June 2024 Political Primaries

President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump added to their delegate totals after several state primaries concluded on June 4, 2024. These primaries were among some of the last to be held before the general election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. 

By the Numbers  

Biden won the latest Democratic primaries in Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Washington, D.C. He had already become the presumptive, or likely, nominee after previous primaries on March 12. He needed 1,968 delegates to win the Democratic nomination. He picked up 287 delegates in the June 4 primaries, giving him a total of 3,852 delegates.  

In these primary races, the lack of opposing party candidates led some voters to vote “No Preference” or “Uncommitted” as a way of criticizing President Biden. In Montana and New Jersey such voters represented almost nine percent of the votes. In New Mexico, that number was 9.7 percent. Voters in Washington, D.C., also cast over 3,000 ballots for Williamson.  

Trump ran unopposed in New Jersey and Montana. As with the Democratic primary, there were “No Preference” votes cast rather than for the presumed Republican nominee.  Nine percent of the Montana’s Republican primary voters chose “No Preference.” South Dakota canceled its Republican primary since Trump was the only candidate on the ballot.  Another 3,000 New Mexico voters chose “Uncommitted.”  

Trump became the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee on March 12. He needed 1,215 delegates to win the Republican nomination. After the June 4 primaries, he had a total of 2,231 delegates. 

This was the first primary held since a New York jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records. The jury convicted him on 34 separate counts on May 30, 2024. He is the first former president to be convicted of a crime. However, no law prevents him from running for or serving as president. 

The last of the presidential contests before the general election will be held in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands on June 8, 2024. 

Congressional Primaries in Iowa  

Iowa held state-level primaries in all four of its congressional districts on June 4. Analysts were particularly interested in the Democratic primary for the 3^rd Congressional District. In that race, Lanon Baccam, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official and military veteran, easily beat fellow Democrat Melissa Vine.  
 
Baccam will now face the Republican incumbent, U.S. Representative Zach Nunn, in November in the general election.  Analysts are predicting a close race, one that could help determine which party will win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November. Currently, Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, with 218 Republicans versus 213 Democrats.   

Dig Deeper The Republican and Democratic Party National Conventions are scheduled to occur this summer. Each will end with the expected official nominations of Trump and Biden.  Select one of the Convention websites to review. What did you learn about the nomination process and the National Convention? The Republican Convention website is located here. The Democratic Party Convention website is located here.