The Squiz

Super Tuesday – the biggest date on the US presidential primaries calendar – is almost upon us… It’s the day when the party faithful in 15 US states and one territory pick who they want to see representing the Democrats and Republicans in the 5 November election. Democratic President Joe Biden and former president/Republican Donald Trump are the clear frontrunners for their respective parties – there are other contenders who are still in the running, but none are looking likely to knock them off course. 

What do I need to know?

We’ll start with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley – she’s the last serious Republican hopeful contesting Trump for the party’s presidential nomination. When she entered the Republican primaries, some thought she would be a strong contender against Trump, but her results – including in her home state – haven’t put her in the running. There’s growing speculation that she’ll follow other hopefuls in dropping out of the race after Super Tuesday. On Sunday, reporters went a step further – asking if she would consider endorsing Trump if he wins the Republican nomination… Her response was that she has “serious concerns about Donald Trump”, but that she has “even more concerns about Joe Biden”. She says that “as long as we are competitive … I’m going to continue to fight”.

What about Trump and Biden?

Well Trump’s only lost one primary contest so far, while Biden’s undefeated – and analysts expect these votes will cement their face-off later this year. There’s a bit to get through before then, though… Last night, the US Supreme Court unanimously overruled the states who wanted to strike Trump off the ballot for his part in the 6 January riots on the Capitol in 2021, meaning he’s still eligible to run for president. Biden’s also got problems, with a new survey showing his disapproval rating has reached a new high with 24% of voters believing the US is heading in the right direction under his leadership. And there’s a long way to go for the “double haters” – aka voters who disapprove of both Biden and Trump… Pollsters point out that the number of Americans who fall into that category is significant.