The United States president, Joe Biden, and former president Donald Trump have claimed victory on Tuesday in their respective party primaries, the Democratic and the Republican, in what marks the initial results from what is described as Super Tuesday, a day when as many as fifteen states and a territory organized votes.
In North Carolina, Trump secured a decisive win with 69.3% of the vote, while his challenger Nikki Haley received 27.6%, according to projections from CNN. Biden, in contrast, topped the tally with 92% in a state where the other ballot option available was “no preference,” awarding him 116 delegates.
In Virginia, Trump garnered 63.6% of the vote to Haley’s 34.4%. Biden again delivered a dominant performance, with 88.6% support, defeating his Democratic rival Marianne Williamson. Additionally, on the same day, the results of the Democratic caucus by mail in Iowa, not part of Super Tuesday, were released, showing Biden as the winner there.
Biden wins in Vermont
Biden also won the Democratic primary in Vermont, based on projections from CNN. In that state, which has 16 delegates at stake, the president was backed by 87.4% of voters, far ahead of Marianne Williamson at 4.6% and Dean Phillips at 3.4%.
Trump prevails in Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Maine, and Texas
On the Republican side, Trump led in the primaries across Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Maine, according to U.S. media projections. This places him closer to the 300 delegates of the 1,215 needed to declare himself the Republican presidential nominee. Alabama, Oklahoma, and Tennessee were projected by Fox News and NBC News, while Maine was projected by Fox News and ABC News. Trump held more than 70% of the vote over his rival Nikki Haley in these four states. Haley, by contrast, found competition only in Vermont, a small state in New England.
Trump also won the Republican primaries in Texas, the nation’s second-largest state, according to projections from CNN, Fox News, and NBC News. Texas will allocate 161 delegates, and with roughly 45% of ballots counted, Trump registered about 75.9% to Haley’s 19%. Surpassing the 50% threshold, Trump is poised to capture the majority of Texas’ 161 delegates and strengthen his path to a clear victory on this Super Tuesday.
Between Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Maine, a total of 171 out of the 865 Republican delegates distributed on Super Tuesday were at stake. If Trump secures the majority, he will be very close to reaching the 1,215 delegates needed to become the declared Republican nominee for the White House in November.