Presumptive nominees Biden and Trump coast to victory in NY presidential primaries
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were quickly declared victors in Tuesday’s low-key presidential primaries, which took place after the candidates had already garnered enough convention delegates from earlier primaries to become their party’s presumptive nominees.
Those nominations will be confirmed this summer at the Republican National convention in Milwaukee in July and the Democratic National convention in Chicago in August.
With the nominations already secure, turnout among the party faithful was anemic. Just 5% of New York Democrats voted while 6% of the state's enrolled Republicans cast ballots.
The biggest question Tuesday night was how big Trump’s victory would be over three other former Republican candidates who remained on the ballot: former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
By Wednesday morning, with 96% of precincts reporting, Trump had triumphed by a wide margin, with 82% of the vote. Yet his rivals, who had dropped out of the race, garnered 18% of the vote, with Haley at 13%, Christie at 4%, and Ramaswamy at 1%. The totals do not include absentee ballots.
On the Democratic side, President Biden appeared on the Democratic ballot alongside former candidate Dean Phillips, who had dropped out of the race after winning a tiny fraction of the vote in earlier primaries, and Marianne Williamson, who had dropped out after her poor early showing, but had revived her candidacy in recent weeks.
Unofficial returns had Biden at 91%, with Williamson with 5% and Phillips at 4%, with 96% of precincts reporting.
More: Gaza ceasefire advocates urge NY Dem voters to snub Biden with blank ballots
Blanked out
The only drama in the Democratic primary developed in late March when New York progressives, along with the state’s Working Families Party and the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, urged Democrats to file a blank ballot to protest Biden’s foreign policy stance on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The totals for blank votes, however, won't be known until the state Board of Elections files its final report in coming weeks.
“No permanent ceasefire? NO bubble-in for Biden,” said a posting by actor Mark Ruffalo, who was promoting the protest.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who is vying to oust Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-Yonkers, in the June Democratic primary, in a video on Monday urged Democrats to vote for Biden.
“I don’t think it’s a wise strategy,” said Latimer. “It’s a time to debate on policies instead of making a symbolic statement. What’s the alternative? Do you want to strengthen Donald Trump?”
Joining Latimer in voting for Biden were Bowman and two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the 17th District looking to oppose Rep. Mike Lawler in November: former Rep. Mondaire Jones and former Bedford Supervisor MaryAnn Carr.
In the Republican primary, Trump, a New York native now living in Florida, was leading the trio of former candidates, though Haley's showing could indicate a certain softness in Trump's New York support. Haley has declined to endorse Trump for the November election.
Trump is running for president while facing four criminal indictments in cases to be heard in New York, Washington D.C., Georgia and Florida.
Low turnout
With so little at stake in the primary, turnout was low.
Four years ago, 25% of New York Democrats turned out for the primary, which was won by Biden with 70% of the vote, followed by US Sen. Bernie Sanders, with 20% and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, with 3% of the vote.
That year, New York Republicans canceled the primary because Trump, the party’s incumbent president, had no opposition.
In 2016, 34% of New York Republicans voted in the contested Republican primary between Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Trump won that race with 54% of the vote, followed by Kasich, with 30% and Cruz with 16%.
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David McKay Wilson writes about tax issues and government accountability. Follow him on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New York primary results: Trump, Biden sweep to victories
