(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump became the first candidate to win both Iowa and New Hampshire preliminaries in contested races since the states started leading the primary calendar 48 years ago, and President Joe Biden won without his name on the ballot.
The events of Tuesday further emboldened the notion that the primary season is a bit uneventful in the presidential race, with little to no evidence suggesting anything but a 2020 rematch between Biden and Trump on Nov. 5.
On the Democratic side, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author Marianne Williamson were on the ballot. No matter for Biden. His 51.6% with 54,942 write-in votes was more than all other choices combined.
In the Republican primary with 91% of the vote counted, Trump bested Nikki Haley 54.5%-43.2%. Haley, a U.N. ambassador and the former South Carolina governor, vowed to battle on for the party’s nomination though she will skip the next GOP stop – the caucuses in Nevada on Feb. 6.
Democrats and Republicans won’t be having primaries or caucuses in the same state, same day again until the end of February in Michigan. The upcoming schedule is the primary for Democrats in South Carolina on Feb. 3 (GOP is there Feb. 24); Nevada’s primary for Democrats (Feb. 6) and caucuses for Republicans (Feb. 8); and both parties with a primary in Michigan on Feb. 27.
The only other state contests before Super Tuesday on March 5, when 14 states hold primaries, are the Republican caucuses in Idaho and Missouri on March 2.
The first Tuesday in March includes Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. All are primaries with exception of Utah Republicans caucusing.