The results of the primary elections that took place in 9 states showed an overwhelming victory for Trump (French)
Washington -
Today, the United States is witnessing the most important stage in the approach to the presidential elections, which is known as “Super Tuesday”, in which elections are held within the Republican and Democratic parties.
Given the absence of competition within the Democratic camp, as no Democratic candidate represents a significant threat to the fortunes of US President Joe Biden, with him sweeping all the states that have witnessed Democratic Party primaries so far, attention is turning to the Republican party.
Despite the significant progress of former US President Donald Trump, the result of the polls on this day will be an important step in determining the Republican Party candidate seeking to obtain the party’s ticket to confront President Joe Biden in the upcoming November elections.
Traditionally, the result of Super Tuesday leads to the exclusion of the rest of the competitors who do not achieve good results, so that the race is limited to a limited number of candidates who have a realistic chance of achieving victory, but the Republican Party elections reached only two candidates, as only Nikki Haley remained as a candidate. She challenges Trump, despite the diminution and perhaps non-existence of her chances. Trump received the votes of 247 delegates, compared to only 24 for Haley.
Below are answers to the most prominent questions related to Tuesday’s elections, and the primary elections in general:
What is the purpose of the primaries?
What is the importance of Super Tuesday?
The primary elections aim to choose the party's representative in the presidential elections, through balloting held in all states to choose delegates to participate in the party's general conference, to elect the official candidate to run in the presidential race.
This name was given to this day because the preliminary voting process for the US presidential elections for candidates for the two parties is held in 15 states in one day, in addition to the participation of voters outside the United States.
Voting will take place on this day in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
Voting will also take place in the South Pacific Territory of Samoa, one of the five US territories.
Who are the candidates running in the race?
The Republican Party race began with 11 candidates, of whom only two candidates reached Super Tuesday, former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, after the rest of the candidates withdrew in recent weeks and months.
The results of the elections that took place in 9 states already showed Trump's overwhelming superiority, as he won them all by a large margin, reaching 40 points in some states.
What's next after the primaries are over?
The Republican Party will hold its general conference between July 15 and 18 next, in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in order to officially name the winning candidate on the party’s nomination ticket, to face President Biden in the upcoming elections. Then the Democratic Party will hold its general conference between August 19 and 22 in Chicago. In the state of Illinois.
During the conference, delegates vote for the candidate, and the party attempts to show unity and stand behind the winning candidate, and overcome the conflicts and divisions of the primary election stage.
How many delegates choose the candidate at the general party conference?
On the Republican side, there are an estimated 2,429 delegates, of whom 2,325 delegates pledged to adhere to the results of their mandate, and 104 are free to vote for whomever they wish.
To win the Republican nomination, the presidential candidate must receive support from a majority of delegates, an estimated 1,215 delegates.
On the Democratic side, there are an estimated 4,672 delegates, including 3,933 pledged delegates and 739 unpledged delegates, more commonly known as “super delegates” or “senior delegates.”
To win the Democratic Party nomination, the presidential candidate needs the support of a majority of pledged delegates on the first ballot, an estimated 1,968 pledged delegates.
The elected delegates are obligated to vote according to the data of the election results in the states they represent, and if no candidate obtains a sufficient number of delegates in the first voting round, the party conference is considered a “contested conference,” and only then are the superdelegates entitled to vote in the second ballot, as Elected delegates are freed from the obligation to vote according to the voting results of their states.
This scenario seems highly unlikely at this time, with both Trump and Biden dominating their parties, and with no major challenges facing them holding the two-party nomination ticket.
Who are the superdelegates?
They mean an elite party group, which includes all Democratic members of Congress and former leaders of the party in the House of Representatives and the Senate, in addition to Democratic state governors, high-ranking party holders, members of the National Committee, and party leaders in the states.
This category was created and granted the right to participate in choosing the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party since 1982. The number of superdelegates changes constantly, and this year it is estimated at 739 superdelegates. They do not participate in voting unless the first round of voting ends without a winner, and this is a completely unlikely scenario this year. .
What follows the end of the general party conferences?
Traditionally, there remain 3 debates between the competitors for the position of president, and one debate between the two vice candidates. These debates take place during the months of September and October, then the elections are held on November 5, 2024, and the winner is inaugurated as President of the United States in The morning of January 20, 2025.
Source: Al Jazeera