President Biden and former President Donald Trump were both projected to clinch their party’s nomination after several states held nominating contests. Republicans in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington held primaries, while Hawaii was holding GOP caucuses. Democrats also held primaries in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington, as well as the northern Mariana Islands, with Democrats abroad also voting. President Biden secured the Democratic nomination after winning the Georgia primary, while Trump was projected to win Georgia and Mississippi.
Former President Trump has dominated the Republican field without debating any primary opponents and has won early state nominating contests. However, he is facing 91 felony charges in four criminal cases, with his first trial scheduled to begin in New York on March 25. Charges include alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, election interference in Georgia, and federal charges in Washington, D.C. and Florida. Despite these legal challenges, Trump is closing in on the 1,215 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination.
In the March 12 contests, there were 161 GOP delegates at stake, with Trump aiming to become the first Republican to secure the presidential nomination three times in a row. Richard Nixon previously won the GOP nomination three times, but not consecutively. Georgia had 59 delegates, Mississippi had 40, Washington had 43, and the Hawaii caucuses had 19 delegates up for grabs. The polls closed at different times for each state, with Georgia and Mississippi closing at 7 p.m., Washington at 8 p.m., and Hawaii at 8 p.m. local time.
On the Democratic side, President Biden was estimated to have secured the nomination with the results from the Northern Mariana Islands and Georgia. The latest estimates from the CBS News data desk showed Biden had the necessary 1,968 delegates to clinch the nomination. Democrats in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Democrats abroad were also voting in the primary contests. The polls closed at different times for each region, with Georgia and Mississippi closing at 7 p.m., Washington at 8 p.m., and the Northern Mariana Islands closing at 4 a.m. ET.
Overall, both President Biden and former President Trump were on track to secure their party’s nominations following the March 12 contests. Despite legal challenges and ongoing primaries, both candidates were the frontrunners in their respective parties. The results from these contests indicated the potential paths to the nomination for both candidates as they continued their campaigns towards the general election.
