Super Tuesday could be former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley's last chance to thwart former United States President Donald Trump's effort to secure the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Fifteen states and one U.S. territory hold party nominating contests on March 5, the biggest primary day, when more than a third of the delegates will be assigned to the Republican National Convention in July in Milwaukee.
President Joe Biden is the clear choice for the Democratic nomination as party loyalists vote for delegates to August's Democratic National Convention in Chicago, with just two longtime challengers remaining.
Here are the key details about Super Tuesday:
What is Super Tuesday?
Super Tuesday is the day in the US presidential primary cycle when the majority of states vote.
In the Republican contest, 874 of the 2,429 delegates will be up for grabs, including from the two most populous states, California and Texas.
At least 1,215 delegates are needed to win the nomination at the Republican National Convention in July.
Contest by contest, the Republican delegate counts for Super Tuesday votes are: Alabama (50), Alaska (29), American Samoa (9) Arkansas (40), California (169), Colorado (37), Maine (20) , Massachusetts (40), Minnesota (39), North Carolina (74), Oklahoma (43), Tennessee (58), Texas (161), Utah (40), Vermont (17) and Virginia (48).
About a third of Democratic delegates will also be decided on March 5, with nominating contests held in 14 of those 15 states, plus American Samoa. In Alaska, Democrats vote on April 6.
March 5 is also the last day for Democrats in Iowa to mail in their ballots at that state's caucuses and when results will be announced.
What can we expect from the results?
With so many states and one territory voting in different time zones, it may take a while for the full results to become clear.
In California, mail-in ballots are valid as long as they are postmarked on or before primary election day and received by March 12.
Additionally, some states hold “open primaries” that allow registered voters to choose whether they want to vote in the Democratic or Republican primaries, adding a possible layer of unpredictability.
Why is Super Tuesday important?
Nikki Haley has no clear path to defeating Trump. This could be her last opportunity to at least delay the former president's path to nomination.
Opinion polls show Trump is a heavy favorite in California and Texas, as well as states such as Alabama, Maine and Minnesota.
His campaign projects he will win at least 773 delegates on Super Tuesday and secure the nomination a week or two later.
Trump easily won the six Republican nominating contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, South Carolina and Michigan.
He has repeatedly urged Haley to drop out to set up a 2020 election rematch against Biden, which polls show many Americans do not want.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as UN ambassador under Trump, has vowed to stay in the race.
She crisscrossed the country with an aggressive travel schedule ahead of Super Tuesday, and her campaign launched a leadership team in Georgia, where voters go to the polls on March 12, a week after Super Tuesday.
Voters, she said after the South Carolina defeat on February 24, “have the right to a real choice, not a Soviet-style election with just one candidate.
“I have a duty to give them that choice,” she added.
The Super Tuesday results in North Carolina will be closely watched for signs of each candidate's strength in one of the potential swing states that could decide the November general election.
Trump won the state in 2020 by just over a percentage point.
North Carolina will award 74 delegates on Super Tuesday.
The state allows non-party-affiliated voters to participate in any primary they choose, which could boost Haley's performance given her relative strength with independent voters compared to Trump.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
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