Campaign

What to know about Super Tuesday

by Julia Mueller - 02/29/24 7:26 PM ET

More than a dozen states are set to hold presidential nominating contests on Super Tuesday, a critical milestone in the 2024 race.

President Biden and former President Trump have dominated their respective races in the early states so far, and strong finishes in the Super Tuesday results could boost them toward securing their party nominations.

Nikki Haley, the last major GOP challenger standing against Trump, has vowed to stay in the race through Super Tuesday, even as she trails the former president in the polls — but the March 5 presidential contests are shaping up to be largely anticlimactic.

Still, the results could provide insights on their strengths and weaknesses in certain states and voting blocs as the two front-runners hurtle toward the general election.

Other key races will also be in play, such as California’s closely watched Senate race, where three Democratic lawmakers and a prominent Republican contender are fighting to emerge from the state’s top-two nonpartisan primary.

Here’s what to know about Super Tuesday:

What states vote on Super Tuesday?

Fifteen states and one territory are holding presidential contests on March 5.

These states are holding primaries for both parties:

Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Maine
Massachusetts
Minnesota
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Utah will hold a Democratic primary and a GOP caucus.
Virginia

Alaska will host its Republican caucus, and the territory of American Samoa will also hold a Democratic caucus.

Iowa will also release its Democratic caucus results.

See more from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill’s election calendar.

How many delegates are on the table?

Hundreds of delegates are on the table in the presidential race as Biden and Trump both seek to score their respective parties’ nods.

To become the presumptive nominee, a Republican candidate needs 1,215 of 2,429 available delegates — while a Democrat needs 2,330 of 4,659 delegates.

Candidates aren’t expected to soar to the nomination on either side on Super Tuesday alone, but March 5 wins could give them a major boost on the way there.

On the GOP side, Trump is leading the delegate count with 192 pledged so far, according to the latest from Decision Desk HQ, while Haley has earned 43. Biden boasts 206 in the Democratic race.

March is the biggest month for up-for-grabs delegates, with 2,827 total available on the Democratic side and 1,639 on the table for Republicans — most concentrated on Super Tuesday.

California’s Super Tuesday contests alone could move as many as 495 delegates into Biden’s column, and up to 169 to Trump’s.

Follow along with Decision Desk HQ/The Hill’s delegate tracker as results come in Tuesday night.

When will we know the results?

With Trump and Biden largely trouncing their challengers, some Super Tuesday states could see race calls in the presidential contest quickly — while other results might take longer to come in.

In California, where voters send their ballots by mail, officials may still be counting ballots in the days after Election Day.

Early voting is already underway in some states, and most polls will close around 7 or 8 p.m. local time on March 5.

Follow the results with Decision Desk HQ and The Hill.

–Updated on March 4 at 12:22 p.m.