Former President Donald Trump may be able to clinch the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday, after results are in from the four GOP voting contests taking place in Georgia, Washington, Mississippi and Hawaii. President Biden may also clinch the nomination on Tuesday.
Republicans Georgia, Mississippi and Washington will hold primaries, while Hawaii is holding GOP caucuses. Democrats will be holding primaries in Georgia, Mississippi, Washington and the northern Mariana Islands, and Democrats abroad will also be voting.
Trump’s remaining major rival, former United Nations Ambassador Gov. Nikki Haley, dropped her White House bid after the Super Tuesday primaries. Mr. Biden does not have any major challengers.
Trump dominated the Republican field without ever debating any of his primary opponents, and has dominated the early state nominating contests.
The former president is also entering the general election phase of the presidential campaign facing 91 felony charges in four criminal cases. His first criminal trial is slated to begin on March 25 in New York, where he faces 34 charges connected to alleged “hush money” payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. Trump also faces state criminal charges in Georgia for alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election, as well as federal charges in Washington, D.C. He is also facing federal charges in Florida over his handling of classified documents after his presidency.
In the four contests Tuesday, 161 GOP delegates are at stake. Trump has over 1,075 delegates, according to CBS News estimates, and is closing in on the 1,215 delegates needed to secure the nomination. There are 254 Democratic delegates that can be won in the March 12 contests, with Mr. Biden closing in on the 1,968 needed to clinch.
Trump would be the first Republican in history ever to secure the presidential nomination three straight times. Richard Nixon won the GOP nomination three times, although not in consecutive cycles.
For Republicans, in Georgia, 59 delegates are on the line; in Mississippi, 40 delegates are in play; in Washington, that’s 43 delegates; in the Hawaii caucus, 19 delegates are up for grabs.
When do polls close for today’s GOP primaries?
Georgia
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., but any voter in line at 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot, according to state rules.
Mississippi
Polls open at 7 a.m. CT (8 a.m. ET) and close at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) but as in Georgia, any voter in line at 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot.
Washington
Washington is a mail-in voting state, but voters may also cast ballots on Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET).
Hawaii
Hawaii GOP caucus goers will go to their caucuses from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. local time (12 a.m. to 2 a.m. ET).
How many delegates does Trump need to secure the nomination?
He needs under 140 delegates to reach 1,215.
How many delegates does Trump have?
Here is the latest delegate estimate from CBS News’ data desk:
When do polls close in the Democratic contests?
Georgia
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., but any voter in line at 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot, according to state rules.
Mississippi
Polls open at 7 a.m. CT (8 a.m. ET) and close at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) but as in Georgia, any voter in line at 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot.
Washington
Washington is a mail-in voting state, but voters may also cast ballots on Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET).
Northern Mariana Islands
The Democratic party of the Northern Mariana Islands held their primaries from March 5-12. Polls closed at 4 a.m. ET.
Democrats abroad
Democrats submit their ballots via mail or online. Results are expected on March 19.
How many delegates does Biden need to secure the nomination?
With the results from the Northern Mariana Islands, Mr. Biden has 1,868 delegates, meaning he only needs 100 more to clinch the Democratic nomination.
How many delegates does Biden have?
Here are the latest estimates from the CBS News data desk:
Kabir Khanna contributed to this report.
