By Obed Glanson
As citizens across the country prepare for yet another presidential cycle this year, all eyes are turned toward the primary elections. Leading up to the 2024 election, the primaries serve a crucial role in determining the presidential nominees representing each political party. Despite months of campaigning by numerous Democratic and Republican leaders across the nation to obtain delegates, it appears that the forthcoming presidential ballot will be identical to the previous election cycle.
Source by Guneet Hanjra
Former President Donald Trump has raced past his political opponents during the primaries, including Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis.
As the incumbent president of the nation, Joe Biden was the face of the primaries for the Democratic Party. When he announced he was running for reelection last year, many voters saw Biden to be unfit for office due to his age, and believed he had shown signs of mental decline. Biden’s support among Democrat voters has also faltered recently due to his foreign policy and continued support for Israel during the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In fact, Biden’s recent policies in the Middle East prompted protest votes across the country as a large number of Democrats, unsatisfied with the ballot, chose to vote “uncommitted.” Despite divided public opinion, Joe Biden faced minimal opposition from other leading figures in his party, and was able to presumptively secure the Democratic nomination by winning a majority of delegates.
“I don’t believe Biden should be the nominee for the Democratic Party purely because of his age,” freshman Alphonse Jaison said. “Various times on television Biden has been shown not being able to take care of himself, having to resort to pre-written speeches and seeming clueless in some situations. Due to this, I believe Biden should not have run in the 2024 election.”
“I am in support of President Biden’s campaign due to his approach to protect reproductive health care, especially moving forward,” junior Anna Goldhirsch said. “Biden is defending the rights of women across the United States, going as far as to sign executive orders that preserve reproductive rights. Without President Biden’s efforts, this constitutional right may be taken away from the American people.”
The Republican race for candidacy, on the other hand, was far more competitive. Former President Donald Trump faced opposition from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley among many others. Ramaswamy, one of the youngest candidates running in the primaries, dropped out of the race on January 15 and endorsed Trump. Just six days later, DeSantis also dropped out of the race to endorse the former president. Haley, on the other hand, remained in the race and maintained her opposition to Donald Trump. After she suspended her campaign on March 6, Haley did not choose to endorse Trump, remaining confident in her continued criticism of his campaign. Trump became the presumptive nominee after securing a majority of Republican delegates and will most likely be the face of the Republican Party for the 2024 elections. Although concerns have risen over the 88 criminal charges he still faces across four separate indictments, legal experts have stated that the former president will likely still be able to serve even if convicted.
“I believe the US primaries are informative on where certain politicians' stances have been,” history teacher Mr. Chuba said. “I believe it has been one-sided throughout the primaries, and Trump has dominated so far.”
Both Trump and Biden have become the presumptive nominees for their respective parties, likely allowing for a second matchup of both individuals. Voters have been divided on issues between the candidates such as their legal stances, foreign policy and much more. Despite the opposition both politicians faced throughout their campaigns, their victories throughout the primaries have shown that they are both strong contenders for the presidency in 2024.
“I believe the favor will be in Biden's hands, but it seems many Americans would like to see a different president other than him,” junior Daniel Zekthi said.