Millions of voters cast their ballots March 5 in perhaps the least competitive Super Tuesday since the blockbuster multi-state voting day debuted in 1984. Despite low turnout across the country, there were several key races in California and other states that have significant implications for the general election in November.
Biden and Trump sweep easily
President Joe Biden dominated the Democratic primaries despite the uncommitted movement from progressive activists angry with Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza. Biden was able to keep uncommitted votes below 10 percent in every state except North Carolina, where uncommitted received 13 percent, and Minnesota, where uncommitted received a surprisingly high 19 percent of the vote.
Biden attempted to appeal to moderate Republicans who had supported the candidacy of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, during a speech he gave Tuesday night, saying, “Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign.”
Meanwhile, former President Trump continued his dominance over the GOP as he won every primary—with the exception of Vermont—by an average of 45 points. Haley was able to sneak in her single win in Vermont by 4 percent due mainly to the fact that the state’s open primary system allowed Democrats to vote in the GOP primary.
After Trump’s big night, Haley dropped out of the presidential race on Wednesday, but did not endorse Trump and called on him to do more to earn her supporters’ votes. “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him, and I hope he does that,” Haley said.
Adam Schiff defeats fellow Democrats in California senate race
Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff took first place in California’s senate primary after receiving 33 percent of the vote. Schiff faced a crowded field that included two progressive Democratic congresswomen, Reps. Barbara Lee and Katie Porter, and Republican Steve Garvey.
Capitalizing on California’s top-two primary system—where the two candidates who receive the most votes, regardless of party, continue to the general election—Schiff adopted the successful strategy of promoting Garvey as his main opponent.
He did this through a series of Fox News commercials (even though he had previously called for a boycott of the network) in order to avoid facing off in November against his most likely Democratic opponent, the progressive firebrand from Orange County, Rep. Porter.
Garvey took a close second with 32 percent of the vote, as Porter came in a distant third with 13 percent. A Republican has not won statewide office in California since 2006, and Schiff is expected to win in a landslide.
Prop. 1 too close to call
Prop. 1 remains too close to call after one day of ballot counting and with around 50 percent of ballots left to count, with ‘Yes’ leading ‘No’ 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent as of this writing. The proposition was supported by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who spent recent weeks campaigning for it around the state.
Prop. 1 would issue $6.38 billion in bonds for housing and residential facilities to help those with substance abuse and mental health problems, and institute a new one percent tax on income over $1 million to fund that goal.
Jesse Arreguín leads in battle of progressives
Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín led with 31 percent of the vote for the California State Senate seat representing the 7th district in the East Bay. The district, which covers large parts of Contra Costa and Alameda counties, hosted a highly competitive race featuring many progressive Democrats.
Oakland city councilmember Dan Kalb took second with 17 percent of the vote, and AC Transit Director Jovanka Beckles took third with 14 percent. Beckles is a favorite of the progressive left and was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Arreguín and Kalb will face off in the general election.
Results across the country
In Texas, Congressman Colin Allred won the Democratic Senate primary and will now face Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the general election, a race closely watched due to the Senate’s narrow divide. Democrats broke fundraising records in 2018 when then-Congressman Beto O’Rourke attempted to unseat Cruz, and will need all the money they can get to win this uphill battle.
In the North Carolina gubernatorial primaries, Attorney General Josh Stein won the Democratic primary and Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson won the Republican primary. This race will likely be the most intensely watched statewide race in the country due to the many controversies surrounding Robinson, who has promised to ban abortion, labeled LGBTQ people as “filth” and been accused of anti-semitism and Holocaust denial.