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Super Tuesday Fast Approaching
Arkansas will hold both its Democratic and Republican primary elections on March 5, a day that is poised to be a critical point in the presidential nomination process. Arkansans will not be the only ones taking to the voting booth, though, as Arkansas will hold its primary elections on the same day as 15 other states and one territory–American Samoa–in what is called Super Tuesday. Super Tuesday marks the first chance for presidential candidates from both parties to net a large number of delegates, which they need to secure their party’s nomination to the general election. This year, the number of delegates up for grabs by Republicans on Super Tuesday is 874, or 36% of total possible delegates, while 30% of Democratic delegates will be available.
However, Super Tuesday is not the first stop in the presidential nomination process. That distinction belongs to Iowa and New Hampshire. Iowans, who vote in caucuses instead of primaries, solidly backed former President Donald J. Trump who received 51% of the vote compared to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 21% and former South Carolina Governor and Trump UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s 19%. Such a staggering distance in support between the candidates forced DeSantis to remove his name from the race and endorse Trump.
Haley, on the other hand, continued her campaign efforts, focusing on New Hampshire where she was able to secure 43% of the vote in the more moderate state. However, the question of Haley’s home state of South Carolina still looms large as it will hold its primary before Super Tuesday.
A decisive victory by Trump could force Haley to consider dropping out of the race before even making it to the all-important date; and, while Trump is in good shape to win the nomination, there is the ever looming issue of his eligibility due to his alleged involvement in both the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol and a voter interference effort in Georgia. The Supreme Court will likely get the final say in the matter, a case whose only precedent is the succession of the Confederacy from the Union during the Civil War. The prospect of a Supreme Court battle does not seem to faze Trump. As the indictments have continued to pile on he has only gone up in the polls; moreover, the Republican controlled Supreme Court could be more likely to rule in his favor.
The Democratic ticket is far less ambiguous, however, as President Joe Biden is the presumptive nominee. His support among the party is so far reaching that he was able to take New Hampshire without even qualifying for the ballot in the state. Instead, Biden opted to launch a protest write-in ballot initiative which still saw him receive 64% of votes, a commanding margin over his challengers, Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson. All early indications point to a Trump-Biden rematch, a contest which saw Biden win a 306-232 electoral college contest.
Presidential candidates will not be the only names on the ballot, however. Arkansas voters will also vote for their preferred party’s candidates for the House of Representatives, though there is not much left to be decided as both major parties only have a single candidate running. The lone exception, District 3, which encompasses Northwest Arkansas, is a true David and Goliath matchup between an Arkansas Tech graduate, seven-time incumbent Steve Womack and challenger Clint Penzo. In addition to congressional candidates, voters will also be able to decide on many different local officials depending on their voting precinct. Early voting will begin on Feb. 20, and will continue to be available until the day of the election.
