CBS News estimates that President Biden has secured the 2024 presumptive Democratic nominee title after winning the Georgia primary and gathering the required 1,968 delegates for the nomination. Additionally, CBS News predicts Biden’s victory in the Democratic presidential primary in Mississippi.
Former President Donald Trump is also expected to secure the Republican nomination on Tuesday night. CBS News projects Trump’s win in the Republican presidential primaries in Georgia and Mississippi.
Democrats are currently holding voting contests in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington, and the Northern Mariana Islands, with Democrats abroad also participating. Republicans in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington are holding primaries, while Hawaii is conducting GOP caucuses.
“Four years ago, I ran for president because I believed we were in a battle for the soul of this nation,” Mr. Biden stated in a release by his campaign on Tuesday night. “Thanks to the American people, we won that battle, and now I am honored that voters from the diverse Democratic Party have once again chosen me to lead our party and our country in a time where the threat posed by Trump is greater than ever.”
Biden’s reelection campaign has begun
Clinching the Democratic nomination was more of a formality for Mr. Biden.
The incumbent president faced two less likely challengers in Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and author Marianne Williamson. He has consistently won every Democratic primary and caucus (except for American Samoa, where he shared delegates with venture capitalist Jason Palmer, although Palmer received more votes out of the 91 cast).
A movement to vote “uncommitted” on some state ballots to protest Mr. Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war has been the second top choice in some states (Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Hawaii), albeit with a significant gap between the president and this option. Mr. Biden’s journey to 1,968 delegates also started with a modified calendar he advocated for in 2022 – with South Carolina, Nevada, and Michigan being the initial states.
Due to New Hampshire’s “first in the nation” law, it was technically the first state to host a Democratic nominating contest. Despite the president not being on the ballot and no delegates being allocated, Mr. Biden still won through a write-in vote.
Following his State of the Union address last Thursday, the president and his campaign have shifted their focus to the general election.
He has increased his travel to battleground states, with scheduled trips to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Michigan this month. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Arizona and Nevada over the weekend.
The campaign has announced a $30 million ad campaign over the next six weeks, with the initial ad addressing concerns about the president’s age, 81. The campaign aims to open 100 new offices across battleground states and add 350 new staff members this month.
Mr. Biden holds a significant cash advantage over Mr. Trump, with over $130 million in cash on hand according to campaign finance records, nearly double that of Mr. Trump.
Despite this, national and battleground state polls show a tight race between the incumbent president and his 2020 opponent, partly due to diminishing enthusiasm from his winning Democratic coalition in 2020.
Mr. Biden has started emphasizing the differences between himself and Trump in his campaign. He frequently refers to “my predecessor” in his speeches and continues to criticize Trump during campaign events.
“Donald Trump has a different base. This is the guy who is starting his general election campaign with Marjorie Taylor Greene. It speaks volumes about a person based on the company they keep,” Mr. Biden remarked during a campaign event in Atlanta on Saturday.
