President Joe Biden is projected to surpass the 1,968 delegates needed to become the Democratic nominee Tuesday night as voters in Georgia, Washington, and Mississippi cast their primary ballots.
While Biden won’t be awarded the nomination until the Democratic convention in Chicago in August, he surpassed the party’s delegate threshold after an early win in Georgia and projection to pick up the state’s 108 delegates, just one week after Super Tuesday.
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“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 said in a statement. “Voters now have a choice to make about the future of this country. Are we going to stand up and defend our democracy or let others tear it down? Will we restore the right to choose and protect our freedoms or let extremists take them away? Will we finally make the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes – or will we allow corporate greed to run rampant on the backs of the middle class?”
Biden continued, “I believe that the American people will choose to keep us moving into the future. With every crisis, America has always emerged stronger and more united on the other side. This November will be no different — and I believe we will do it together.”
Biden faced little trouble in securing the required delegates, having already defeated Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), who dropped out of the race after a bad performance on Super Tuesday. Biden’s last challenger after, author Marianne Williamson, who suspended then unsuspended her campaign, has also not blocked the president.
Democrats in the Northern Mariana Islands and Democrats abroad also cast their primary ballots on Tuesday. Democratic voters are also casting their ballots in Mississippi and Washington on Tuesday.
The president is set to face former President Donald Trump for a general election rematch in November.
This is the first time a presidential election will feature the same two candidates since 1956, when former Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated former Democratic Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson for the second time.
At 81, Biden is working to convince the American public that he has the mental stamina needed to serve in the White House for another four years.
But special counsel Robert Hur‘s congressional hearing Tuesday may hurt some of the success Biden garnered after a fiery State of the Union speech last Thursday.
Hur’s report into Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents released in early February caused national consternation over Biden’s inability to remember key dates such as his late son’s passing or the time when he served as vice president.
Ahead of clinching the nomination, the Biden reelection campaign has already begun spending millions of dollars in ad buys in the battleground states that will determine the 2024 election.
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The campaign is also working on winning over Haley supporters who are bullish on supporting Trump again as he battles 91 criminal indictments across four cases.
Biden will accept the nomination when Democrats gather for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.