US President Joe Biden, along with his predecessor Donald Trump, has both secured the necessary number of delegates to guarantee their nominations for the upcoming November election.
On Tuesday, four states, an American territory, and Democrats living outside the US held their primaries.
This sets the stage for a rematch of the 2020 presidential election showdown in eight months. The official nomination will occur at the summer party conventions.
President Biden, aged 81, expressed his gratitude on Tuesday evening, saying he felt “honoured” to have support for his re-election, especially at a time when he believes the threat from Trump is unprecedented.
Highlighting economic improvements, Biden stated that America is on the path to recovery, yet faces threats to its democratic foundation, challenges from attempts to limit abortion rights, and efforts to reduce social welfare programs.
“I believe that the American people will choose to keep us moving into the future,” Biden said in a statement from his campaign.
With the advantage of incumbency, Biden faced no significant opposition within his party for the nomination.
Despite concerns over his age potentially impacting his presidential duties, his party has shown unwavering support.
On the other hand, at 77, Trump continues to enjoy widespread support among Republican voters, leading him to dominate in the primary elections against financially strong competitors.
Trump’s campaign focuses on enforcing stricter immigration laws, promises of extensive deportations, combating crime, increasing domestic energy sources, imposing taxes on foreign imports, aiming to end the conflict in Ukraine, and prioritizing America in international matters.
The outcome of Tuesday’s primaries was anticipated, as both Biden and Trump have led their respective races.
Despite their clear path to re-nomination, polls show American voters are not thrilled about a Biden-Trump rematch in November.
The presidential primary process involves a series of state contests to accumulate the most delegates for each party.
While the Democratic and Republican parties have their own set of rules for primaries, the general process remains consistent.
States distribute their delegates either in total to the winner or proportionately, based on the voting outcomes.
A Republican needs at least 1,215 delegates, and a Democrat needs 1,968 to secure their party’s nomination.
This Tuesday, Republicans conducted primaries in Mississippi, Georgia, Washington State, and a caucus in Hawaii, while Democrats held their primaries in Georgia, Washington, Mississippi, the Northern Mariana Islands, and for overseas Democrats.
With Biden and Trump’s main competitors withdrawing before Tuesday’s primaries, the outcomes were nearly guaranteed.
Nikki Haley, Trump’s final opponent, exited the race earlier this month after losing to Trump in 14 states during Super Tuesday.
Although several states have yet to hold their primaries, with Biden and Trump surpassing the delegate thresholds, the campaign for the 2024 general election has essentially begun.
The next US presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.
