Both President Biden and former President Donald Trump have secured victories in their respective primary contests in Michigan, as reported by the Associated Press in a dual race call.
Both candidates have maintained an undefeated streak in every presidential contest they have participated in thus far.
Despite U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota being Biden’s remaining challenger, he has posed minimal obstacles to Biden’s path to the nomination. Notably, the Michigan primary witnessed challenges to Biden’s support of Israel, particularly from factions protesting against the country’s ongoing lethal attacks in Gaza.
Cease-fire activists in Michigan’s growing Arab-American community urged Democratic primary voters to choose the “uncommitted” option on their ballots in protest. Surpassing organizers’ expectations, over 30,000 “uncommitted” votes were cast, influencing the primary results.
As of Tuesday night, Biden has been allocated 58 delegates, according to the AP.
On the Republican side, Trump has triumphed in six presidential contests for the GOP nomination, outperforming his major challenger, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has yet to secure a victory.
Trump expressed pride in the results during a call to a Michigan GOP watch party and asserted his focus on the November general election. Despite Haley’s commitment to staying in the race until at least Super Tuesday on March 5, Trump leads by over 30 percentage points, securing 9 delegates as of Tuesday night.
Michigan’s shift to holding its primaries in February, at Biden’s request, has created complexities for Republicans. According to Republican National Committee rules, only Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina were allowed to hold primaries before March. Michigan Republicans plan to allocate most of their delegates during a caucus-style convention on March 2, with only 16 out of the GOP’s 55 delegates available on primary day.
The state convention, where the rest of the delegates will be allocated, is unfolding amid chaos and infighting within the Republican Party. Efforts to oust Michigan party chair Kristina Karamo and replace her with Pete Hoekstra, appointed by Trump, have intensified the internal strife.
Despite Biden’s victory, cease-fire activists urged Michigan Democratic primary voters to choose the “uncommitted” option as a form of protest against Biden’s support for Israel. The significant number of protest votes could pose challenges for Biden in Michigan, a crucial swing state with a substantial Arab American population, where even a small group of voters could impact the outcome in November.
