President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are both facing opponents in the Michigan primary on Tuesday, but are expected to come out on top. Biden is being challenged by Rep. Dean Phillips, while Trump faces former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Arab Americans and progressive activists are urging primary voters to cast their ballots for “uncommitted” in protest of Biden’s support of Israel over the war in Gaza. Trump is backed by former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra in the ongoing dispute within the Michigan Republican Party.
The Michigan primary, the first step in a two-part process to win delegates, will be held on Tuesday. Less than a third of the state’s 55 Republican delegates will be up for grabs, with the remainder being won at congressional district meetings on March 2. Biden and Trump are both expected to be the overwhelming favorites in the primary. Biden won every county in 2020 against Bernie Sanders, and is likely to repeat that feat this year. Trump narrowly lost Washtenaw County in 2016 but won Wayne and Genesee in convincing fashion.
The Michigan presidential primary will be held on Tuesday, with polls closing at 8 p.m. local time. The Michigan Republican Party will also hold congressional district conventions on March 2 to award additional delegates to the presidential candidates. Any registered voter in Michigan may participate in either primary. Michigan does not register voters by party, and voters will be asked to indicate which party’s primary they wish to participate in.
Michigan’s 117 pledged Democratic delegates are allocated according to the national party’s standard rules, while the 16 Republican statewide at-large delegates will be allocated in proportion to the primary results. The remaining 39 Republican delegates will be allocated at congressional district conventions on March 2. The AP will provide coverage for both the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, and will declare a winner only when there is no scenario that would allow trailing candidates to close the gap.
As of Thursday, more than 874,000 votes had already been cast in the 2024 presidential primaries in Michigan. Turnout for the 2020 presidential primaries was 21% of registered voters in the Democratic primary and 9% in the Republican primary. In the 2016 primaries, turnout was 16% of registered voters in the Democratic race and 18% in the Republican race. The AP will not call a winner before the last polls have closed at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and will continue to cover any newsworthy developments in the race.
