Trump and Biden easily win a new round of primaries, bringing them closer to a rematch

As they advance toward a rematch in November’s presidential election, Joe Biden and Donald Trump secured additional delegates on Tuesday by winning their parties’ primaries in Kansas.

Tuesday’s primary elections in Ohio and Illinois were also comfortably won by Democrats Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Florida’s Republican primary was likewise won by Trump. Since Democrats in Florida postponed their primary and gave Biden all 224 of their delegates—a decision that has precedent for an incumbent president—there was no contest for him to win there. Following their announcement last week as their parties’ likely choices, Trump and Biden are both predicted to win the primaries in Arizona with ease on Tuesday.

Other presidential contests might shed light on the political climate in the country. Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno beat two opponents in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary: Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball club, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank Frank LaRose.

Voters in Chicago will choose whether to impose a one-time real estate tax to fund more services for the homeless. Additionally, California voters will be choosing a new House Speaker to replace Kevin McCarthy, who quit his position after being forced out of the Republican leadership.

For weeks now, Trump and Biden have directed their attention toward the general election, focusing their campaigns not only on the states hosting primaries but also on those that may be competitive in November.

At a Palm Beach leisure facility on Tuesday, Trump, a resident of Florida, cast his ballot and informed reporters, “I voted for Donald Trump.”

On Saturday, Trump held a rally in Ohio, a state that used to be a national predictor of presidential elections but has remained consistently Republican for a number of years. In both 2016 and 2020, Trump carried the state by around 8 percentage points. However, there are hints that in 2024, the state may be more competitive. Ohio decisively approved the legalization of marijuana and the protection of abortion rights under the state constitution last year.

On Tuesday, Biden will be in Nevada and Arizona, two states that were among the closest in 2020 and are still very important to both campaigns.

Based on their past performance in government, Trump and Biden portray each other as threats to the United States of America. The 77-year-old Trump characterizes Biden as mentally unfit. The president has referred to his Republican opponent as a danger to democracy in light of his efforts to void the results of the 2020 election and his admiration for despotic foreign leaders.

At several polling places on Tuesday, such themes were noticeable.

“I don’t think President Biden knows how to tie his shoes anymore,” said Linda Bennet, a Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, resident who supports Trump and lives close to the former president’s Mar-a-Lago property.

She denounced Trump’s tone and “the way he composes himself” as “not presidential at all,” even as she repeated his claims about Biden. However, she asserted that the outgoing president is “a man of his word” and that she felt more confident in the nation—particularly in terms of the economy—under Trump’s direction.

Democrat Brenda Woodfolk of Columbus, Ohio, supported Biden and agreed with the president’s interpretation of the options this autumn.

Regarding the possibility that Trump may hold the White House once again, she said, “It’s scary.” “Trump wants to rule like a tyrant; he makes ridiculous comments about turning America back to white people. Too much hatred is being expressed.

Despite having diverse opinions on the matter, Bennet and Woodfolk both acknowledged that immigration is one of their main worries.

“This border issue is out of control,” Republican voter Bennet said. “I’m pretty pissed off because I think this is all part of the government’s plot to bring these people in and change the whole dynamic to their advantage.”

The Democrat Woodfolk said that although she is okay with immigrants “sharing” opportunities in the US, she is concerned that this may come at the price of “people who have been here their entire lives.”

In an effort to capitalize on the surge of migrants entering the US from Mexico in recent years, Republicans and Trump have attacked Biden on the topic, even outside of border areas. In the weeks after Senate Republicans destroyed a compromise on immigration that they had worked out with the White House, Biden has intensified his counteroffensive, reserving backing only until Trump declared his disapproval of the agreement. Using the current situation, Biden has said that Trump and Republicans are more interested in stirring up controversy during an election year than they are in finding a solution.

Over the last year, Trump has combined his campaign with his legal troubles, which include several criminal accusations and civil proceedings where he might be fined over $500 million.

Monday was set aside for the commencement of his first criminal trial in New York, where it is alleged he fabricated company documents to conceal payments for hush money. However, a court postponed the trial for thirty days due to the recent release of fresh material, which Trump’s attorneys said required more time for review.