Why AP isn’t using ‘presumptive nominee’ to describe leading presidential candidates

WASHINGTON (AP) — There often comes a time in modern presidential campaigns when the last bit of drama has been drained out of a party nomination fight and the crowning of the eventual standard-bearer seems like a foregone conclusion. But we’re not there yet.

Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump are the front-runners for their respective parties’ presidential nominations. Though you may start to hear them referred to as their parties’ “presumptive nominees,” The Associated Press only uses that term once a candidate has captured the number of delegates needed to win a majority vote at the national party conventions this summer.

That point won’t come until after more states have voted. For both Republicans and Democrats, the earliest it could happen is March.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«MORE ELECTION COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> MORE ELECTION COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Trump rides to New Hampshire victory on the strength of support from the GOP base, AP VoteCast shows<use xlink:href="#play-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the New Hampshire primaries<use xlink:href="#play-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Biden won’t appear on New Hampshire Democratic primary ballot. But write-ins are still an option </bsp-custom-headline> </bsp-list-loadmore>

Trump defeated former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire primary on