Colorado could be one of Haley’s rare chances to pick up delegates
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley addresses a crowd during a campaign stop at Wings Over the Rockies Exploration of Flight Museum in Centennial, Colorado on February 27, 2024.
Helen H. Richardson | Denver Post | Getty Images
The Colorado primary could offer Haley a rare opportunity to The former president is currently leading with 276 Republican delegates to Haley’s 43.
The state’s 37 delegates are awarded proportionally to candidates who win at least 20% of the vote. According to NBC News, Haley’s worst case scenario would still likely be a pickup of 10 delegates.
Haley typically performs better than Trump among Independents and center-right Republicans, according to Republican strategist Susan Del Percio. A third of the total votes cast so far in the Colorado presidential primary came from voters who were unaffiliated with either party, Axios reports.
Haley also draws outsized support from affluent, college-educated Republicans. Nearly half of Colorado’s population aged 25 and older, 43.7%, have a Bachelor’s degree or higher, per the U.S. Census.
—Chelsey Cox
California Democrats — and one rising Republican — vie for powerful Senate seat
A voter casts their ballot during early voting, a day ahead of the Super Tuesday primary election, at the San Francisco City Hall Voting Center in San Francisco on March 4, 2024.
Loren Elliott | Reuters
The biggest primary race to watch in the nation’s most populous state isn’t the one for president.
A crush of candidates are vying for the powerful Senate seat formerly held for two decades by Dianne Feinstein, who died in September. Sen. Laphonza Butler, whom Gov. Gavin Newsom picked to temporarily fill the vacancy, has opted not to run to keep the seat.
The Senate primary in California, which consistently votes blue in statewide contests, has largely looked like a three-way race between Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks to supporters outside the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Union Hall at the kickoff rally for his two-week California for All Tour in Burbank, California, on Feb. 11, 2023.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
Schiff, who gained national prominence for his leading role in the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump, has led the pack in ad spending and polling.
But Steve Garvey, a Republican former pro baseball player, has seen a late surge in the polls, even though his campaign has placed no TV ads.
That’s likely because the majority of Schiff’s broadcasts mention Garvey, while none mention Porter.
Steve Garvey, right, former first baseman with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with son Ryan Garvey, left, is a guest of honor at the Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade along Main Street in downtown in Huntington Beach, California, on July 4, 2022.
Gary Coronado | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
It’s a strategy that could pay off massively. California has an open primary, meaning voters can select any party’s candidate, and only the top two candidates will proceed to the general election.
If Schiff winds up competing against Garvey in the general, rather than Porter or Lee, he may have a better shot at winning in California, which hasn’t had a Republican senator since 1992.
— Kevin Breuninger
Eyes are on North Carolina fight to replace outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks during a visit by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to Guilford Technical Community College in Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 19, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
North Carolina’s primaries feature several competitive down-ballot races, including a closely watched gubernatorial primary to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, which could act as a bellwether of the battleground state’s leaning in November.
Gov. Cooper endorsed the state’s Attorney General Josh Stein to be his successor. But before Stein officially secures the incumbent party’s nomination, he will have to clear a crowded Democratic field. Stein is up against four opponents including former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan.
If he is the Democratic nominee, Stein could face a November matchup against Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is leading the GOP pool so far and has Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Joe Biden is looking to flip North Carolina after Donald Trump narrowly won the state by just over one percent in the 2020 general election. If Republicans are able to turn Gov. Cooper’s seat red, it could signal how the swing state’s electorate is thinking about their options at the top of the ticket.
— Rebecca Picciotto
Vermont kicks off Super Tuesday voting bright and early
A voter casts his vote at a polling station in Granville, Vermont, on Nov. 6, 2018.
Caleb Kenna | Reuters
Super Tuesday primary voting began bright and as early as 6 a.m. ET in Vermont, with President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump looking to cement their leads over their respective remaining intraparty opponents.
In the Republican primary, 17 delegates are up for grabs, while in the Democratic contest, there are 16 delegates at stake. Polls will close at 7 p.m. ET.
Vermont has an open primary system. Voters can choose in which party primary to vote, regardless of their personal political affiliation.
Vermont, which is the second-smallest state by population, will award just three votes in the Electoral College after the presidential election in November.
— Dan Mangan
California Senate race is already the state’s most expensive ever
Senate candidate Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speaks during a Get Out The Vote meet and greet at IATSE Local 80 in Burbank, California, on March 4, 2024.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
The battle for California’s coveted open Senate seat is still a long way from the general election, but the contest is already the state’s most expensive Senate race of all time, by far.
Spending on the Golden State Senate race has topped $65.3 million, AdImpact reported on Feb. 29.
That’s 242% more spending than the last three California Senate races combined, according to AdImpact.
The difference underscores just how competitive the race for late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat has been compared to other elections in the reliably blue state.
— Kevin Breuninger
