Washington Presidential Primary: What to expect on March 12
Super Tuesday put former President Donald Trump within reach of clinching his third consecutive Republican presidential nomination, but it may be Republican voters in Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington who put him over the top.
The four states have a combined 161 delegates at stake on Tuesday, and Trump will need to win the lion’s share of them in order to become the presumptive nominee. But with his main rival for the nomination, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, no longer in the race, there are no remaining obstacles in his way.
President Joe Biden also won hundreds of delegates on Super Tuesday, but because of the way the Democratic nomination calendar and process is structured, the earliest he can win the delegates he’ll need to clinch renomination is a week later on March 19. Biden will be on the primary ballots in three states on Tuesday, Georgia, Mississippi and Washington. The date will also mark the conclusion of party-run contests in the Northern Mariana Islands and Democrats Abroad, an organization of Democratic U.S. citizens who live in other countries. Democrats Abroad functions like a state for the purposes of the presidential nomination process.
Biden will face self-help author Marianne Williamson in four contests. He will also face a rematch with Democrat Jason Palmer in the Northern Marianas primary. Palmer unexpectedly won a 91-person vote in American Samoa on Super Tuesday, picking up three delegates along the way. "Uncommitted" has also won delegates in Michigan and Minnesota, and will be on the ballot Tuesday in Washington.
Mississippi is the only state on Tuesday that will hold primaries for state offices. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is the front-runner in his Republican primary for another term. Republican primaries are also on the ballot in the second and fourth congressional districts, while a Democratic primary is on the ballot in the first congressional district.
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Washington Voter Guide 2024: What you need to know about the Presidential Primary Election
Washington state's 2024 Presidential Primary Election takes place on Tuesday, March 12. It's the only election in Washington that requires voters to declare a political party.
Here are the March 12 contests at a glance:
DECISION NOTES
Tuesday’s presidential primaries are unlikely to be competitive, as Biden and Trump face no major opposition in their campaigns for renomination. In Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington, the first indications that Biden and Trump are winning statewide on a level consistent with the overwhelming margins seen in most other contests held so far this year may be sufficient to determine the statewide winners. In the Democrats Abroad and Northern Mariana Islands party-run Democratic primaries, the party organizations are expected to provide complete results and delegate allocations.
The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
DELEGATES AT STAKE ON MARCH 12
Democrats: 254
Republicans: 161
STATES WITH PRESIDENTIAL CONTESTS (4)
Georgia, Hawaii (Republican only), Mississippi, Washington
WASHINGTON
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (D): Biden, Phillips, Williamson, "Uncommitted." 92 delegates at stake
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY (R): Trump, Haley, Christie, DeSantis, Ramaswamy. 43 delegates at stake
WHO CAN VOTE: Registered voters may participate in either primary but may not vote in both primaries
FIRST VOTES REPORTED (2022 Primaries): 8:08 p.m. PT
LAST ELECTION NIGHT UPDATE: 10:17 p.m. PT with about 54% of total votes counted
NOTES: All registered voters are sent a ballot by mail after Feb. 23. Voters in Washington do not register by party, but for the presidential primary only, they must mark and sign a party declaration statement on the return envelope. The party marked on the envelope must match the party of the candidate the voter selected on the ballot; otherwise, the vote will be invalidated.