Stage is set in the United States for Super Tuesday, the grand day when 15 states, including titans — California and Texas — will head to polls on March 5. The voting is poised to move incumbent President Joe Biden and ex-US President Donald Trump closer to White House rematch.
While Trump will face former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Biden will compete against longshot candidates Rep. Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson.
The 16 states are casting ballots on Super Tuesday i.e. Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia.
However, Alaska will only vote for GOP candidates, whereas Iowa will only vote for Democratic candidates.
One territory, American Samoa, will vote in the Democratic primary as well.
The Super Tuesday battle will also decide the course of House and Senate races that will shape the legislative branch for the upcoming year.
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What is at stake for Nikki Haley?
Haley will continue her efforts to dethrone Trump, the GOP front-runner. However, following a string of major setbacks, with the exception of Washington, D.C., the former UN Ambassador is projected to struggle to win any of the states on Super Tuesday.
Haley continues to trail in the polls conducted by 537, showing that she is more than 60 points behind Trump.
The outcome of Super Tuesday could also mean the end of Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign as she has hinted that her decision to continue would rely on whether she remains “competitive” in primaries and caucuses.
“Super Tuesday, we’re going to try to be competitive. I hope we go forward. But this is all about how competitive we can be,” Haley said.
Last week in Michigan, she received 27 percentof the GOP vote, arguing that it demonstrated that a significant percentage of the Republican Party does not want Trump as president, despite his continued victories.
However, Trump hailed his Michigan win, stating that it was “far greater than anticipated.” Even after a massive victoey in South Carolina, he declared, “I have never seen the Republican Party so unified.”
Also Read: Why is Super Tuesday key to US elections? All you need to know
Why Nikki Haley sees Trump potential win as ‘suicide’ for the US?
Continuing her tirade against Trump, Haley has stated that she is unsure whether Trump will respect the Constitution if he gets re-elected to the White House. She has cautioned Republicans that selecting him as the GOP’s nominee in November will be “disastrous” and even went on to call such a scenario a “suicide” for the United States.
With this, a significant flip was noticed in Haley’s tone as compared to last year, when she adopted a strategy of restricting her criticisms on Trump. She claimed in a primary debate that she would support Trump as the candidate if he were convicted of a crime.
Admitting a change in her tone, Haley in a radio appearance said that the shift was “intentional”.
Ahead of the Super Tuesday, Susan Collins, a moderate Republican senator from Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska, endorsed Haley. March 5th is a last chance for Haley to deny Trump a third nomination.
Haley has accused Trump of “shifting” the Republican party away from its core principles, such as reducing spending, upholding international alliances, and questioning his physical fitness and mental capacity given his age of 77.
She even blasted him for backing his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to be the RNC’s next co-chair, claiming that if he wins, “the RNC now is just going to be about Donald Trump” and will evolve into his own “legal slush fund”.
A Republican candidate requires 1,215 delegates to earn the party’s nomination, and 865 of them are up for grabs this Tuesday.
How will Trump handle his win?
The US has witnessed two reactions to Trump’s victory as the Republican frontrunner. After winning the New Hampshire primary in January, he slammed Haley’s clothing style and chastised her for trying to capitalise on her 43 percent second-place result. Following his victory in her home state of South Carolina, the ex-US President made no mention of his Republican rival Haley.
Trump has openly expressed his willingness to launch a presidential campaign against Biden, as well as his dissatisfaction with Haley’s obstinate uprising, which has included harsh criticism of her former boss’ arrogance, age, loyalty to the Constitution, and commitment to veterans and military personnel.
Undoubtedly, expectations are high when it comes to Trump’s win in the Super Tuesday contest. But, if he strikes out at a defeated fellow Republican, he risks alienating some of Haley’s supporters — and possibly moving them toward Joe Biden.
According to CBS News, Trump may secure the nomination by March 12 and Biden can do the same on March 19.
Vikram Sharma is a globe-trotting journalist with a global perspective on international events. His articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing insights into the world’s most pressing challenges.
