Donald Trump and Joe Biden have now emerged as the definitive candidates for the Republican and the Democratic Party, respectively, having amassed more than enough delegates to win their respective nominations.
US Elections 2024: Incumbent US President Joe Biden and his Republican rival and predecessor Donald Trump have secured easy victories in presidential primaries in four more states, with both now solidifying themselves as the unequivocal faces of their respective parties ahead of their much-anticipated November 2024 showdown which will be a rematch of their 2020 presidential poll battle.
Hundreds of delegates were up for grabs in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and the crucial battleground state of Wisconsin on Tuesday, and even though there were multiple names on the presidential ballots in the four states, neither Trump, 77, nor Biden, 81, faced any major challenger.
Trump bagged over 75 percent of the votes in Tuesday’s primaries while Biden, his Democrat rival and incumbent POTUS, secured more than 80 percent of the votes in the four states.
Their nominations will be confirmed at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
What this means for their November 2024 rematch?
Both Trump and Biden have now emerged as the definitive candidates for the Republican and the Democratic Party, respectively, having amassed more than enough delegates to win their respective nominations.
With Tuesday’s four wins, Trump now has 1,860 delegates, while Biden has so far won 3,030 delegates against the minimum requirement of 1,968 delegates.
Meanwhile, the turnout of the presidential primaries can also provide some clues about the November 5 election.
Connecticut and Rhode Island allowed voters to vote “uncommitted” in the primary, while Wisconsin offered a similar option of “uninstructed delegation”.
There was an effort in Wisconsin on Tuesday by anti-Biden protesters to encourage people in the Democratic primary to pick the “uninstructed” option in opposition to Biden’s policies on the Israel-Hamas war.
Pressure has been growing on Biden especially, to push harder for a ceasefire in Gaza, with some states, including Michigan, fostering similar campaigns for residents to submit “uncommitted votes” for the president.
These victories offer insights into base voter enthusiasm for the upcoming 2020 rematch, particularly in Wisconsin, a crucial November battleground.
Biden-Trump showdown
The November showdown between two rivals is expected to mirror the highly-divisive 2020 campaign, though Trump will run this time haunted by the spectre of 91 felony charges against him.
Biden and the Democratic National Committee have outpaced Trump and the Republicans in fundraising.
The incumbent President claimed the largest single-event fundraising record last week when he received $26 million at a star-studded New York event. Trump hopes to bring in $33 million at a Palm Beach, Florida fundraiser.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that Democrats have been growing increasingly anxious about public polls showing Trump making unprecedented inroads among Black and Hispanic voters.
“But there may be reasons for Republicans to feel uneasy about these polls too,” it said, adding that surveys now consistently show Trump leading President Joe Biden nationally and in almost all of the key swing states.
(With PTI inputs from agencies)