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The stage has now been set for a 2020 presidential election rematch this November after Donald Trump and Joe Biden secured their party nominations.
The former president won primaries in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington and the caucus in Hawaii on Tuesday night, taking him over the threshold of 1,215 delegates needed to secure the Republican party nomination.
Mr Biden also secured the Democratic nomination for president after winning the primaries in Mississippi, Washington and Georgia.
As the nation readies for a 2020 rematch, the two candidates appear to be neck-and-neck among voters in the first major national poll released since they secured the nominations.
The USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, carried out between 8 and 11 March after the State of the Union and just one day before Mr Trump and Mr Biden officially secured the required delegates, was released on Wednesday.
It found that 40 per cent supported Mr Trump and 38 per cent Mr Biden when presented with the two candidates.
The poll found that the economy (29 per cent) is the most important issue on voters’ minds, followed by immigration (24 per cent), threats to democracy (23 per cent) then abortion (10 per cent).
Trump says he’s ‘proud of Lara’ over RNC takeover
Donald Trump has said he’s “proud of Lara” after he secured his grip on the Republican National Committee.
Last week, the campaign organisation elected former North Carolina GOP chair and RNC general counsel Michael Whatley as its new chair following the departure of Ronna McDaniel.
Mr Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was elected vice-chair of the RNC, cementing the Trump family’s control of how Republican campaign cash gets spent.
Days later, Lara boasted that the RNC had brought in a major fundraising haul in recent days.
“Proud of Lara. Big things happening!!!” Mr Trump responded on Truth Social on Wednesday night.
(Truth Social)
Rachel Sharp14 March 2024 10:00
Can an obscure House procedure can pass Ukraine aid without Mike Johnson?
Eric Garcia and Gustaf Kilander report for The Independent from Washington, DC:
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 09:30
As Ken Buck steps down, AOC says Democrats must take advantage of ‘razor thin’ House margin
Katie Hawkinson reports from Capitol Hill:
The Republican House majority will become even thinner next week as Representative Ken Buck departs several months before his final term comes to an end.
In an unexpected Tuesday evening announcement, Mr Buck — a Republican from Colorado — said he would leave Congress next Friday, rather than retiring at the end of his term as originally planned. Afterwards, Republicans will hold just 218 seats out of 435 in the House, leaving Democrats one step closer to clinching the majority.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York and member of the progressive Squad, told The Independent her party must take advantage of Mr Buck’s early departure.
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 08:30
South Dakota governor Kristi Noem posts bizarre plug for Texas dentist
South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has posted a bizarre infomercial-style video on social media, heaping praise on a team of cosmetic dentists outside her state for giving her a smile she said she can be proud of. The video, almost five minutes long, was captioned “I love my new family at Smile Texas and I am so grateful for their help fixing my smile for me.” Ms Noem shared the post on her personal X account, which has nearly 500,000 followers. She has been touted as a potential vice presidential pick for Donald Trump, who is expected to secure the Republican nomination.
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 07:00
Analysis: How much will gerrymandering actually affect the 2024 election?
But looking at the state legislature over the last decade, you would see a solidly red state.
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 05:00
Amid doctored photo row, White House says it will ‘respect’ Kate Middleton’s privacy
Days after Kensington Palace admitted that a photograph of the Princess of Wales and her children had been digitally altered, touching off new rounds of conspiracy-tinged speculation about her whereabouts and well-being, the White House has declared that it is officially staying out of the matter.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday told reporters that the matter of Kate’s alleged photo editing skills was not one she was bringing to the desk of President Joe Biden.
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 03:00
Colbert roasts ‘clownish’ Robert Hur hearing
Amelia Neath has the story…
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 01:00
South Dakota lawmaker calls for Noem dental trip inquiry
A Democratic legislator on Wednesday called for an inquiry into South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem‘s trip to Texas for dental work and a promotional video in which she praises the doctors for giving her “a smile I can be proud of and confident in.”
State Sen. Reynold Nesiba said he initially found the nearly five-minute video to be simply odd. Later he considered other questions and asked the Republican co-chairs of the Legislature’s Government Operations & Audit Committee to put the matter on the panel’s next meeting agenda in July for discussion and questions.
Meanwhile, Ms Noem is being sued over the video by a consumer advocacy nonprofit group:
Oliver O’Connell14 March 2024 00:00
When do party presidential nominations become official?
While both Mr Trump and Mr Biden are campaigning as though they are the official nominee for each party, it technically does not become official until the conventions.
Oliver O’Connell13 March 2024 23:00
Can an obscure House procedure pass Ukraine aid without Mike Johnson?
Eric Garcia and Gustaf Kilander report for The Independent from Washington, DC:
Oliver O’Connell13 March 2024 22:30
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