By Steve Peoples -
The Associated Press
Joe Biden and Donald Trump hope to clinch their respective parties' presidential nominations with victories in a series of state primaries taking place this Tuesday, as the battle for the White House in 2024 enters a new phase.
Neither Biden of the Democratic Party nor Trump of the Republican Party face significant opposition in the primaries in Georgia, Washington, Mississippi and Hawaii.
The only question is whether they will reach the necessary delegates in each state to
cross the 50% national threshold
and become the virtual candidates of their parties.
The president, Joe Biden, and former president Donald Trump.Associated Press
Whether it happens this Tuesday night or in the coming days, the 2024 presidential race is poised to solidify the rematch between Biden and Trump in the general election.
That rematch - the first between two American presidents since 1956 - will almost certainly deepen the nation's deep political and cultural divisions in the eight months remaining until the elections.
On the eve of Tuesday's primaries, Trump acknowledged that Biden would be the Democratic nominee, and unleashed a new attack in which he used the president's age.
“I assume he's going to be the nominee,” Trump declared of Biden on CNBC.
“I am his only opponent, apart from life itself.”
[What Biden told special prosecutor Hur in the 5-hour interview about his handling of classified documents]
Biden, too, directed much of his attention toward Trump, whom the Democratic president described as a grave threat to democracy during a campaign rally Monday night in New Hampshire.
The president also highlighted his more robust presence in the electoral campaign.
“I look forward to doing more and more acts of this type,” Biden declared.
Later, she joked about his age.
“I know I don't look like it, but I've been here for a while.”
Georgia heads the list of the four states holding primaries this Tuesday.
The state was a key battleground in the last presidential election, which was so close that Trump ended up indicted in Georgia for his efforts to “find 11,780 votes” and overturn Biden's victory.
But while both candidates try to project strength in the state,
Biden and Trump face obvious difficulties
.
Trump faces 91 felony charges in four court proceedings related to his handling of classified documents and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, among other alleged crimes.
He also faces increasingly pointed questions about his political agenda and his relationships with some of the world's most dangerous dictators.
Trump met privately on Friday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has rolled back democracy in his country.
Biden, 81, is striving to assure a skeptical electorate that he is still physically and mentally capable of holding the world's highest office.
He also faces rejection from his party's progressive base, furious that he has not done more to stop Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
Last month in Michigan, a protest related to
the “uncommitted” vote drew more than 100,000 people
and netted two Democratic delegates.
[What's behind the fake images where Trump appears surrounded by black voters]
Before Tuesday's vote, a series of signs posted in front of homes in Seattle, Washington state, urged primary participants to also vote "uncommitted," some of them reading : “More than 30,000 dead.
Vote ceasefire before Tuesday 3/12.”
The same is true in Georgia, where local politicians and religious leaders are pressuring Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Rami Al-Kabra, a Palestinian Muslim American and vice mayor of Bothell, a city about 8 miles northeast of Seattle, declared before Tuesday's vote: “The most valuable tool we have to hold this president accountable for his harmful policies is our vote.”
Biden is 102 delegates short of reaching the 1,968 needed and formally becoming the virtual Democratic candidate.
There are 254 Democratic delegates up for grabs Tuesday in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state, in addition to the party-run contests for the Northern Mariana Islands and Democrats Abroad that conclude Tuesday.
[Biden regrets calling an undocumented immigrant accused of murder “illegal” in his State of the Union address]
Without major opponents, Biden is on track to reach that number.
Trump, for his part, is also on track to reach his magic number.
As of Sunday,
Trump was 137 delegates short
of the 1,215 needed to win the Republican nomination at the party's national convention this summer.
This Tuesday, 161 Republican delegates are at stake in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington state and Hawaii.
With a good performance today, Trump can sweep all the delegates in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state.
Hawaii allocates delegates proportionally, so other candidates could win some, even with a small number of votes.
[Trump no longer wants to ban TikTok (but not because he now considers it safe)]
The Trump campaign has not planned a big victory party like the one last week, when hundreds of people packed his Mar-a-Lago club to celebrate Super Tuesday with drinks and appetizers.