Biden win of Democratic nomination sets stage for Trump rematch
Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump won primary elections in Georgia Tuesday, in effect sealing their respective party’s nominations for president.
Both men captured nearly all the votes cast so far in what had become token state primaries, along with the primary for Democrats Abroad and the Republican caucus in Hawaii. Biden also won the Northern Mariana Islands primary Tuesday morning, earning 11 delegates.
A nascent effort to register opposition to the Biden administration’s support for the war in Gaza could not be easily expressed with “no preference” protest votes in Georgia, because the ballot does not provide a way to do so. One woman in Roswell described voting for Representative Dean Phillips, who dropped out of the Democratic contest last week, as a substitute.
“I voted a protest vote against the war in Gaza because I think it is horrible what is happening and I’m ashamed of my country right now,” said Robin Hawking, 56, a software developer from Roswell. She said she is normally a Republican voter. “I’m hoping if enough people vote for not-Biden, he’ll get the message that he’s going to lose this election unless he does a cease fire.”
Trump ran unopposed in Georgia, though other names appeared still appeared on the ballot, attracting a few voters.
Scott Carpenter of Roswell voted for former ambassador Nikki Haley because he hated Trump, he said. He voted for Biden in 2020.
“I don’t like Trump. I don’t like Biden. I just wanted a different choice,” he said.
The candidate almost doesn’t matter, Carpenter said.
“The staffers on the hill; they do all the work,” he said. “The figurehead doesn’t matter. I think Donald Trump sends a bad message to the rest of the globe. I don’t think he’s presidential.”
after newsletter promotion
Biden won enough delegates in Georgia almost immediately to win the Democratic nomination, which required 1,968 on the first ballot to win.
“Four years ago, I ran for president because I believed we were in a battle for the soul of this nation. Because of the American people, we won that battle, and now I am honored that the broad coalition of voters representing the rich diversity of the Democratic party across the country have put their faith in me once again to lead our party – and our country – in a moment when the threat Trump poses is greater than ever,” he said in a statement.
Trump was also on track to secure the required 1,215 delegates needed for the Republican nomination.