(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump continued to dominate Republican presidential primaries on Super Tuesday, winning at least 12 states.
Trump added Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia to the win column shortly after polls closed in the 12 states.
Vermont was called late Tuesday for former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump’s lone remaining challenger for the GOP nomination. It was her first state primary win. Calls intensified Tuesday for Haley to drop out of the race after her underwhelming performance.
Alaska and Utah vote counts were still pending as of 11:15 p.m. eastern time.
Winner of all early state primaries and caucuses by double digits heading into Super Tuesday, Trump rolled to massive double digit wins in the 12 so-called Super Tuesday states over Haley.
Until Vermont, Haley’s only win this primary season was Sunday in Washington, D.C., where she secured 19 Republican delegates, bringing her total before Super Tuesday results to 43. With 247 delegates, Trump held a commanding lead at the day’s outset, one that will only grow significantly after all Super Tuesday votes are counted.
A candidate needs 1,215 delegates to win the Republican nomination. Even if Trump swept Super Tuesday states – 854 of the 2,429 delegates are on the line, though not every state is winner take all – he still could not have clinched the nomination. He needs 971 more.
If he wins about 90% of the delegates through next Tuesday – when Republican primaries in Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Washington state are held – he would become the nominee.
Prior to Super Tuesday, Trump also won primaries and/or caucuses in Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and South Dakota.
Trump faces 91 felony charges in four separate indictments. Those are linked to challenging election results in 2020 in Georgia; the Jan. 6, 2021, violent protests at the U.S. Capitol; his handling of classified documents; and hush money paid to a porn actress. Because of the possibility of conviction ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, Haley finishing second in delegate counts could be important.
Barring a conviction, Trump, 77, seems the likely nominee to face off against Biden in a rematch of the 2020 race.
Biden, 81, is also on the ballot in 14 Super Tuesday states, and his nomination seems secure. Major media outlets quickly called Super Tuesday states Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Vermont for the president.
Biden has faced tough questions about his memory loss and mental capacity. He would be 86 at the end of a second term. U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., has been the only challenger to stay in the race and is on some but not all ballots.
There’s been a recent push, with modest at best results, centered on the war between Israel and Hamas for Democrats to choose options such as “uncommitted” or “no preference.”
Biden, like Trump, cannot clinch his party’s nomination Tuesday, but holds a hefty lead. Democrats have 1,420 delegates at stake, about one-third of the 3,934 total. It takes 1,968 to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination. Biden entered Tuesday with 206.
(This is a developing story. Check back for updates.)
