Presidential Primaries in Full Swing
It’s election year in the United States, and the fight for control of our highest office have begun in earnest. The Democratic and Republican parties have begun their primary elections to elect the candidate that will go to the general election. Tensions are high as the top candidates, Joe Biden (D) and Donald Trump (R), raise questions about stability, qualification, and legitimacy.
As of March 8th, 2024, there is only one Republican candidates still running for the nominee: Former President Donald Trump. Up until March 6th, Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina, was Trump’s only opposition. Haley had been steadfast in her disapproval of Trump, running as an alternate to Republicans who did not want to support the former president and his past administration. She did not support Trump when she dropped out of the race. There have been twenty-six primaries so far, with Trump having 63.9% of the vote and Haley having 31.7% of the vote. Trump won twenty-four of the primaries. Haley won the majority of delegates in the District of Columbia and Vermont. As of now, Trump has not selected a running mate for his campaign. Although the race is far from over, Trump is the only candidate favored to win the Republican nomination. The Republican National Convention will be held on July 15th to decide the official candidate.
On the other side of the ballot, the race is only slightly less definitive. Three candidates have active campaigns: incumbent Joe Biden, venture capitalist Jason Palmer, and author and philanthropist Marianne Williamson. There have been twenty-one primary elections so far. Joe Biden has won twenty of them, while Jason Palmer won the contest in American Samoa—a district that does not vote in the general election, but does vote in primaries. Until March 6th, US Representative from Minnesota Dean Phillips had an active campaign, however he suspended his campaign and endorsed President Biden. Only President Biden has chosen a running mate, opting to run with Kamala Harris for a second time. The Democratic National Convention is set for August 19th-22nd, where, unless current predictions change drastically, Biden will win the nomination.
Six third parties are hosting primary elections: the Libertarian Party with Chase Oliver in the lead, the Green Party with Jill Stein in the lead, the Peace and Freedom Party who elected Claudia de la Cruz as their candidate, who is also the candidate for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Legal Marijuana Now Party, the Constitution Party, and the American Independent Party. The Forward Party does not intend on electing a candidate for president in the 2024 race.
Independents and parties with no primaries are gathering support for the General Election. Several independent and third-party candidates are worth noting: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent), Claudia de la Cruz (Party for Socialism and Liberation), Peter Sonski (American Solidarity Party), Michael Wood (Prohibition Party), and Cornel West (Independent). All of the previously mentioned candidates have partial ballot access (they are on the ballot in some states, but not all). Kennedy leads by being on seven ballots and a write in for eight others.
The primary elections have already unearthed political spectacle. Several states attempted to remove Donald Trump from their ballots, citing a constitutional inability to run. Of these states, three states succeeded in having Trump removed from their ballots: Colorado, Illinois, and Maine. On March 4th, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled against Colorado that a state cannot rule ineligibility on a federal rule.
Four general presidential debates will occur in September and October. The General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 5th. Current polling numbers favor the Republican party, but nothing is certain until the numbers are finalized in November. Click the link below to learn how to register to vote: https://vote.gov
