politics – Page 7 – Americans.com

Former President Donald Trump is poised to make significant strides toward securing the GOP nomination on Super Tuesday, where 15 states will hold their Republican primary contests. With a combined 874 delegates, representing 72% of the total needed for a majority, up for grabs, Trump’s path to victory appears increasingly assured.

Leading in polls across multiple major Super Tuesday states, including Texas and California, Trump enjoys substantial advantages over his final challenger, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. According to FiveThirtyEight’s polling averages, Trump holds a commanding 64 and 54-point lead in Texas and California, respectively.

While none of the Super Tuesday states award delegates on a winner-take-all basis, Trump enters the critical primary day with 244 delegates, compared to Haley’s 43. Trump’s campaign is optimistic about his prospects, predicting that he could secure the nomination as soon as March 12, based on calculations combining polling results in upcoming primary states with delegate availability.

The Super Tuesday lineup includes states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Virginia, among others, where Trump is expected to perform strongly. Haley, who has pledged to remain in the race at least until Super Tuesday, faces mounting pressure to reconsider her candidacy following the contests.

Despite facing multiple ongoing criminal and civil cases, Trump’s dominance within the Republican Party remains unshaken, with polls consistently showing him leading by double digits for months. A rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election appears increasingly likely, with polls indicating a tight race.

On the Democratic side, Biden has secured all 206 delegates in the four primaries held so far, solidifying his frontrunner status. While long-shot candidates like Rep. Dean Phillips and author Marianne Williamson continue their primary bids, Biden remains the odds-on favorite to secure the Democratic nomination, needing 1,968 out of the total 3,934 delegates available.

Nikki Haley has secured her first victory in the 2024 Republican primary, winning in the District of Columbia. This win temporarily interrupts Donald Trump’s streak of victories in GOP voting contests, although Trump is expected to gain more delegates in the upcoming Super Tuesday races.

Despite initial losses, Haley has expressed her commitment to remaining in the race, emphasizing the importance of providing voters with an alternative to Trump. The Associated Press declared Haley the winner after D.C. Republican Party officials released the results, with Haley securing all 19 delegates at stake.

Haley’s victory in Washington, a heavily Democratic jurisdiction, is notable, as only about 23,000 registered Republicans reside in the city. Trump’s campaign responded to Haley’s win with sarcasm, congratulating her as the “Queen of the Swamp” in a statement.

Following her victory, Haley continued her campaign efforts, holding a rally in the nation’s capital before proceeding to North Carolina and other states with Super Tuesday primaries. She aims to engage with voters across the political spectrum and has positioned herself as a candidate capable of appealing to moderate and independent-leaning voters.

In South Carolina’s GOP primary, Haley garnered support from a significant portion of self-described moderates, whereas Trump performed better among conservatives. This trend reflects Haley’s appeal to a broader range of Republican voters.

While Trump won the D.C. primary during his 2020 reelection bid, Haley’s victory indicates a shift in support within the Republican Party. Previous centrist Republican candidates, such as Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Mitt Romney, and John McCain, have also won the city’s primaries on their way to securing the GOP nomination in past elections.