President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both won Democratic and Republican primaries in a few states on the 2024 primary calendar. Trump, appearing on the ballot for the first time since his conviction for felony crimes, won primaries in New Mexico, Montana, and New Jersey either unopposed or against rivals who have dropped out. Biden also won Democratic primaries in several states, including New Mexico, South Dakota, New Jersey, Montana, and Washington, D.C. Both candidates were expected to easily win all of Tuesday’s contests, but voter concerns about a rematch of the 2020 election were still prevalent.
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the GOP primary race, received some support in New Mexico with several thousand voters casting ballots for her, although she was running below 10% of the vote. Democrats unhappy with Biden’s handling of Israel’s conflict with Hamas organized campaigns to vote for “uncommitted” in several states. In New Jersey, there was a push for “uncommitted” above the phrase “Justice For Palestine, Permanent Ceasefire Now!” More than 35,000 people voted “uncommitted” in New Jersey. Democrats have two additional caucuses scheduled on June 8 for Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands to wrap up their primary calendar.
The GOP primary season also saw support from a minority of GOP voters for Nikki Haley, who announced she would vote for Trump in November. In Montana, retired Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate with the backing of Trump and national Republican leaders. Sheehy is expected to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in what is anticipated to be a competitive race determining control of the chamber. In New Jersey, Rep. Andy Kim won the Democratic nomination for a seat previously held by scandal-plagued Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez, who is currently on trial. Menendez decided not to run in the primary but filed paperwork to run in the general election as an independent candidate.
Primary races for federal, state, and local offices were also held in various states on Tuesday, including New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and several others. In New Mexico, Republicans Louie Sanchez and Steve Jones were competing in the 1st District to take on incumbent Melanie Stansbury in a Democratic-leaning district in Albuquerque. In D.C., voters were deciding on a primary for the city’s nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House, while in Iowa, voters were choosing nominees for local races and U.S. House seats. Democrats in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District selected Lanon Baccam as their nominee to challenge first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn.
The primary results of Biden and Trump winning Democratic and Republican contests in several states mark some of the last contests on the 2024 primary calendar. Trump’s victory comes despite his felony conviction, while Biden faced a protest vote by Democratic voters unhappy with his handling of international conflicts. The emergence of other candidates like Nikki Haley and organized campaigns for “uncommitted” in the Democratic primaries show the diversity of voter preferences and dissatisfaction with the current frontrunners. As the November election approaches, both parties are gearing up for critical races in states like Montana and New Jersey that may determine control of the Senate. The primaries in New Mexico, South Dakota, New Jersey, Montana, and Washington, D.C., provide a glimpse into the voter sentiment leading up to the upcoming general election.
