein in Manchester, New Hampshire, and Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

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