Biden, Trump could clinch their parties’ bids this week
NEW YORK — President Joe Biden and his expected Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, are on track to win enough delegates this week to become their parties’ presumptive nominees, ushering in a bruising eight-month campaign for the White House.
Elections in four states on Tuesday will likely give Biden and Trump the delegates they need to clinch the nominations. Their trajectories are hardly in doubt after dominant performances in last week’s Super Tuesday contests forced the last major primary challengers out of the race.
But for many voters who aren’t attuned to the daily twists and turns of the nation’s turbulent politics, this week could be a crystallizing moment, reinforcing that another Biden-Trump campaign is virtually guaranteed whether Americans want it or not. That rematch — the first in a U.S. presidential election since 1956 — is poised to deepen political and cultural divides.
Tuesday should be a wakeup call for those who still doubt that Trump, who is facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases, will represent the GOP in the general election this fall.
He is within easy reach of enough delegates to become the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee — as long as he continues to dominate the way he has throughout the primary season.
As of Monday, Trump was 140 delegates short of the 1,215 needed to win the Republican nomination at the party’s national convention this summer. There are 161 Republican delegates at stake on Tuesday in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington state and Hawaii.
With a strong showing Tuesday, Trump can sweep all the delegates in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state. Hawaii allocates delegates proportionally so other candidates could win a few, even with a small share of the vote.
Biden also is on the verge of securing sufficient delegates to become the Democratic
Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
The president enters Tuesday 102 delegates short of the 1,968 needed to win the Democratic nomination. There are 254 Democratic delegates at stake Tuesday in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state, in addition to party-run contests for the Northern Mariana Islands and Democrats Abroad that conclude that day.
With no major opponents, Biden is on pace to reach that mark. But he’s also facing continued resistance from his party’s left flank that threatens to tarnish the achievement.
A collection of progressive activists and faith leaders in Georgia and other states is encouraging Democratic primary participants not to vote for any presidential candidate.
That’s after a protest “uncommitted” vote in Michigan recently secured two delegates.
The symbolic protest is meant as a warning on Biden’s reelection over his support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.