American voters in more than a dozen states went to the polls on “Super Tuesday,” the most consequential day of the 2024 presidential nomination race expected to all but confirm a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump.

With over a third of all delegates at stake for both the Democratic and Republican Parties, Tuesday’s contests drew keen attention in South Korea as who wins in the Nov. 5 general election could affect the two countries’ partnerships for security, trade and other dimensions.

Political watchers said that the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses would effectively kick off an eight-month competition between Biden and Trump, though the two parties would officially announce their standard-bearers this summer.

The Democratic Party held primaries in 14 states, including California, and a caucus in the territory of American Samoa, while the Republican Party conducted primaries in 13 states and caucuses in Alaska and Utah.

The Democratic Party has 1,420 of its total
3,934 delegates up for grabs on Tuesday, while a candidate must win 1,968 delegates to officially clinch the nomination.

The GOP has 865 of the total 2,429 delegates at stake on the day, with a candidate required to win 1,215 delegates to become the party’s flag-bearer.

Biden has so far dominated the Democratic state-by-state race with only token opposition. He is seeking to use Thursday’s State of the Union address to boost his appeal despite nagging questions over his age, relatively low popularity and handling of the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group as well as voter apathy.

Trump has also remained the dominant GOP frontrunner, winning all early contests, including in South Carolina, the home state of his last rival, Nikki Haley, except for a loss to the former U.N. ambassador in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected states’ efforts to exclude Trump from primary ballots for his alleged role in connection with the 2021 Capitol attack — a victory that cleared a
key hurdle for the former president.

But Trump still faces multiple legal challenges and lingering voter reservations that were highlighted most notably by independents’ backing for Haley.

Haley has vowed to remain in the nomination contest as long as her race is “competitive” as she was partially buoyed by the D.C. victory that made her the first woman to win a Republican primary. But Super Tuesday results could heap pressure on her to drop out in the name of party unity.

Regardless of her presence in the race, Trump has already shifted his focus to his rematch with Biden.

“He’s destroying our country and we’re going to say ‘Joe, you’re fired. Get out,'” Trump told a crowd after winning the contest in South Carolina last month.

In Virginia where Democratic and Republican primaries were underway, Yonhap News Agency met with several eligible voters who shared their views in an apparent reflection of the underlying public sentiment for Biden and Trump. They requested anonymity.

One voter said she would no
t cast her ballot as she expressed dismay over the high death toll from the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group.

“I am not voting because of what’s happening right now. There’s a whole genocide that’s happening right now between Israel and the Palestinians, and nothing’s been done,” she said.

Another voter voiced concerns about Biden’s age, but said he would be voting for “the lesser of the two evils.”

“I feel that our economy is better, I feel that my life is better. And I feel that the rule of law is more respected under Biden,” he said.

The other voter stressed the importance of “morality,” though he said if Trump becomes the final Republican nominee, he would most likely vote for the former president.

“I don’t want anyone in the presidency who’s going to act as if morality doesn’t matter,” he said, describing himself as a supporter for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who left the race in January and endorsed Trump.

The Republican and Democratic parties will hold their conventions in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, in July and in Chicago, Illinois, in August, respectively, where they will formally confirm their ultimate nominees.

Source: Yonhap News Agency