Super Tuesday: what it is and why it is important in the presidential primaries

Super Tuesday is one of the most important dates in the electoral calendar because there are primaries in several places at the same time. On March 5th 2024, 15 states and the territory of Samoa will hold primary elections to decide who will be the presidential candidate of the Democrat and Republican parties. This day is decisive in each party’s electoral race because of the number of delegates at stake. 

We remind you that delegates are individuals chosen in each state to represent Democrats or Republicans, on a national level, in the presidential elections. These delegates are elected during the primaries or caucuses that each party holds on a state level.

In these articles of Factchequeado, we explain: what are the delegates, what are the primaries and what is a caucus (like the one occurring that day in Samoa).

On each electoral year, the states or territories with caucuses or primaries on Super Tuesday may differ, since states choose the date when the process takes place, which should be after the ones in Iowa and New Hampshire, that historically happen first. That day is usually a Tuesday in February or March. 

The votes of Super Tuesday can result in a decisive trend for each party’s election, since if a candidate is a clear leader in the number of delegates won that day, it may become mathematically unfeasible for other aspiring candidates to reduce the gap. 

States that decide to hold their primary or caucus on Super Tuesday can have a significant impact on the decision of who the candidate will be, as Daniel Weiner, director of Elections & Government of our institutional ally Brennan Center for Justice, explained to Factchequeado.  Besides, the attention and huge media coverage of that day can lead to a “high voter turnout,” added Weiner. 

What is at stake on Super Tuesday 2024

On Tuesday, March 5th, there will be primary elections in 15 states, including the two with the highest Latino populations, California and Texas, and the territory of American Samoa, according to the Federal Election Commission. Although the primaries of both parties are planned to last until June 2024, the political analysis website 270toWin estimates that by the end of March, most delegates of each party will have been designated. 

Caption: States with presidential primaries for one of the two parties on Super Tuesday 2024. 

The Republican party will have 874 delegates (out of 2,429) at stake that day. According to a report of the Republican National Committee to which NPR had access and published, 36% of the total Republican delegates will be at stake that day. For the Democrat party, the political analysis website 270toWin estimates that 1,420 delegates (also a third of 3,936) will be at stake on that key day. 

This year, for the Democrat party, president Joe Biden is seeking reelection, with a considerable advantage over his competitors in the primaries. For the Republican party, the candidacy is still to be determined, between former UN ambassador and former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley and former president Donald Trump.

Factchequeado is a verification media outlet built by a Spanish-speaking community to tackle disinformation in the United States Do you want to be part of it? Join us and verify the content you receive by sending it to our WhatsApp +16468736087 or to factchequeado.com/whatsapp.

See also:

PACs and Super PACs: what they are and how they invest money to influence elections

Delegates: their role, who chooses them, and how their votes influence the selection of a presidential candidate