CBS News estimates that President Biden is the 2024 presumptive Democratic nominee after winning the Georgia primary and amassing the 1,968 delegates needed to win the nomination. CBS News also projects Biden winning the Democratic presidential primary in Mississippi.
Former President Donald Trump is expected to clinch the Republican nomination Tuesday night as well. CBS News projects Trump winning the Republican presidential primaries in Georgia and Mississippi.
Democrats on Tuesday are holding voting contests in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington and the Northern Mariana Islands, and Democrats abroad also voted. Republicans in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington are holding primaries, while Hawaii is holding 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 said in a statement released by his campaign Tuesday night. “Because of the American people, we won that battle, and now I am honored that the broad coalition of voters representing the rich diversity of the Democratic Party across the country have put their faith in me once again to lead our party — and our country — in a moment when the threat Trump poses is greater than ever.”
Biden’s reelection campaign is underway
Clinching the Democratic nomination was more of a formality for Mr. Biden.
The incumbent president faced two longshot challengers in Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and author Marianne Williamson, but has overwhelmingly won every Democratic primary and caucus thus far (except for in American Samoa, where he split delegates with venture capitalist Jason Palmer, although Palmer won more of the 91 votes 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 vote-getter in some states (Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Hawaii), though with a wide gap between the president and this option.
Mr. Biden’s path to 1,968 delegates also began with an adjusted calendar he pushed for in 2022 – with South Carolina taking the first slot followed by Nevada and Michigan.
With its “first in the nation” law, New Hampshire was technically the first state to hold a Democratic nominating contest. While the president’s name was not on the ballot and no delegates were awarded, due to the state breaking the DNC’s new rules, Mr. Biden won anyway with a write-in vote.
Following his State of the Union address last Thursday, the president and his campaign have shifted into full general election mode.
He has ramped up his battleground state travel, with trips to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan slated so far this month. Vice President Kamala Harris was in Arizona and Nevada over the weekend.
The campaign announced a $30 million ad buy over the next six weeks, with the first ad looking to tackle concerns about the president’s age, 81. The campaign has a goal of opening 100 new offices across the battleground states and adding 350 new staffers this month.
Underscoring the campaign’s pivot to the general election mode is a severe cash advantage for Mr. Biden, with over $130 million cash on hand according to campaign finance records in combination with the DNC, nearly doubling Mr. Trump’s war chest.
But the incumbent president is still stuck in a tight battle with his 2020 opponent according to national and battleground state polling — in part due to waning enthusiasm from his winning Democratic coalition in 2020.
Mr. Biden has already started putting his contrasts with Trump front and center in his campaign. He referred frequently to “my predecessor” in his State of the Union address and has continued his criticism of Trump on the campaign trail.
“Donald Trump has a different constituency. Here’s the guy who’s kicking off his general election campaign in the road up with Marjorie Taylor Greene. It can tell you a lot about a person who he keeps company with,” Mr. Biden said during a campaign event in Atlanta on Saturday.