President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump have both reached the necessary delegate count to secure their respective party’s presidential nominations. This solidifies the fact that they will face each other once again in the upcoming general election in November.
Both candidates and their campaigns have been anticipating this moment for quite some time. Biden faced minimal opposition in the Democratic primary, which is typical for a sitting president, while Trump had been the clear frontrunner for the Republican party for several months.
The likelihood of a rematch between the two candidates in November became even more apparent after Trump achieved a decisive victory in Iowa back in January. This win eliminated most of his major Republican rivals and paved the way for his nomination. Even his last remaining primary challenger, Nikki Haley, suspended her campaign last week, further clearing the path for Trump despite the legal challenges he faced.
With Tuesday’s results, the stage is set for a 2024 general election campaign that is expected to be one of the longest in modern American history, spanning just under eight months. This election will also mark the first presidential rematch in 68 years, with the last one occurring in 1956 when Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated his Democratic opponent Adlai Stevenson for the second time.
It’s now declared Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee after projecting his victory in Georgia, while Trump was designated as the presumptive Republican nominee after winning the GOP contests in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington. Trump later secured the Republican caucuses in Hawaii as well.
Biden needed 1,968 delegates to secure the nomination, while Trump reached the required 1,215 delegates for the Republican nomination.
The Biden campaign initiated aggressive phase on Friday, revealing plans for Biden to visit multiple battleground states following a $30 million advertising campaign. The campaign reported a $10 million increase in funds within 24 hours after Biden’s State of the Union address, further solidifying Democrats’ financial advantage over Republicans.
