Super Tuesday: Will Donald Trump get closer to clinching the GOP presidential nomination?
Donald Trump is expecting a big night when Super Tuesday results from more than a dozen states roll in — and America gets a re-look at the former president bidding to be the next president.
So, what will Trump tell the country this evening in what is widely expected to be a victory speech on primary contests that, for all intents and purposes, clinches a GOP presidential nomination for the third time?
Does he pivot more to the center to tout himself to swing voters in the 10 or so states that may decide the November general election? Or does he attempt to win over purple America with his dystopian view of a "country going to hell" and the hard-right policies fervently embraced by his mushrooming base?
Follow our coverage tonight.
VOTER GUIDE: Know the candidates and issues
What are protest votes against Trump and Biden?
On the what-to-watch in Super Tuesday for list tonight ... protest votes.
Although they have, seemingly, been destined for a rematch, polls show broad swaths of Americans still do not want to see another contest between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Some of that dissatisfaction has materialized in previous primaries.
In New Hampshire, Republican challenger Nikki Haley won 43.3% of the vote, although the Trump camp insisted that result was distorted because New Hampshire conducts an open primary. Haley also won just shy of 40% of the vote in her home state of South Carolina. In Michigan, she won just over a quarter of the votes.
In Michigan, Democratic voters upset with Biden cast "uncommitted" votes, which totaled 13.2% of ballots cast in that party's primary. In New Hampshire, rival Democrat Dean captured 19.6% of the votes cast.
'Super Tuesday' by the numbers, and why it's a super delegate haul
Polls are closing soon and most voters have already cast ballots. So let's talk about what's at stake for Donald Trump and Nikki Haley tonight.
To win the nomination, a Republican presidential candidate must win 1,215 delegates, which is a majority of the 2,429 delegates that will formally elect the nominee at the GOP convention in Milwaukee this July.
Right now, Trump has 243 candidates and Haley lags well behind with just 43.3% of the vote, although
There are 865 delegates up for grabs in Tuesday's 13 Republican primaries and two caucuses.
If the former president were to win delegates at the ratio he has won them in the first handful of primaries and caucuses, then it would put him within reach of sealing the nomination, perhaps during the March 19 Florida primary.
That's why it's "Super Tuesday."
It's 'Super Tuesday.' What's an independent to do?
Primary elections are political party nominating events. So what happens to independent voters? Jeremy Gruber, senior vice president of Open Primaries Inc. said Tuesday that many of them get left out.
Gruber said closed Super Tuesday presidential primaries in four states — Alaska, California, Oklahoma and Utah — will deny 6.2 million no-party and other voters a chance to choose a candidate for the 2024 general election.
"While the Democratic parties in these states allow independent voters to participate in their primaries in these states, independents are not permitted to vote in the Republican primaries — which feature the only competitive national contest in 2024, between Trump and Haley," Gruber wrote.
Now, 11 other states will allow independents a voice via a ballot.
Gruber points out that if, say, those voters were to break for Haley "it could have some important lessons for how they might break in November." He said independents overwhelmingly backed Trump in 2016 before returning to Biden in even larger numbers four years ago.
"They are not a fixed voting block by any means," Gruber said. "And it certainly doesn’t mean that a vote for Haley is necessarily a vote for Biden."
He said the "real question" on Super Tuesday and beyond is how both the Biden and Trump camps are going to woo independents in the next eight months.
"Because independents will be the margin of victory between the two candidates," he said. "There are over 4 million independents in Florida alone. So far, neither candidate has seriously reached out to them."
Rather than courting them, however, Gruber is critical of Republicans he said "are actively working to restrict independents voting in primaries in states like Tennessee, Texas and Alabama. They just lost a court case trying to close the primaries in Colorado."
And Democrats?
Gruber said they are roadblocking candidates.
"Florida Democrats shut Dean Phillips and any other Democrats off the primary ballot," he said. "The party has actively worked to keep other candidates from running at all. They’ve left independents (and their own voters) with no choices in the primary."
Gruber said all of this has left many independent voters frustrated, and left out.
"Independents don’t like this state of affairs. They're tired of the partisanship. They vote for candidates, not parties," he said. "They are willing to become second-class citizens in many states as a way to protest our second-rate election system that gives power and authority to smaller and smaller bands of partisans at the expense of the people. Right now neither party has made a strong play for independents-they will be the real wild card this November."
— Antonio Fins
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott says Trump should stick to core beliefs
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who met with former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Monday evening, said the reason why Trump's ahead in the polls is because of Trump's core beliefs and his message to voters.
Scott thinks Trump is going to continue to talk about the core beliefs that won him the White House the first time, such as maintaining border security, economic issues and keeping the country out of international wars.
"I don't think anybody should want to run against him," Scott said. "I think that he's gonna continue talking about the things that Americans care about. That's why he's where he is."
— Stephany Matat
More: Rick Scott 'seriously considering' running for Senate leader, discusses it with Trump
Trump poised to sweep 'Super Tuesday' but poll raises some warning signals
Former President Donald Trump is poised to sweep the "Super Tuesday" electoral contests but a poll issued Monday revealed some warning signs signaled by voters in those very states.
The survey of voters in the "Super Tuesday" states showed Trump trailing President Joe Biden by a narrow margin in which the incumbent is up 47% to 45% among those who said they intend to cast a vote, with a 1.7 percentage point margin of error.
The poll's scope is limited as it surveyed electorates in only the March 5 primaries that are taking place in mostly solid blue and red states, including California, Massachusetts, Alabama and Oklahoma. But they also include states that have been battlegrounds in recent elections, including Colorado, Maine and Virginia.
For the full story on the poll, go here.
Fact-checking campaign ads for you
Campaign ads have flooded social media leading up to Super Tuesday as the remaining presidential candidates attempt to win over primary voters in 15 states and one territory.
These ads have spread widely — to more than a million screens in some cases — but many include false or misleading descriptions of past actions and policy proposals. Here’s a rundown of recent ads debunked by the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team:
Claim: Haley plan cuts Social Security benefits for 82% of Americans (False)
Claim: Trump proposed a 10% 'across-the-board' tax increase if re-elected (False)
Claim: Haley opposed a wall on the US border (False)
Claim: Post implies Haley reversed herself by pushing for gas tax hike as governor (Missing context)
Claim: Biden was declared 'mentally unfit' to stand trial (False)
What states are in Super Tuesday?
More: Trump hails ruling on Colorado ballot, turns attention to Supreme Court immunity case
With 1,215 delegates needed to win the nomination, former President Donald Trump leads challenger Nikki Haley 273-43 for the GOP presidential nomination.
On Super Tuesday, Republicans will hold nominating contests in 15 states and Democrats in 15 states and one territory.
The states holding primary elections on Tuesday include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
One territory, American Samoa, will also hold a primary election.
Iowa's Democratic Party will also release the results of its mail-in voting on March 5.
Why is it called Super Tuesday?
Super Tuesday is the primary election day that decides the bulk of delegates for candidates in their respective parties.
The name “Super Tuesday” historical has been used to reference primary days when a significant number of states hold their primary elections, according to the National Constitution Center.
In 1984, the modern "Super Tuesday" began when March became the month to “frontload” the primaries.
FAU poll on immigration clashes with political narratives
A poll by Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet Research found some surprising viewpoints on the hot topic of immigration and border security in America.
Namely, a majority of respondents in the poll released in February revealed they liked the immigrant living next door, but were split on foreigners' contributions to "American culture." And while states like Florida and Texas are taking border enforcement measures into their own hands, the survey showed a citizenry not "trusting" state officials to act on immigration, and somewhat leery about federal authorities, too.
The results reveal more complex views at a time when immigration is surging as, arguably, the dominant topic of the 2024 presidential election. Last week, U.S. officials updated their tally of the number of unauthorized people who have entered the country under the Biden administration to 7.3 million, a figure greater than many U.S. states.
— Stephany Matat
Palm Beach County Democratic Party leader suspended
After more than a year of divisive conflicts between Palm Beach County Democratic leaders and key volunteers, state party chief Nikki Fried has suspended Mindy Koch from her position as chair of the local party's ruling board.
The suspension marks the first time a state party leader has initiated the process for removing an elected county party chair from the helm. As of Monday afternoon, Fried wrote in a statement, Vice Chair Sean Rourk is in charge of the Palm Beach County party's governing board, the Democratic Executive Committee, pending the election of a new leader.
State Democratic Party officials issued Koch a compliance notice in early February after the local party, under her leadership, failed to meet deadlines in 2023 for submitting important document, including campaign plans, a membership list, meeting minutes and a budget. The deadline for turning in the documents, and bring the party into compliance, was Sunday afternoon.
— Stephany Matat
Why Trump criminal court calendar could see just one trial before election
Rather than splitting time between campaigning and appearing in federal court this coming week, Donald Trump will be celebrating his widely expected victories in the "Super Tuesday" Republican presidential nominating elections.
Initially, it looked like Trump would be summoned to appear at the Elijah Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C., for the start of his trial on four felony counts rooted in what prosecutors allege was the 45th president's attempt to stay in power after losing the 2020 election.
But that trial has been delayed. For that matter, the legal proceedings related to two other sets of criminal charges against Trump, who has declared his innocence and railed at the cases he says are "election interference," also are stalled.
Which raises the question: Will Trump's court challenges be resolved in 2024? Here is a rundown of where things stand.
— Antonio Fins
USA Today contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Super Tuesday: Trump could close in on GOP presidential nomination
