Primaries nudge Trump, Biden closer to rematch
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were poised to move much closer to winning their parties’ nominations Tuesday during the biggest day of the primary campaign, setting up a historic rematch that many voters would rather not endure.
Super Tuesday elections were held in 16 states and one territory — from Alaska and California to Vermont and Virginia. Hundreds of delegates were at stake, the biggest haul for either party on any single day.
While much of the focus is on the presidential race, there were also important down-ballot contests. California voters chose candidates who will compete to fill the Senate seat long held by Dianne Feinstein. The governor’s race was to take shape in North Carolina, a state that both parties are fiercely contesting ahead of November. And in Los Angeles, a progressive prosecutor is attempting to fend off an intense reelection challenge in a contest that could serve as a barometer of the politics of crime.
The spotlight, however, remained on Biden and Trump.
The earliest either can become his party’s presumptive nominee is March 12 for Trump and March 19 for Biden. But in a departure from most previous Super Tuesdays, both nominations are effectively settled, with Biden and Trump both looking ahead to a reprisal of the 2020 general election.
“We have to beat Biden — he is the worst president in history,” Trump said Tuesday on the Fox & Friends cable morning show.
Biden countered with a pair of radio interviews aimed at shoring up his support among Black voters, who helped anchor his 2020 coalition.
“If we lose this election, you’re going to be back with Donald Trump,” Biden said on “DeDe in the Morning” hosted by DeDe McGuire. “The way he talks about, the way he acted, the way he has dealt with the African-American community, I think, has been shameful.”
Despite Biden’s and Trump’s domination of their parties, polls make it clear that the broader electorate does not want this year’s general election to be identical to the 2020 race. A new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds a majority of Americans don’t think either Biden or Trump has the necessary mental acuity for the job.
“Both of them failed, in my opinion, to unify this country,” said Brian Hadley, 66, of Raleigh, North Carolina.
The final days before Tuesday demonstrated the unique nature of this year’s campaign. Rather than barnstorming the states holding primaries, Biden and Trump held rival events last week along the U.S.-Mexico border, each seeking to gain an advantage in the increasingly fraught immigration debate.
After the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 on Monday to restore Trump to primary ballots following attempts to ban him for his role in helping spark the Capitol riot, Trump pointed to the 91 criminal counts against him to accuse Biden of weaponizing the courts.
“Fight your fight yourself,” Trump said. “Don’t use prosecutors and judges to go after your opponent.”
Biden delivers the State of the Union address Thursday, then will campaign in the key swing states of Pennsylvania and Georgia.
The president will defend policies responsible for “record job creation, the strongest economy in the world, increased wages and household wealth, and lower prescription drug and energy costs,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt said in a statement.