Biden and Trump see easy wins but Super Tuesday also reveals growing obstacles

Joe Biden and Donald Trump swept to victory in states across the US on Super Tuesday, easily winning presidential primary elections from Maine to California as they all but solidified an unprecedented rematch in November.

But the biggest night of the primary season exposed glaring weaknesses in both candidates’ electoral coalitions.

Tens of thousands of Democrats furious with Biden over his unequivocal support for Israel’s war in Gaza voted for the ballot line “uncommitted” or “no preference” in Minnesota, Massachusetts and elsewhere on Tuesday, yet another sign of the fraying alliances between the president and several key constituencies that helped bring him to power in 2020.

A hastily organized “uncommitted” campaign in Minnesota was on track to do as well or even better than it did in Michigan last week. With three-quarter of the ballots counted, organizers had far surpassed their goal of getting 5,000 votes, earning close to 20% of the vote.

Trump, meanwhile, stormed to victory in all but one of the 15 states where Republicans cast their ballots on Tuesday. But his rival, Nikki Haley, continued to draw sizable support from voter blocs that will play a critical role in the November general election.

Although Haley had reportedly decided on Wednesday after losing most of the primaries to drop out of the race, she has generally performed well in suburbs and college towns, and many of her voters say they are unlikely to support Trump in November.

Campaigning across the country, Haley had warned Republicans that Trump is a risky standard-bearer who will cost the party the White House, the US House and possibly even the Senate. The message has resonated with the small but significant segment of the party that wants to turn the