President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump emerged victorious in the Michigan primaries held on Tuesday, further cementing the anticipation of a rematch between the two political heavyweights. Biden secured a win over Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, his primary opponent of significance. However, Democrats closely monitored the outcome of the “uncommitted” vote, recognizing Michigan as a focal point for dissatisfied members within Biden’s coalition, pivotal in securing his triumph in the state and nationwide in 2020. Notably, the number of “uncommitted” votes has exceeded the 10,000-vote threshold, which was Trump’s winning margin in Michigan in 2016, thus surpassing the organizers’ target for this year’s protest movement.
Regarding Trump, he has successfully carried all five states on the Republican primary calendar. His triumph in Michigan over his primary challenger, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, follows his decisive victory over her by a 20-point margin in her home state of South Carolina last Saturday. The Trump campaign aims to secure the 1,215 delegates necessary for the Republican nomination by mid-March.
Both campaigns are closely monitoring the results of Tuesday’s primaries for more than just the expected outcome. For Biden, a significant number of voters opting for “uncommitted” could signal significant trouble within parts of the Democratic base in a crucial state for the November elections. Meanwhile, Trump faces challenges with suburban voters and college-educated individuals, alongside a faction within his party that alleges he may have violated the law in one or more of the ongoing criminal cases against him.
Biden has secured victories in South Carolina, Nevada, and New Hampshire. Notably, his triumph in New Hampshire was achieved through a write-in campaign since Biden did not officially appear on the ballot. This unconventional path to victory occurred after New Hampshire violated national party rules by scheduling its primary ahead of South Carolina, which traditionally leads among the Democratic nominating contests.
Chances of Biden vs Trump rematch?
With minimal opposition within his party, Biden has been able to concentrate on bolstering his financial resources. The Biden campaign, in conjunction with the Democratic National Committee, declared last week that they had amassed $42 million in donations during January from 422,000 contributors. By the end of the month, the president’s campaign had accumulated $130 million in cash reserves, a figure campaign officials touted as the highest ever raised by any Democratic candidate at this stage of the presidential cycle.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party is rallying behind Trump even as he grapples with mounting legal challenges that threaten to divert his attention from the campaign trail as the November election approaches. Trump faces a total of 91 criminal charges across four separate cases, spanning from his endeavors to overturn the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election to allegations of retaining classified documents post-presidency and arranging undisclosed payments to an adult film actor. His initial criminal trial, related to hush money payments to porn actor Stormy Daniels, is scheduled to commence on March 25 in New York.
(With AP Inputs)