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Hundreds of delegates were at stake in the Super Tuesday presidential primaries bonanza that included 15 states and the U.S. territory of American Samoa. While President Donald Trump netted the lion’s share of delegates, Republican challenger Nikki Haley pulled her second upset in recent days in Vermont. President Joe Biden extended his winning streak, including in Iowa which announced the results of Democrats’ first mail-in presidential preference contest.
In Colorado and Maine the former president easily won the nomination and delegates. Both states had disqualified Trump from their Republican primaries because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection only to be overruled Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Biden and Trump also came out on top in North Carolina, but the most watched races in the state were the gubernatorial primaries. Voters winnowed a vast field of candidates vying to become the state’s next governor in what is expected to be one of the most heated and expensive gubernatorial races in the nation. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a MAGA Republican who has the backing of Trump, will face off against Attorney General Josh Stein, who led all candidates in polling and fundraising during the primary period.
Here’s a look at other states holding Super Tuesday primaries:
Alabama: The Democratic primary in the newly drawn 2nd Congressional District yielded a runoff between former Department of Justice official Shomari Figures and Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels. The GOP primary for the district looked to be heading in the same direction as the night wore on. Redistricting also altered the 1st Congressional District, forcing two Republican incumbents to face-off — U.S. Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise beat U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl of Mobile.
On the state Supreme Court, Associate Justice Sarah Stewart beat former state Sen. Bryan Taylor in the Republican primary for the chief justice seat. In November, she will face Judge Greg Griffin, a Democrat who ran unopposed. This race pulled fresh interest after the mid-February embryo decision that jeopardized in vitro fertilization in the state.
Alaska: Republicans are conducting a caucus to pick a presidential nominee, with 29 delegates at stake. Other races will be decided in a primary election in August. Results were expected sometime after midnight East Coast time.
American Samoa: The U.S. territory of American Samoa continued its tradition of quirky primary results, handing the majority of votes to little-known Baltimore businessman Jason Palmer, the Associated Press reports. Palmer, who reportedly campaigned personally in the remote Pacific island territory, got 51 of the 91 votes cast, with Biden getting the rest. The territory, which handed former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg his only win in 2020, will send six delegates to the Democratic convention this summer, but residents do not have a vote in the presidential election in November.
Arkansas: Democratic and Republican presidential primaries went to Biden and Trump as expected. In the 3rd Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, who’s served in the House since 2011, pulled out a win over Arkansas Sen. Clint Penzo. Plus, two state Supreme Court seats, including chief justice were up for grabs.
California: California Democrats strongly backed Biden, with 90.5% in early returns, leading the Associated Press to call the race for him. Republicans backed Trump with 74.7% in early returns, the AP reports.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff was the top vote getter in two U.S. Senate elections, the Associated Press reports. In the race to fill the unexpired term of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, he led Republican former baseball player Steve Garvey 34.0% to 31.4% in early returns. In the race for the full six-year term that begins in January 2025, he led Garvey 36.8% to 29.7%. Under the state’s open primary system, the two top vote getters will advance to a runoff in November, with the other candidates eliminated, including Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.
Also on the primary ballot are members of the House, state legislative contests, county supervisor candidates, and a $6.38 billion bond measure to boost mental and behavioral health treatment and to combat homelessness. Early returns suggest that the measure was headed for a narrow victory, 51.3-48.7%, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Colorado: Trump cruised to an easy victory in the Republican presidential primary after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Monday overturned a decision from state justices that he was disqualified for engaging in insurrection during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Democrats chose Biden, who was declared the victor shortly after polls closed. Their primary ballots also included a “noncommitted delegate,” who would not be obligated to support any particular candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August. The option was launched last-minute as an objection to Biden’s role in the war in Gaza. But “noncommitted” was pulling only 7% in early returns and would need at least 15% to be awarded delegates.
Maine: Biden and Trump easily win. But whether Trump would appear on the ballot was in doubt until Monday. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows withdrew her decision disqualifying the former president after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Colorado case.
Massachusetts: AP called the primaries for Trump and Biden.
Minnesota: Minnesota voters only had presidential candidates on their primary ballot. Trump and Biden took all the state’s delegates, according to the AP. Minnesota’s own U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips was still on the Democrats’ ballot, but he wasn’t posing much of a threat to the president. Much like Michigan in late February, there was a push here for Democrats (known as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota) to mark “uncommitted” on their ballots to tell Biden he should stop backing Israel’s ongoing onslaught against Gaza.
North Carolina: AP called the races for Biden and Trump shortly after the polls closed. Voters also were casting ballots for council of state, legislative and congressional races. New gerrymandered maps mean the state most likely will send 10 Republicans to the U.S. House, up from seven.
Oklahoma: Biden and Trump coasted to victory in Oklahoma, where the presidential primaries were the only statewide races on the ballot. The AP called the major party races shortly after polls closed.
Tennessee: Trump easily swept the Republican primary with around 78% of the vote, despite heavy spending and recent campaigning in the state in support of Haley. Biden faced no opponent in Tennessee’s Democratic primary, but he got only 92% of the vote, with everyone else choosing “uncommitted.”
Texas: As expected, Biden and Trump won their primaries in Texas, sweeping the second-biggest prize of delegates into their tallies. But the more interesting races in America’s largest red state were down ballot. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz handily won the Republican primary, but Democrats picked him as a seat to flip in their nationwide press to keep the Senate majority. U.S. Sen. Colin Allred, from Dallas, won the Democratic primary, according to the AP.
Utah: Biden easily defeated three rivals in Utah’s primary election, the AP reports. With more than half the votes counted, Biden had 88% of the vote. The state has 34 total delegates to the Democratic National Convention, allotted by the percentage of the vote received by each candidate.
Republicans and two minor parties held caucuses. Republicans also conducted a “presidential preference poll,” simultaneously with the caucus. The poll will determine which candidate gets the state’s 40 national convention delegates. The caucus will only select delegates for county and state conventions later this summer. Results were still pending from the GOP polls by midnight East Coast time, with reports of confusion and anger at caucus sites.
Vermont: Vermont was a bright spot for Haley and only a slight road bump for Trump. It was the first state Haley won, stopping a Trump sweep in Republican primaries. Biden easily won among the Democrats.
Virginia: Biden and Trump faced light competition, easily winning their nominations. The primary election for Virginia’s only other statewide contest this year, the Senate seat held by Democrat Tim Kaine, will be in June.
