Why is Super Tuesday so important for the U.S. general election?
Over a third of delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday as voters go to the ballot box in 15 states to choose their preferred presidential nominee.
Voters in 15 states from coast to coast and one US territory will go to the ballot box on Super Tuesday to choose their preferred presidential nominee. The results could cement a nearly insurmountable lead for the frontrunners from the Democratic and Republican Parties, incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, respectively.
While there is little doubt about the outcome, one thing that people will be watching for is how well the protest vote does on each side. Seven states will offer voters an “uncommitted” option on the Democratic ballot. The same is true for five GOP contests as well as Nikki Haley still in the running against Trump.
Why is Super Tuesday so important for the U.S. general election?
There is an extremely high likelihood that President Biden will be the Democratic nominee after the party’s August convention in Chicago. So far he has garnered 206 delegates of the 1,968 he will need.
On Super Tuesday, there are 1,420 on the table. Of the 16 contests taking place, seven offer voters an “Noncommitted” or “No Preference” option, including Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee.
So far, there will be 2 delegates representing this protest vote at the convention. At least 15 percent of voters must choose this option in a given state for delegates to be awarded proportionately from said state. The effort in Michigan came close but fell short with just over 13 percent of the vote.
Going into Super Tuesday, as of publication, Trump has won 247 Delegates compared to Haley’s 43. The former governor of South Carolina so far has only won the District of Columbia which voted on 3 March. On Super Tuesday, 854 delegates will be on the line, 1215 delegates are needed to win the GOP nomination.
| Democratic contests | Republican contests |
|---|---|
| 1,420 Delegates | 854 Delegates |
| Alabama | Alabama |
| American Samoa | Alaska |
| Arkansas | Arkansas |
| California | California |
| Colorado | Colorado |
| Iowa | Maine |
| Maine | Massachusetts |
| Massachusetts | Minnesota |
| Minnesota | North Carolina |
| North Carolina | Oklahoma |
| Oklahoma | Tennessee |
| Tennessee | Texas |
| Texas | Utah |
| Utah | Vermont |
| Vermont | Virginia |
| Virginia |
Haley will need to win in a majority of the 15 state contests for her to have a viable path to the GOP nomination. However, that seems unlikely to happen with most of those contests taking place in states where potential voters in GOP contests generally identify as Republicans with whom Trump has an advantage.
Haley tends to do better among possible Republican-leaning independent voters but there numbers are smaller in the majority of the GOP contests on Super Tuesday. That’s important as most of the contests are winner-take-all, meaning whoever gets the most votes will get all of the delegates.