Former President Donald Trump appears to be dominating the Super Tuesday Republican presidential race, with Indian-American candidate Nikki Haley trailing far behind.
Super Tuesday marks a significant phase in the presidential primaries when the early contests are over, and voters from multiple states cast ballots in primaries timed to occur on the same date.
Trump and Haley were campaigning vigorously in various Super Tuesday states, making a last-minute pitch to the Republican voters.
According to RealClearPolitics, Trump is currently leading by a substantial margin in national polls, with over 60% points on average in various national polls, reported PTI.
Despite facing legal challenges and indictments, Trump continues to draw massive crowds to his rallies, showcasing his popularity within the Republican Party.
On the contrary, Haley’s campaign events have seen lower turnout numbers.
DELEGATE COUNT AND STAKES
On Super Tuesday, Republican presidential primaries are being held in California, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Utah, Minnesota, Colorado, Arkansas, Maine, and Vermont.
With more than a third of Republican delegates up for grabs on Super Tuesday, the event holds immense importance in determining the party’s nominee.
To secure the nomination, a candidate needs 1,215 delegates, with Trump currently holding 244 and Haley trailing with 43.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who dropped from the presidential race earlier, has nine delegates, and Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has three.
Both DeSantis and Ramaswamy have quit the race and endorsed Trump, potentially positioning themselves favourably for consideration as Trump’s vice president.
Although Haley has broken several barriers within the party, including winning her first Republican nominating contest in Washington DC. She scripted history by becoming the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary.
She also became the first Indian-American politician to have won a presidential primary in any state in either the Democratic or the Republican Party.
Her popularity has gained ground in the last two months, and in January and February alone, her campaign raised USD 28 million. On Monday, a large number of people came out in support of her in Texas.
“We have been in 10 states just in the past week. I just finished a rally here in Houston, Texas. We had well over a thousand people show up,” Haley told Fox News in an interview.
However, Haley still faces an uphill battle against Trump’s overwhelming support.
HALEY’S VISION AND APPEAL
“This isn’t an anti-Trump movement; this is a pro-America movement. This is something where they’re saying they’re tired of the chaos. They don’t want two candidates in their 80s; they want to make sure that we go back to normal. They want to see a DC that works for the people instead of people working for the government,” Haley said and PTI was reported as saying.
On CNN, Haley claimed that 70% of Americans want neither Trump nor 81-year-old incumbent US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, as president.
“That’s not a small number, Jake. If you look at the early states, Trump didn’t get 40% of the vote. In Michigan, after campaigning for eight years, he didn’t perform as well as I did, campaigning for just two days and securing 30% of the vote,” she said.
People are worried about the looming fiscal cliff and the massive $34 trillion debt burden facing the younger generation. They’re anxious about the COVID-19 aftermath, job insecurity, and housing affordability.
Haley stresses the need for leadership dedicated to solutions over personal agendas. She criticises Biden and Trump for self-absorption, highlighting people’s desire for effective governance.
In Texas, concerns over the border situation reflect a broader sentiment of national concern.
As Haley continues her campaign across various states, particularly focusing on issues like border security in Texas, she emphasises the need for a candidate dedicated to addressing the concerns of the American people.
With the result of Super Tuesday, the picture will be very clear.