Winners and losers of Super Tuesday

Mr Trump and President Biden were certainly the two biggest winners on Super Tuesday, while Ms Haley's last hope was dashed.

March 5 is called Super Tuesday because it is the most important day in the race for the US presidential nomination. The Democratic and Republican parties in 15 states and the territory of American Samoa simultaneously hold primary elections on this day to choose candidates.

After a day of voting, the outcome seems to be decided and Super Tuesday continues to be an important milestone in determining candidates in the US presidential election, with clear winners and losers.

Former US President Donald Trump (left) and President Joe Biden. Photo: Reuters — Former US President Donald Trump (left) and President Joe Biden. Photo: *Reuters*

Observers say the first winner of Super Tuesday was former US President Donald Trump. The race within the Republican Party has closed, although Trump has not officially won the nomination. Except for Vermont, he defeated his only remaining opponent, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, in all other states on this day.

In Virginia, where Haley's campaign still held out hope before the results were announced, Trump won by 30 percentage points.

He also won by a large margin in the two most populous states today, California and Texas.

Trump's resounding victory in this year's primary election marked a remarkable comeback for a candidate whose political career seemed over after the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, 2021.

There are also some warning signs for Trump about his chances of winning in more moderate and affluent areas, like the northern Virginia suburbs.

The bottom line, though, is that the Republican Party now belongs to Trump.

Equally resounding was President Joe Biden, who faced only nominal opponents.

President Biden’s wide victory shows his potential. The White House chief won all 15 states except American Samoa. The winner of the Democratic caucus in that territory was a virtually unknown politician, Jason Palmer, with a total of 51 votes.

In 15 states, no candidate other than Biden has won by double digits. The president, who believes he is an underdog, is on track to win the Democratic nomination.

Like Trump, Super Tuesday also sent warning signals to Biden, especially about his support for Israel in its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

In Minnesota, a group of pro-Palestinian Democrats who are frustrated with the White House's policies on Israel and Gaza have launched a "no vote" campaign, urging voters to choose "no vote" instead of choosing Mr. Biden on the ballot.

Selecting “no vote” indicates that the voter supports the Democratic Party, but did not vote for any of the candidates listed on the ballot. These votes will not be counted for President Biden.

Twenty percent of voters responded to that call, or more than 45,000 people. The campaign noted that it had only been campaigning for a week and had spent $20,000.

That number far surpasses the results in Michigan last week, where 13% of Democratic primary voters chose “no vote.”

Supporters of President Biden can hope that Israel and Hamas will soon reach a ceasefire in Gaza, thereby helping to soothe the political wound the White House owner is suffering.

But observers say the real danger to President Biden is becoming clearer than ever.

Nikki Haley speaks in Greer, South Carolina, on February 19. Photo: AP

When it comes to the losers on Super Tuesday, the name that gets mentioned the most is Nikki Haley. She won only one of the 15 states that held primaries on March 5.

But winning Vermont, one of the most liberal states in the country, wasn’t enough to turn the tide against Trump. After Super Tuesday, Trump had 1,040 delegates, while Haley had 86. A candidate needs 1,215 delegates to secure the nomination at the Republican National Convention in July.

For her, it was the night that any remaining flame of hope was extinguished. The former US ambassador to the United Nations later announced that she was suspending her campaign. With her decision, Donald Trump became the sole Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

She expressed gratitude for the support of many voters across the country, saying she wanted to make the voices of Americans heard. "I did it. I have no regrets," she said.

Despite her defeat in the primary, Haley has proven her ability, easily replacing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, becoming the main face to confront former President Trump.

Haley is only 52, so she could easily run for re-election in 2028 or beyond. But by 2024, she's definitely at the end of the road.

Another side that suffered an unexpected disappointment was the American public itself. This year's Super Tuesday was a relatively dull affair.

The final result was not surprising, and with it the public's excitement was also extinguished.

But this highlights the central paradox of this year's race.

Biden and Trump will easily win their parties' nominations, but polls show millions of Americans are looking at the prospect of a rematch between the two men with reluctance.

In January, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 67% of Americans were "tired of watching the same candidates in the presidential election and wanted new faces."

In theory, that would open the door for third-party candidates to run. Whether anyone would actually take advantage of that opening is another story.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nephew of late US President John F. Kennedy, announced on the same day that he now has enough signatures to get his name on the ballot in Nevada.

Kennedy is polling at 11% in a hypothetical race against President Biden and former President Trump. Trump leads Biden by 2 percentage points.

Vu Hoang (According to Hill, Reuters, AFP )

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