Biden and Trump could clinch nominations in today’s contests, ushering in general election
NEW YORK — Joe Biden and Donald Trump hope to clinch their parties’ presidential nominations with dominant victories in a slate of state primaries today as the 2024 fight for the White House moves into a new phase.
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.
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Whether it happens tonight or in the coming days, the 2024 presidential contest is on the verge of a crystallizing moment that will solidify a general election rematch between Biden and Trump. And that rematch — the first featuring two U.S. presidents since 1956 — will almost certainly deepen the nation’s searing political and cultural divides in the eight-month grind that lies ahead.
On the eve of tonight’s primaries, Trump acknowledged that Biden would be the Democratic nominee, even as he unleashed a new attack on the president’s age.
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 today.
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.
As of Sunday, Trump was 137 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.
