Opinions

The Road to November 2024

Most of the current Stuyvesant seniors and some juniors will be eligible to vote in the 60th presidential election on November 5, 2024. In the midst of college applications and the hectic life of a Stuyvesant student, it can be difficult to keep up with the tumultuous American political landscape. To address this, The Spectator is starting a new election literacy project. As this historic election unfolds, the Opinions Department will publish polls, facts about the candidates, key swing state updates, and other content throughout the election season.

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Key Takeaways From The Presidential Primaries So Far:


The primaries and caucuses of January and February have kicked off the 2024 presidential race. As expected, former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden have emerged as the undeniable frontrunners of their Republican and Democratic parties, respectively. 


  • Trump won the majority of the popular vote and swept delegates across Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, and Michigan.
  • Biden won the majority of the popular vote and swept delegates across New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and Michigan.
  • Nikki Haley faced a particularly brutal loss in her home state of South Carolina where she served as governor from 2011 to 2017. Trump won 59.8 percent of the vote and was awarded 47 delegates, while Haley received 39.5 percent and 3 delegates. Many are speculating that Haley’s challenge to Trump is futile as she trails behind him by 98 delegates of the 146 awarded.
    • Definition: Presidential nominees are chosen by delegates at major party conventions. Delegates are individuals chosen to best represent the platforms and ideas of a specific group. The Republican and Democratic Parties award candidates delegates based on their performance in primaries and caucuses. 
  • Biden won the Michigan Primary with 80 percent of the vote, but some 13 percent sent a message by voting “uncommitted.” The group Listen to Michigan organized this protest vote to put pressure on Biden for his support of Israel in its war with Gaza. Michigan has a large Arab-American population who are angry over the brutality and death count of the war as they call for a cease-fire. Though they make up merely 2.11 percent of the state’s population, those 100,000 “uncommitteds” could make or break Biden’s campaign this November as Michigan has historically been a battleground state. 
    • In the 2016 presidential election, Trump won the state by only 11,000 votes; in 2020, Biden flipped it back blue—or Democratic—by around 150,000. 


The Meaning and Importance of “Super Tuesday”:


  • “Super Tuesday” has historically been used as a phrase for “the last big collection of primaries” in an election. The saying first originated in the 1970s. 
  • This year, Super Tuesday took place on Tuesday, March 5. In the history of presidential elections, Super Tuesday has been recognized as one of the most significant events as it’ll be the day when the most state primaries simultaneously take place. Compared to previous primaries where candidates observed their success in specific states, this event will be more reflective of national sentiment. It may be an important indicator of who our next president may be, so citizens should stay observant. 
  • 15 states and one territory will be awarding delegates this year, comprising roughly a third of all delegates nationally. These states are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. American Samoa, a U.S. territory that includes seven islands in the South Pacific region, will also be participating. 
  • This year’s Super Tuesday was expected to be uneventful as many are already predicting the results based on previous primaries. Trump has shown his dominance in the Republican primaries thus far as his opponents have dropped out of the race or dramatically fallen behind in votes. Similarly, Biden—as the incumbent (current president)—faces little to no competition on the Democratic side. 
    • Currently, we can expect that the results of Super Tuesday will likely solidify the rematch between Trump and Biden.