DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — President Joe Biden and former president donald trump His victory in the Michigan primary on Tuesday further strengthened his support. almost certain rematch between two men.
Biden defeated his only significant opponent in the Democratic primary, Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota. However, the Democratic Party also We are closely monitoring the results of the “uncommitted” vote.as Michigan has become a hub for disgruntled members of the Biden coalition. led him to a state victory The number of “uncommitted” votes has already surpassed the 10,000-vote margin Trump won in Michigan in 2016, surpassing the goal set by organizers of this year's protests.
As for Trump, he won the first five states on the Republican primary calendar. In Michigan, his victory over his last major primary challenger, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, came after the former president defeated her by a 20-point margin. Saturday in her home state of South Carolina.. The Trump campaign is aiming to secure the 1,215 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination by mid-March.
Both sides are focused on Tuesday's outcome, not just whether they will win as expected. For Biden, the large number of voters choosing “uncommitted” could mean he faces a serious problem with parts of the state's Democratic base that he cannot afford to lose in November. There is sex. On the other hand, Mr. Trump Suburban voters and people with college degrees underperform.and faces factions within the party who believe he broke the law in one or more criminal cases against him.
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Biden is already targeting wins in South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire.New Hampshire victory has come in a write-in campaign Mr. Biden did not officially appear on the ballot because the state was won ahead of South Carolina, which had been designated as the No. 1 candidate for the Democratic nomination, in violation of national party rules.
Both White House and Biden campaign officials They have traveled to Michigan in recent weeks to talk with regional leaders about the Israel-Hamas war and how Biden is tackling the conflict, including those leaders and organizers of “non-commitment” efforts. was undaunted.
A strong grassroots effort encouraging voters to choose “noncommitment” as a way to oppose Biden's handling of Israel's ongoing war in Gaza was one of Biden's most important early campaign efforts. It has become a political issue. The effort, which began in earnest just a few weeks ago, has the support of Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, and former Rep. Andy Levin.
Our Revolution, an organization once tied to Sen. Bernie Sanders, also urged progressive voters on Tuesday to choose “irresponsible,” urging Biden to “change course on Gaza now. “If we don't do that, we risk defeat,” he said. Michigan to Trump in November. ”
Trump won the state in 2016 by just 11,000 votes over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, but lost the state to Biden four years later by nearly 154,000 votes. Organizers of the “No Commitment” effort wanted to prove how influential the bloc was by showing it received at least as many votes as President Trump's margin of victory in 2016. However, that number was reached shortly after the first round of voting.Michigan closes at 8 p.m.
Mariam Mohsen, 35, of Dearborn, Michigan, along with other voters, “irresponsibly” marched on Tuesday to send a message that “if they continue to support genocide, our votes will not be counted.” He said he planned to vote. Gaza. ”
“Four years ago, I voted for Joe Biden. It was important that I vote to remove Trump from office,” Mohsen continued. “Today, I am extremely disappointed in Joe Biden and don't believe he did the right thing in the last election. If Trump were the nominee in November, I would not vote for Trump. I won't vote for Trump or Biden. I don't think it makes any difference when it comes to foreign policy.”
Mr. Trump's lead in the early states is unprecedented since 1976, when Iowa and New Hampshire began the tradition of holding the first nominating contests. He has overwhelming support from most of the Republican voting base, including evangelical voters, conservatives and rural voters. But Trump is having a hard time connecting with college-educated voters.lost that block to Haley at South Carolina on Saturday night.
Republican leaders who were once skeptical of Trump are also becoming more sympathetic. Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican in South Dakota's Senate and a critic of his party's standard-bearers, endorsed Trump as the presidential candidate on Sunday.
Shaher Abdullabh, 35, an engineer from Dearborn, said Tuesday morning that he voted for Trump. Abdul-Rabbu said he believes Arab Americans have more in common with Republicans than Democrats.
Abdul-Rabbu said he voted for Biden four years ago, but believes Trump will win the November general election, in part due to support from Arab Americans.
“I'm not voting for Trump because I want Trump. I just don't want Biden,” Abdul-Rabbe said. “He (Biden) did not call for an end to the war in Gaza.”
still, Haley vowed to continue campaigning. This shows that a significant portion of Republican primary voters continue to support her despite President Trump's tightening grip on the Republican Party.
She also outraised President Trump's primary campaign committee by nearly $3 million in January. This means that some donors continue to focus on Haley despite her long-term prospects as an alternative candidate should Trump's legal problems jeopardize her chances of becoming a nominee. It shows that
Trump's two political committees raised just $13.8 million in January, and together they spent more than they took in, according to campaign finance reports released last week. Much of the money spent by Trump's political committees is millions of dollars in legal fees to finance his activities. Court precedent.
With nominal intraparty challengers, Biden could: focus on increasing his cash savings. The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee announced last week that they had raised $42 million in contributions from 422,000 donors in January.
The president ended the month with $130 million in cash, which campaign officials say is the most money raised by a Democratic candidate so far in the presidential cycle.
Republicans are also lining up behind Trump as the November election approaches, as he continues to be plagued by legal issues that keep him from campaigning. He has been charged with four separate cases, ranging from efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost, to keeping classified documents after he took office, to allegedly arranging secret payments to adult film actors. is facing 91 criminal charges.
His first criminal trial was in a case involving hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. Scheduled to start from March 25th In New York.
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Associated Press writer Meg Kinard in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Joey Cappelletti of Lansing, Michigan; Corey Williams in Dearborn, Michigan, contributed to this report.
