The 4 biggest Super Tuesday surprises

Super Tuesday offered some interesting surprises in an election cycle dominated by seemingly predictable presidential elections.

President Biden and former President Trump did not face stiff competition in their respective primaries, but that didn’t stop former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and a largely unknown Democrat from stealing at least some of the attention. Ta.

Meanwhile, protest voting disrupted the Democratic primary, with an incumbent in North Carolina losing his seat to a college student.

Here are some of the surprises Super Tuesday has to offer.

Unknown Democrat defeats Biden in American Samoa

Democratic front-runner Jason Palmer, virtually unknown until Tuesday, defeated Biden in the Democratic caucus in American Samoa in a stunning upset.

Mr. Palmer, an entrepreneur and investor, handed Mr. Biden his first loss for the Democratic nomination this cycle.

The outcome in the U.S. territory will have little impact on Biden, as he is almost certain to win his party’s nomination. Still, Palmer’s victory was seen as a notable embarrassment to the Biden campaign.

American Samoa’s Democratic caucus is expected to award three delegates to Mr. Palmer and three to Mr. Biden.

Palmer acknowledged in the FAQ section of his website that he was unlikely to beat Biden for the Democratic nomination and said his campaign was more focused on ideas and solutions.

“Biden’s chances for a second term are hurting, but not because of my campaign,” he wrote in the FAQ section. “According to a Reuters poll this month, 56% of Americans disapprove of his leadership. Many other polls, including one from Quinnipiac University, found that more than 7 in 10 independents It has become clear that other candidates want to participate in the 2024 presidential election.

“I don’t believe we need to cede the White House to a Republican administration without a solid discussion that includes a positive and optimistic vision for the future. We can do better for America. And we must do so,” he added.

Haley wins first state victory in Republican primary

The former U.N. ambassador won his first state Republican nomination Tuesday with an upset victory over Trump in the Vermont Republican primary.

By Tuesday, Haley had only won the race for the Republican nomination in Washington, D.C. At the time this article was published, Haley was expected to win at least nine state delegates out of 17 candidates, according to Decision Desk Headquarters.

At the same time, Super Tuesday clearly demonstrated that the Republican Party remains in the majority, with President Trump inching closer to winning the Republican nomination. Super Tuesday was Haley’s last chance to slow the former president’s momentum a bit, but she won several other states that could have been favorable to her, including Virginia and Massachusetts. I couldn’t contain it.

But Haley’s campaign wasn’t ready to call it quits just yet.

Haley campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said in a statement: “Today, we are proud to announce that Nikki has the support of millions of Americans across the country, including in Vermont, where she became the first Republican woman to win two presidential primaries. I’m honored to have been asked to do so.”

“Unity is not achieved simply by saying, “We are united.” Even now, large swaths of Republican primary voters in states express deep concern about Donald Trump. It still exists,” she continued. “That’s not the unity our party needs to succeed. The Republican Party and America will be better off if we address the concerns of those voters.”

Gen Z candidates pull off surprising upsets

A Gen 0Z candidate in North Carolina pulled off a notable upset against a longtime incumbent in Tuesday’s state House primary.

Wyatt Gable, a junior at East Carolina University, defeated state Rep. George Cleveland (R) in the Republican primary for state House District 14. Election results by North Carolina State Board of Elections showed Gable beat Cleveland by 95 votes, with Gable receiving 2,461 votes and Cleveland receiving 2,366 votes.

State elections tend to be low-key events, but Mr. Gable’s victory over the Republican state representative, who was first elected in 2004, shows that the number of Gen Z candidates is rising through the ranks.

Gable will face Democratic challenger Carmen Spicer in the November general election.

Protest vote in Minnesota is stronger than expected

In Minnesota, pro-Palestinian Democrats spoke out, with nearly 45,000 people voting “noncommit” in the Democratic primary to protest the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Members of the party sought to replicate the protest vote in last week’s Michigan Democratic primary, when 101,000 Democrats voted “noncommit” against Biden, with about 13% of the vote. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, fewer Democrats voted “non-committal,” but they accounted for a larger share of the vote in the primary, at 19%.

The “non-committal” option will receive two delegates in Michigan and four delegates in Minnesota.

Biden still comfortably won both states, winning 70% of the vote in Minnesota and 81% in Michigan, but party members are trying to send a strong signal to the Biden administration on international conflicts.

The United States is involved in talks about a possible temporary ceasefire, but no agreement has yet been reached between Israel and Hamas. Vice President Harris visited Alabama over the weekend and called for an immediate six-week ceasefire.