President Joe Biden clinched the Democratic presidential nomination with a decisive victory in swing-state Georgia on Tuesday, March 12, and then won Mississippi, overcoming concerns about his leadership from within his own party as the 2024 presidential contest shifts to a general election rematch that many voters do not want.
Donald Trump , too, was on pace to secure his party’s nomination despite serious political and practical liabilities of his own. The Republican former president, a defendant in four felony cases, also won Georgia and Mississippi but was just shy of the threshold needed to clinch the GOP nomination with votes still being collected across Washington state and Hawaii. Overall, Tuesday marked a crystalizing moment for a nation uneasy with its choices in 2024.
The fall general election will feature a rematch between two flawed and unpopular presidents. And that rematch – the first featuring two US presidents since 1912 – will almost certainly deepen the nation's searing political and cultural divides over the eight-month grind that lies ahead.
Serious threat to democracy
In a statement, Biden celebrated the nomination while casting Trump as a serious threat to democracy. Trump, Biden said, "is running a campaign of resentment, revenge, and retribution that threatens the very idea of America." He continued, "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."
On the eve of Tuesday's primaries, Trump acknowledged that Biden would be the Democratic nominee, even as he unleashed a new attack on the president's age. "I assume he's going to be the candidate," Trump said of Biden on CNBC. "I'm his only opponent other than life, life itself."
91 felony counts
Despite their tough talk, both Biden and Trump are grappling with glaring flaws. Trump is facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases involving his handling of classified documents and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, among other alleged crimes. He's also facing increasingly pointed questions about his policy plans and relationships with some of the world's most dangerous dictators. Trump met privately on Friday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has rolled back democracy in his country.
The 81-year-old Biden is working to assure a skeptical electorate that he's still physically and mentally able to thrive in the world's most important job. He's also dealing with dissension within his party's progressive base, which is furious that he hasn't done more to stop Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Last month in Michigan, a related protest "uncommitted" vote attracted more than 100,000 votes and actually secured two Democratic delegates.
Ahead of Tuesday's vote, a scattering of lawn signs across Seattle urged primary participants to vote "uncommitted" as well, with some signs reading: "Over 30,000 dead. Vote Ceasefire by Tuesday 3/12."
Moments after Bella Rivera, 26, dropped off their ballot at a drop box in Seattle, they said they hoped that by voting "uncommitted," it would serve as a wakeup call for the Democratic party. "If you really want our votes, if you want to win this election, you're going to have to show a little bit more either support of Palestinian liberation (...) and ceasing funds to Israel," said Rivera, a preschool teacher who uses they/them pronouns. It's much the same in Georgia, where local politicians are pushing Biden to call for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Not certain he would hit the mark, Trump's campaign has not planned a big victory party like it did last week when hundreds packed his Mar-a-Lago club for a Super Tuesday celebration with drinks and passed hors d'oeuvres.
On the ground in Georgia, retiree Donna Graham said she would have preferred another Republican nominee over Trump, but she said there's no way she'd ever vote for Biden in the general election. "He wasn't my first choice, but he's the next best thing," Graham said of Trump. "It's sad that it's the same old matchup as four years ago."