Presidential candidates from both parties are turning their attention to Michigan’s primary elections on Tuesday, after former President Donald Trump won South Carolina’s primary on Saturday.
Trump won the state by a commanding 59.8% to 39.5% against opponent former Gov. Nikki Haley. Democrats held their primary in the state earlier in February, and President Joe Biden won with 96% of the vote.
Michigan’s primary is a precursor to Super Tuesday, which comes a week later and could be a decisive factor in Trump garnering enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination. This year, 15 states hold primaries on March 5.
Haley promised to stay in the race after her defeat in her home state, saying “I’m not giving up this fight.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who was a candidate for the Republican nomination until dropping out after the Iowa caucuses in January, told CNN’s State of the Union he supported Haley’s decision to stay in the race.
Hutchinson also had run a campaign that was critical of Trump, but acknowledged the steep hill she has to climb if she continues to run.
“I think she should stay in,” he said on Sunday. “She did everything she could in South Carolina. She went on the attack against Trump. She spent 10 times the money on TV as Donald Trump. And she did all the rallies and campaigning, and she got 40% of the vote. So she wants to continue through Super Tuesday, but it’s got to accelerate.”
California’s Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom told NBC’s Meet the Press in an interview taped on Saturday that Haley is defining the opposition to Trump “effectively.”
He said while her odds of getting the Republican nomination are slim, her presence in the campaign is boosting Democrats. “I don’t know why Democrats would want her out of the race,” he told NBC. “She’s making points I’m applauding every single day.”
For Democrats, Biden heads into the Michigan primary vote facing a protest from some in the party, led by Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib. She is urging voters to choose “uncommitted” instead of Biden in the primary to show their opposition to his support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told CNN on Sunday that she wasn’t sure what voters were going to do on Tuesday. “I do know that we have got about nine months until the general election, and we are taking Michigan very seriously.”
Write to Liz Moyer at liz.moyer@barrons.com
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