What to Know in Washington: Trump, Biden Ride Super Tuesday Wins

By Kayla Sharpe, Brandon Lee and Jeannie Baumann

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President Joe Biden and Republican front-runner Donald Trump are set for a rematch in a general election race that few Americans are excited about and that Wall Street donors tried in vain to avert.

Both Biden and Trump prevailed in almost every Super Tuesday nominating contest, with victories in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah demonstrating their respective holds over their political parties.

Photo by JIM WATSONSAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump (L) and Joe Biden squaring off at the 2020 presidential debate,

Nikki Haley is ending her campaign after a poor showing in a string of primary contests. Haley is due to speak in her home state of South Carolina at 10 a.m., where she will concede that Trump is her party’s choice, according to a person familiar with the matter.

She managed only a token victory in Vermont — a deeply liberal state Republicans haven’t carried in 36 years — despite backing from billionaires including Stan Druckenmiller and Charles Koch.

Yet the dominant performances by both Biden and Trump disguise deep anxiety and reservations among the electorate.

For Democrats, the choice of Biden is a risky gamble that voters will put aside their concerns about the ability of an 81-year-old man to continue to lead the free world, particularly at a time when foreign wars are raging and economic angst persists despite a strong post-pandemic recovery. Justin Sink, Jordan Fabian, and Nancy Cook have the latest.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS up and down the ballot showed how Trump’s presence is shaping the race for control of Congress. Outcomes in crucial House races reflected his strengths, his weaknesses, and his style. He even weighed on the biggest Democratic contest of the night, the California Senate race. Jonathan Tamari reports.

  • Trump’s victories broadly erase any lingering doubt that a Republican Party long-defined by allegiance to Ronald Reagan’s world view has been transformed into a party singularly dominated by Trump’s. Read more.

A MEMO indicates that Biden’s reelection campaign believes disaffected voters who oppose Trump could be key to reversing the incumbent president’s fortunes in November. Read more.

Other Races We’re Watching

Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
US Rep. and 2024 US Senate candidate Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and his wife Eve Schiff arrive to vote during the presidential primary at a polling location in Burbank, Calif., on Super Tuesday.

SEVERAL TRUMP-ALIGNED CANDIDATES won GOP primaries or gave surprisingly strong challenges to established incumbents, reflecting his enduring grip on the Republican Party — but also the challenges he’s created for the GOP in key suburban swing districts that can often determine majorities in Congress. Jonathan Tamari and Greg Giroux highlight early signals from key races.

RUNOFFS are required in at least five House districts in three states after candidates failed to meet their state’s threshold to win a primary.

  • In Alabama and Texas, it takes a majority of the vote to win a primary and avert a runoff. In North Carolina, the vote threshold is 30%; if no candidate reaches that figure, a runoff is held only if the runner-up requests one. Giroux scopes out where there will be primary runoffs.

ADAM SCHIFF now faces an easier path to winning California’s Senate seat in November, after Republican Steve Garvey also snagged a spot on the ballot over his more formidable challenger, Katie Porter, in the state’s open primary.

  • MSNBC and CBS projected Schiff and Garvey beat out other top candidates, Porter and fellow House Democrat Barbara Lee yesterday.
  • Under the state’s “top two” system, all candidates run in a single primary, and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election.

IN TEXAS, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee survived a challenge for her House seat from former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, a former employee of the 15-term Democrat. Read more.

  • Trump-endorsed Brandon Gill won the Republican primary for the state’s 26th district. Read more.
  • Rep. Colin Allred will face Sen. Ted Cruz after winning the Senate Democratic primary in the Lone Star state. Read more.
  • Incumbent Rep. Tony Gonzales and Brandon Herrera head to a runoff in the Republican primary for Texas 23rd district, AP reports. Read more.

IN NORTH CAROLINA, retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout will face off against incumbent Don Davis (D) after Buckhout won the the Republican primary for the state’s first district, which is also the state’s only swing district. Read more.

  • Attorney General Josh Stein won the Democratic nomination for North Carolina governor while Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson topped two rivals to secure the GOP nomination. Read more.
  • Mark Walker and Addison McDowell are heading to a runoff in the Republican primary for North Carolina’s redrawn 6th district, AP reports.

REP. BARRY MOORE won the Republican primary for Alabama’s first district, AP projects. Moore and Jerry Carl, two incumbents, were paired in the same district after the 2022 map was ruled to have diluted the power of Black voters, and new court-ordered lines were drawn. Read more.

GIROUX has more on candidates whose primary wins in lopsided districts has them on their way to Congress. Read more.

BIDEN’S AGENDA

  • The president has no public events.
  • Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will hold a briefing around 1:30 p.m.

CONGRESS’ SCHEDULE

  • The House is back at noon to vote on a bill to fund parts of the government through September.
  • The Senate will convene at 10 a.m. to consider nominations, including Ronald T. Keohane as assistant secretary of defense
  • For the full detailed agenda, read BGOV’s Congress Tracker.

Happening on the Hill

Joe Manchin at the Capitol on Jan. 23. Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images

DEMOCRATS eager to protect their wins from the 2022 tax-and-climate law are seeking to ensure the White House cements rules on the law’s energy tax credits in a prompt fashion.

  • Lawmakers including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have been engaging with the Treasury Department to steer the direction of regulations regarding tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. Read more.

A BIPARTISAN GROUP of lawmakers are urging colleagues to reinstate funding to the Justice Department’s antitrust enforcers in the spending bill set to be considered by Congress this week. Read more.

REP. SAM GRAVES has privately indicated he intends to seek a waiver allowing him to remain as chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the next Congress. Read more.

REP. MIKE GALLAGHER asked Attorney General Merrick Garland for information about a US trade group’s lobbying on behalf of a Chinese pharmaceutical company, according to a statement. Read more.

NON-CONSENSUAL DEEPFAKE PORNOGRAPHY would be a criminal offense, under legislation first obtained by Bloomberg Government that Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is set to introduce today. Read more.

REPUBLICANS unveiled legislation to block a Labor Department worker classification rule that would make it more difficult for companies to label workers as independent contractors. Read more.

A BIPARTISAN BILL from Texas lawmakers is only the latest attempt to mitigate the Biden administration’s controversial pause on new exports of liquefied natural gas announced in January. Read more.

EMPLOYER GROUPS and health insurance brokers are pushing legislation that would streamline Affordable Care Act reporting requirements added into a budget package before Congress. Read more.

More in Politics & Probes

TRUMP has long boasted about his business acumen and relationships with women, but now his lawyers are trying to prevent those comments from coming back to haunt him at trial. Read more.

TRUMP joined Elon Musk in criticizing US officials for the arrival of 320,000 migrants last year, referring to a program for legal, vetted applicants that was designed to deter people from crossing the border. Read more.

  • Trump and Musk met Sunday as the former president is seeking to woo billionaire donors to help fund his cash-strapped political operation, people familiar with the matter said. Read more.

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS are closely watching if the Biden administration will soon require health plans to cover the first daily over-the-counter oral birth control pill hitting shelves this month. Read more.

Defense & Foreign Affairs

Photographer: Vickie Flores/EPA/Bloomberg
Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister

HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER Viktor Orban wants to discuss how to end Russia’s war on Ukraine this week with Trump in Florida, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said. Read more.

ANTONY BLINKEN met with Qatar’s prime minister for another round of talks to help broker a deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages, according to the secretary of state’s office. Read more.

US FORCES shot down a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile and three one-way attack drones launched toward USS Carney in the Red Sea yesterday, according to US Central Command. Read more.

SWEEPING AI REGULATION is on the verge of passing in Europe. The European Parliament is scheduled to vote March 13 on legislation that would regulate different uses of AI based on risk. Read more.

To contact the reporters on this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com; Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com

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