The Democratic primaries take on a whole new dimension on Tuesday, March 3, with Super Tuesday, which could have a decisive impact on the race for the Democratic nomination for the presidential election in November in the United States. More than a third of the delegates will be allotted at once during this day, which is one of the key moments in the American electoral calendar.
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How many delegates are distributed during this vote?
First, a reminder: the Democratic primaries are a four-month process during which the fifty federal states and seven American territories decide, in turn, on the candidates. Each of these ballots is indirect: voters do not vote for their candidates, but for delegates who are "assigned" to the candidates.
To date, four states have already expressed their choice: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. Of the 3,979 delegates, 155 have been distributed so far.
To win the nomination, a candidate must display an absolute majority, that is 1,991 of these delegates, assigned in proportion to the scores earned in each primary. 1,357 delegates will be allocated during Super Tuesday alone.
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Which states are called to the polls?
This Tuesday, from the northeastern tip of the United States to the middle of the Pacific, Super Tuesday concerns fourteen states, as well as the American Samoa islands and the democratic voters living abroad (who can, themselves, decide until March 10).
The number of states voting on this special day can change from election to election: thirteen polls were held for the Democratic nomination in 2016. Four years ago, California held its primaries in June. But the dice were thrown when the Californian Democrats went to the polls: Hillary Clinton had been given the winner of the primaries even before the vote was held. This year, this state very rich in delegates has therefore chosen to advance its vote and join Super Tuesday.
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What are the challenges of this voting day?
Super Tuesday states reflect the social and economic diversity of the country. While the race for the democratic nomination is marked by a fracture between the left wing of the party and its moderate slope, the candidates have the opportunity to demonstrate that they can seduce everywhere … Or, on the contrary, to see exposed to the great day their inability to convince voters with varied enough profiles to have a chance to access the White House.
Many questions therefore remain unanswered: will the favorite, Bernie Sanders, manage to take an almost unstoppable lead? Will former vice president Joe Biden do well enough to settle down as a moderate alternative to the independent senator after Pete Buttigeg's retirement? Falling in speed, will senator Elizabeth Warren resist? Above all, what will be the impact of the entry into the running of the ex-mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, who, after having spent more than half a billion of his personal fortune on his campaign and made voluntarily deadlock on the first ballots, will for the first time face the verdict of the ballot boxes?
The Democrat for the White House will be officially named at a convention July 13-16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
