AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the March 12 presidential contests
WASHINGTON — Super Tuesday put former President Donald Trump within striking distance of his third consecutive Republican presidential nomination, but it may be Republican voters in Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington that put him over the top.
A total of 161 delegates are at stake for the four states on Tuesday, and Trump will have to win the lion’s share of those to become the presumptive nominee. But now that his main rival for the nomination, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, is no longer in the running, there are no more obstacles in his way.
President Joe Biden also won hundreds of delegates on Super Tuesday, but because of the way the Democratic nominating calendar and process is structured, the earliest he can win the delegates he needs to be renominated is a week later, on March 19. Tuesday in the primaries in three states: Georgia, Mississippi and Washington. The date also marks the conclusion of party-organized contests in the Northern Mariana Islands and Democrats Abroad, an organization of democratic U.S. citizens living in other countries. Democrats Abroad functions as a state for the purposes of the presidential nomination process.
Biden will face self-help author Marianne Williamson in four contests. He will also face a rematch with Democrat Jason Palmer in the Northern Marianas primary. Palmer unexpectedly won a 91-person vote in American Samoa on Super Tuesday, picking up three delegates along the way. “Uncommitted” also won delegates in Michigan and Minnesota, and will be on the ballot in Washington on Tuesday.
Mississippi will be the only state holding primaries for state offices on Tuesday. US Senator Roger Wicker is the frontrunner in his Republican primary for another term. Republican primaries are also on the ballot in the Second and Fourth Congressional Districts, while a Democratic primary is on the ballot in the First Congressional District.
Here are the March 12 matches at a glance:
Tuesday’s presidential primaries are unlikely to be competitive as Biden and Trump face no major opposition in their renomination campaigns. In Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington, early indications of Biden and Trump winning statewide at levels consistent with the overwhelming margins seen in most other contests held so far this year could be enough are to determine the statewide winners. In the Democrats Abroad and Northern Mariana Islands party-led Democratic primaries, party organizations are expected to deliver full results and delegate allocations.
The AP does not make forecasts and will only declare a winner if it has been established that there is no scenario with which the underlying candidates can close the gap. If no race is called, the AP will continue to report on any newsworthy developments, such as concessions to candidates or declarations of victory. The AP will make it clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
Democrats: 254
Republicans: 161
Georgia, Hawaii (Republican only), Mississippi, Washington
Northern Mariana Islands (Democrats only), Democrats Abroad (Democrats only)
Mississippi
STATE PRE-DECLARATIONS (3): Georgia, Mississippi, Washington
PARTY-LOOP PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE VOTES AND CAUCUSES (2): Northern Mariana Islands, Democrats Abroad
STATE PRE-DECLARATIONS (3): Georgia, Mississippi, Washington
PARTY-RUN PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE VOTES AND CAUCUSES (1): Hawaii
4 a.m. EDT: Last polls close in the Northern Mariana Islands
8 a.m. EDT: Final polls close primaries for Democrats Abroad
7:00 PM EDT: Polls close in Georgia
8:00 PM EDT: Polls close in Mississippi
11:00 PM EDT: Polls close in Washington
2am EDT: Caucus ends in Hawaii
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (D): Biden, Phillips, Williamson. 108 delegates at stake
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (R): Trump, Haley, Stuckenberg, Binkley, Burgum, Christie, DeSantis, Hutchinson, Johnson, Ramaswamy, Scott. 59 delegates at stake
WHO CAN VOTE: Any registered voter. Voters in Georgia do not register by party
FIRST VOTES REPORTED (2022 Primaries): 7:22 PM ET
FINAL ELECTION NIGHT UPDATE: 3:25 PM ET with approximately 98% of total votes counted
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (R): Trump, Haley, Stuckenberg, Binkley, Burgum, Christie, DeSantis, Ramaswamy. 19 delegates at stake
WHO CAN VOTE: Registered voters and members of the Republican Party of Hawaii. Same day registration possible.
EXPECTED RESULTS: The contracting party expects to release the first votes around 2:30 a.m. EDT
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (D): Biden. 35 delegates at stake
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (R): Trump, Haley, DeSantis, Ramaswamy. There are 40 delegates at stake
STATE PRIMARITES: U.S. Senate (R); US House District 1 (D), US House District 2 (R), US House District 4 (R)
WHO CAN VOTE: Any registered voter. Voters in Mississippi do not register by party
FIRST VOTES REPORTED (2022 Primaries): 8:21 PM ET
FINAL ELECTION NIGHT UPDATE: 1:30 AM ET with approximately 96% of total votes counted
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (D): Biden, Phillips, Williamson, “Not committed.” 92 delegates at stake
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (R): Trump, Haley, Christie, DeSantis, Ramaswamy. 43 delegates at stake
WHO CAN VOTE: Registered voters may participate in both primaries, but may not vote in both primaries
FIRST VOTES REPORTED (2022 Primaries): 11:08 PM ET
FINAL ELECTION NIGHT UPDATE: 1:17 PM ET with approximately 54% of total votes counted
NOTES: All registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail after February 23. Voters in Washington do not register by party, but for presidential primaries only they must mark and sign a party declaration on the return envelope. The party indicated on the envelope must correspond to the party of the candidate chosen by the voter on the ballot paper; otherwise the vote will be declared invalid.
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (D): Biden, Williamson. 13 delegates at stake
WHO CAN VOTE: Registered voters who are members of Democrats Abroad. Same day registration possible. Voters who cast their votes in person must do so at a voting center in the country where they live.
EXPECTED RESULTS: Although the final in-person polls during the global primaries close at 8 a.m. EDT in Bangkok, Thailand, the organization Democrats Abroad has until March 17 to tally all votes received by mail. The organization expects to announce the results by March 25 at the latest.
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (D): Biden, Palmer, Phillips, Williamson. There are 6 delegates at stake
WHO CAN VOTE: Democrats registered to vote in the Northern Mariana Islands.
EXPECTED RESULTS: Results will not be available before 4 a.m. EDT, when the last polls close.
Democrats: Washington
As of Tuesday, there are 125 days until the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, 160 days until the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and 238 days until the November general election.
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