The votes in 16 states and American Samoa on Tuesday made the foregone conclusion of a Biden-Trump rematch more foregone.
Nikki Haley did beat Trump in Vermont; entrepreneur Jason Palmer beat Biden in the South Pacific island territory of American Samoa.
Key races on Tuesday were those that will determine the majorities in the Senate and House.
Democrats believe Texas and Florida are their best shot for upsets in November as they try to hold on to their 51-49 advantage in the Senate, according to The Associated Press. That majority includes West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who isn't seeking reelection and whose seat is likely to flip Republican.
No Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas in 30 years, the longest losing streak of its kind in the nation, AP says.
On Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL player who broke with his party over President Biden’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, won his Senate primary to propel an underdog campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
In another high-profile Senate race, voters decided on Tuesday that Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey will vie for California’s open Senate seat.
Meanwhile, Super Tuesday is so vast that there were primaries for more than a quarter of all seats in the House — 115 of 438, says AP.
But only eight of those seats are likely to be competitive in November, according to Michael Li, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Institute for Justice in New York. That means most House candidates who won primaries Tuesday are guaranteed seats in Congress, just for getting the votes of the most motivated members of their parties, says AP.
The number of competitive seats in the House has been shrinking steadily for decades, reflecting both partisan gerrymandering and citizens sorting themselves into increasingly partisan enclaves, AP says.
Some races in California will help determine which party controls the House, where Republicans currently have 219 seats to Democrats’ 213 (there are three vacancies).
But the outcome of some of the California races won’t be known for days or even weeks, says AP. That’s because most people vote by mail with ballots that, as long as they're postmarked by Election Day, can arrive up to a week later and still be counted.
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