Live Election Night Updates: Biden Anticipates Protest Votes, Trump Gathers Support in Wisconsin
In four states, namely New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, voters participated in the 2024 presidential primary race. Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump secured their party’s presumptive nominee status, leading to a lack of substantial competition. Delaware canceled its GOP presidential primary, while Arkansas and Mississippi held primary runoff races. In some states, voters were encouraged to show dissent through their voting choices.
Voters in four states, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, are headed to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes in the 2024 presidential primary race.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have already clinched their party’s presumptive presidential nominee status, so neither candidate is facing real competition.
Delaware canceled its GOP presidential primary race, originally set for April 2, after Trump became the presumptive nominee when former Republican candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the race. Biden was the only candidate to file for the Democratic primary in Delaware. Due to a lack of a contested race on the Democratic side, no primary was scheduled.
Meanwhile, voters in Arkansas and Mississippi will vote in primary runoff races ahead of the November election.
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Democratic voters in New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin have been encouraged to vote “uncommitted,” “uninstructed,” or leave the ballot blank in protest of Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, Trump is holding a campaign rally in Wisconsin Tuesday evening, his first in the state of the 2024 election cycle.
Results
Connecticut
The presidential primary in Connecticut will be an easy sweep for Biden and Trump. But Connecticut’s ballot has an “uncommitted” option that Democratic voters looking to send a message to the president can select.
Democratic voters can still vote for Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), author Marianne Williamson, and Cenk Uygur, all of whom have suspended their presidential bids.
Republican voters not voting for Trump can choose from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Haley, and Ryan Binkley. All three candidates have also ended their 2024 campaigns.
Delegates at stake: 60 for Democrats, 28 for Republicans.
Polls close: 8 p.m. Eastern time.
New York
The Empire state is one of two key states to watch for how potent the uncommitted vote against Biden will be. The New York Working Families Party is encouraging Democratic voters to leave the ballot blank during the primary.
The “Leave It Blank” campaign is meant to pressure the Biden administration to call for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
“Primaries are an opportunity to engage in internal debates within a political party. And the single biggest debate within the Democratic Party right now is the handling of the war on Gaza,” the group posted on X last week. “Leaving your ballot blank is how you can lean into your democratic power and pressure President Biden to correct course.”
New York, a reliably liberal state, will also be another state to watch for how many voters choose Haley over Trump.
Delegates at stake: 268 for Democrats, 91 for Republicans.
Polls close: 9 p.m. ET
Rhode Island
The Rhode Island chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is encouraging Democratic voters to vote “uncommitted” during the Tuesday primary, similarly to the Working Families Party.
The “Vote Uncommitted” campaign launched on Friday with a virtual press conference meant to further continue the pressure against Biden to call for a ceasefire.
Eyes will also be watching to see if Haley wins any delegates on Tuesday night in Rhode Island, as any candidate who receives over 10% of the vote in the state is awarded delegates. Haley has polled around 10% in other post-Super Tuesday states, meaning she could very well net delegates despite having dropped out of the contest.
But with only four electoral votes, Rhode Island is not much of a big player in the battle over who will win the 2024 race. Biden and Trump will easily win their perspective primaries in a night that is expected to have low turnout.
Delegates at stake: 26 for Democrats, 19 for Republicans.
Polls close: 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Wisconsin
Organizers upset at Biden’s handling of the Middle East conflict have also encouraged Wisconsinites to vote uninstructed on the Democratic ballot. As a crucial battleground state, just how many voters snub Biden will be a key sign ahead of the November election.
In addition to the presidential primary, Wisconsin voters will decide on two proposed amendments to the state constitution.
Question 1 asks voters whether private money can be used to fund state and local elections. A yes vote would bar private funds in elections. Question 2 deals with whether only election officials can carry out tasks needed to run elections. A yes vote would allow only election officials to “perform tasks in the conduct of primaries, elections, and referendums.”
Trump is scheduled to start his Green Bay rally at 5 p.m. CDT while voters can still head to the polls.
Delegates at stake: 82 for Democrats, 41 for Republicans.
Polls close: 8 p.m. local time/9 p.m. Eastern time.
Mississippi
Republican candidates Ron Eller and Andrew Scott Smith are on the runoff ballot to be the GOP nominee in the 2nd Congressional District after advancing from the March 12 primary. Whoever emerges victorious will face Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) in November.
Eller placed first during the March 12 primary at nearly 47%, just shy of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. Smith came in second at nearly 36%.
Thompson is a 16th term Democratic incumbent who served as the chairman of the U.S. House Jan. 6 committee.
Polls close: 8 p.m. ET.
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