The primary elections of four U.S states – Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Wisconsin were held on Tuesday. In an unsurprising episode, the incumbent President – Joe Biden and his fierce opponent, the former U.S President Donald Trump have fetched the most votes – making many interpret it as a genesis of a potential rematch.
A convey of delegates hurdled up, embracing the influential character of the four states. Overwhelming votes were casted for both office-seekers, strengthening their winning zeal. Though both contenders have already clinched their nomination yet a sweeping victory in all four states spawned a yawning lead.
Sweeping victory amidst visible discontentment
Despite the probable nature of the upcoming general elections, many voters have resigned from voting for either of the two candidates.
Joe Biden won 80 percent of the votes casted in all four primary states. Biden has recurringly been flagged for his mis-handling of the Israel-Gaza war. Activists have urged primary voters to deflect their vote as a way to register disapproval over Mr. Biden’s administration.
In a special gesture of solidary for Gaza, voters had a chance to register their discontentment with the nominees. Connecticut and Rhode Island had in their primaries an opportunity for voters to vote “uncommitted”, reflecting their underlying disapproval for both the governments.
Around 14.9 percent of votes in Rhode Island were boxed under the “uncommitted” ballot option. Connecticut also witnessed an astounding 8-15 percent of the vote-count for the same.
Wisconsin had manufactured a similar opportunity, having “uninstructed delegation” envisaged in its primary. The lingering discontentment against the Presidency of Donald Trump was visible when 10 percent of the votes from all four primaries were commissioned for Nikki Haley – a former Republican candidate who dropped out from the Presidency race last month.
Donald Trump’s total vote share from all four states amounted to around 75 percent. His weakest contributor was Connecticut where he notched around 78 percent vote, while 14 percent were pitched for Nikki Haley – small yet a significant number.
In New York, the primary ballots are not contested in a write-in options. Therefore the ballot was barred from inciting “uncommitted” option. Even though many protestors in the Democratic primary to leave their ballot blank instead.
The Battle of Wisconsin
Wisconsin represents a key state whose support Biden will need to extend his Presidency for another four years. Even a small infraction could spell trouble for him in Wisconsin, where he defeated Trump by just 0.6 points in 2020.
The “uninstructed delegation” ballot option in Wisconsin primary was watched closely by the Democrats to quantify the possible number of protestors in the state.
The growing demonstrations against Biden’s administration have left many to contemplate. The Listen to Wisconsin Campaign have attracted support from some rank and file union members as well as from communities of low wage and migrant laborers, inflating the fear of loosing key support from Wisconsin.
