Trump Seeks to Blitz Haley in ‘Super Tuesday’ States

AFP/APP
Washington: Donald Trump is looking to cement his hold on the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday as millions of Americans head to the polls for one of the most important days of the US electoral calendar.
“Super Tuesday”—the primary cycle’s largest single day of voting, with contests in 15 states and one territory—is historically a defining moment in the race for the presidential nomination.
But the suspense of previous election years will largely be absent this time around, with Trump expected to continue his sweep of Republican primary states, closing the door on the sole remaining challenger, Nikki Haley.
“We’ve been sort of in a rocket; we’ve been launching like a rocket to the Republican nomination,” Trump told supporters at a weekend rally in Richmond, Virginia, touting his victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.
But he made it clear that he was already looking past the primary to the autumn presidential election itself, telling the crowd, “The biggest day in the history of our country is November 5.”
President Joe Biden, who trails Trump in most swing state polls for the general election, has his own primary contest on the Democratic side, but his victory is considered a formality.
Haley lost the early nominating states to Trump by wide margins but has vowed to remain in the presidential contest at least until Super Tuesday voters have their say.
The lineup of states up for grabs includes the giant battlegrounds of California and Texas, allowing hopefuls to bag 70 percent of the delegates they need to be named the presumptive nominee.
Trump cannot mathematically close out the contest Tuesday night but expects to be anointed by March 19 at the latest, according to his campaign.