President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secured their respective party nominations on Tuesday following results from four states, setting the stage for the first rematch in a U.S. presidential election in nearly seven decades.
Both secured resounding victories in the primaries held in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and Wisconsin, further bolstering their delegate counts for their respective party conventions scheduled for this summer.
Voters in Connecticut and Rhode Island had the option to express their dissatisfaction by voting “uncommitted” in the primary. Similarly, Wisconsin voters had the opportunity to choose the “uninstructed delegation” option.
According to AP, With both presidential candidates securing their parties’ nominations, voter turnout remained sluggish in Rhode Island, with only 4% of eligible voters casting their ballots by 5 p.m. This included both in-person votes on Tuesday and early or mail-in votes.
In Connecticut, where early voting made its debut in state history, turnout remained sluggish.
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said that in some communities, turnout was merely 1% to 2% by 11 a.m., while it reached 4% in Stamford, one of the state’s larger cities. She attributed the low numbers to the perceived lack of competitiveness in the primary, echoing sentiments expressed by voters in recent weeks.
The turnout for “uninstructed delegation” in Wisconsin will be closely monitored by Democrats, particularly after progressive activists initiated a campaign urging voters to abstain from supporting the U.S. president as a form of protest against his approach to the conflict in Gaza.
Wisconsin Republicans are directing their attention to two ballot measures concerning election management in the state. The first proposal proposes the elimination of private funds in election administration, while the second questions whether only officials designated by law should conduct tasks related to primaries, elections, and referendums.
Republicans are urging their supporters to vote “yes” on both measures, following legislative setbacks where attempts to change election regulations were blocked by Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers.
Following Nikki Haley’s withdrawal from the GOP contest weeks ago, both Trump and Biden have shifted their focus to the upcoming general election. Biden toured all the key battleground states last month following his State of the Union address.
Biden and the Democratic National Committee have surpassed Trump and the Republicans in fundraising efforts. Biden set a new record for single-event fundraising last week, raising $26 million during a high-profile event in New York. The event featured prominent figures from the entertainment industry alongside the president and his Democratic predecessors, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
Trump aims to outdo his rival with a fundraiser planned in Palm Beach, Florida, this weekend, and hopes to raise $33 million.
