BOSTON — Incumbent President Joe Biden fended off a Democratic challenger and the threat of protest votes, while former President Donald Trump picked up a win and widened his delegate lead over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the presidential primaries Tuesday.
Massachusetts was one of 15 other states voting in the Super Tuesday primaries, and voters flocked to town halls, community centers and schools to choose a nominee.
Trump, the front-runner in the race for the GOP nomination, was ahead of Haley with 60% when The Associated Press called the race in his favor, marking his third primary win in the Bay State. Trump also won in Maine, North Carolina, Virginia and other states, widening his delegate lead over Haley.
Meanwhile, Biden easily fended off a long-shot challenge on Tuesday from U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat from Minnesota, and overcame a protest vote from critics of his support for Israel’s war in Gaza, with thousands voters selecting “no preference” on Democratic ballots.
“He’s been doing a pretty good job and I don’t want to see Trump come back to the White House,” said Eric Kennan, after voting for Biden at Salem High School on Tuesday. “I’m terrified about [Trump] being anywhere near the government. He’s dangerous.”
Sarah Peters of Middleton said Trump made the economy better and kept prices under control during his term. He also cracked down on illegal immigration, a key issue, she said.
“The immigration situation is out of control,” the 46-year-old said. “Trump is the only one who can deal with it. Biden has done absolutely nothing.”
Others, such as 79-year-old retiree Bruce Williams, were looking for an alternative to the two front-runners. He voted for Haley.
“I really don’t like Trump or Biden,” the Peabody man said. “Trump is too divisive, and I don’t think Biden has done a good job running the country.”
Massachusetts has open primaries, which means unenrolled or “independent” voters may draw a ballot for whichever primary they choose. Voters who are registered with a specific party may only vote in their respective primaries. The state has more than 4.7 million registered voters.
Secretary of State William Galvin predicted a strong turnout in the primary, particularly on the Republican side, following a ruling Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court that cleared Trump for the ballot. The actual turnout was not immediately known.
Besides hopefuls from the two major political parties, a half dozen Libertarian presidential candidates were on the ballot.
A number of candidates had already dropped out of the presidential race before the contests Tuesday, but their names had already been printed on ballots.
Voters were also picking committee members to serve as delegates to their party’s conventions this summer.
Many Massachusetts voters didn’t wait for the primary Tuesday and cast ballots through absentee and early voting. Local election clerks received about nearly 500,000 absentee ballots ahead of Tuesday. An additional 51,000 were cast during the five-day early voting period last week, according to Galvin’s office.
Other states holding primaries Tuesday included Maine, Vermont and delegate-rich California and Texas. The results move the nation closer to a likely rerun of the contentious 2020 presidential election between Biden and Trump in November.
Nationally, the Super Tuesday contests award 1,420 delegates to the Democrats’ summer convention to the top contenders. Delegates in most Democratic primaries and caucuses are awarded proportionally based on the outcome of the vote.
For Republicans, 874 delegates – or 36% – of the party’s 2,429 delegates were up for grabs Tuesday.
In Massachusetts, 40 pledged delegates were up grabs in the GOP primary and 92 were at stake on the Democratic side.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at [email protected].
By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter
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