Biden and Trump win Michigan primaries

CNN —

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won their respective parties’ primaries in Michigan on Tuesday.

Biden overcame an activist-led push to lodge protest votes over his response to Israel’s war with Hamas, although the effort was at roughly 13% of the vote shortly after midnight.

Biden is barreling toward the Democratic nomination for a second term, while the former president is heading toward securing the GOP nod for the third straight election.

Trump’s win further shuts the door on former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s hopes of building momentum ahead of next week’s Super Tuesday contests, when more than one-third of the party’s delegates are at stake.

President Joe Biden speaks on the Senate's recent passage of the National Security Supplemental Bill, which provides military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, in the State Dining Room of the White House on February 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Related article Arab American Democrats push for ‘uncommitted’ vote in Michigan primary to send message to Biden about Gaza

While Biden easily won the Democratic race, the results carried some warning signs for the president. He faced organized resistance led by Arab and Muslim Americans, as anger over the administration’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza sparked a campaign to convince Democratic voters to cast protest ballots for “uncommitted.”

The effort, called “Listen to Michigan,” was endorsed by Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and former Rep. Andy Levin, and backed by progressive groups such as Our Revolution, the organization spun out of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential bid. (Sanders had no part in that decision, according to a spokesperson, and is supporting Biden.)

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