On March 5, 2024, voters in 16 different states and 1 U.S. territory headed for the ballot boxes, all participating in an event called Super Tuesday. Their purpose? To vote in the presidential primaries and select a presidential candidate for their own party. This year, Donald Trump and Joe Biden each dominated the votes of their respective parties, diminishing any hope of a victory for Republican candidate Nikki Haley.
Though President Joe Biden’s approval ratings still remain low, he was easily able to win over many of the other, lesser-known Democrat candidates. On Super Tuesday, he won around 80% of the vote, with the other 20% being labeled as “uncommitted”. Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump continued with a streak of wins, crushing former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley in multiple states and diminishing her chances of becoming the GOP nominee. Though Haley was able to bring in the vote from Vermont, she lost in every other state, including her home state of South Carolina.
On Wednesday, March 6, amidst cries for her to step down from the race, Haley officially announced the suspension of her presidential campaign. Her string of losses across the country on Super Tuesday proved Trump’s supremacy in the Republican Party and eliminated any last hope of a victory for Haley. However, even after withdrawing from the election, she refused to outright endorse Trump and instead challenged him to win the vote of her supporters. The national attention and support she has amassed from her campaign sets her up for possibly running again in the future.
Though it’s obvious that Trump and Biden will once again have a showdown in the 2024 presidential elections, both sides continue to face issues. Biden is drawing criticism for his handling of the war in Gaza, and the large portion of “uncommitted” votes from Democrats clearly demonstrate that. Trump’s unpopularity with college-educated voters and the suburbs are highlighted by Haley’s campaign, with most of her votes being drawn from those areas. Even with their low approval ratings, it is clear that both men are going into the election with the backing of their respective political parties.