Biden Clinches Democratic Nomination as Trump Awaits

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. The president secured enough delegates to become his party’s standard-bearer after a mostly uncontested primary campaign marked by Democratic doubts. President Biden’s most serious rival for the Democratic nomination was […]

Biden Clinches Democratic Nomination as Trump Awaits

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You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

The president secured enough delegates to become his party’s standard-bearer after a mostly uncontested primary campaign marked by Democratic doubts.

President Biden, shown in profile, wearing a blue sweater and speaking from behind a lectern.
President Biden’s most serious rival for the Democratic nomination was not a candidate but a protest movement over his support for Israel in its war in Gaza.Credit…Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Nicholas Nehamas

President Biden clinched the Democratic nomination on Tuesday, securing enough delegates to send him into a looming rematch against former President Donald J. Trump after a mostly uncontested primary campaign that was nevertheless marked by doubts — even from supporters — over his age, foreign policy and enduring strength as a candidate.

Mr. Biden faced little opposition in his march to the nomination. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the political scion and environmental lawyer, dropped out of the Democratic nominating contest to run as an independent. Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota and the self-help guru Marianne Williamson never attracted more than a fraction of the vote.

In fact, Mr. Biden’s most serious rival was not a candidate but a protest movement over his support for Israel in its war in Gaza. The movement — organized by Muslim American activists and progressives — urged voters to cast their ballot for the “uncommitted” option rather than Mr. Biden.

It received significant support in Michigan, winning more than 101,000 votes, as well as in Minnesota and Hawaii. Organizers also targeted Washington State, which held its primary on Tuesday, although the full results there will not be known for several days.

Still, with his victory in Georgia, Mr. Biden on Tuesday crossed the necessary threshold of 1,968 delegates to become his party’s standard-bearer this year.

On the Republican side, Mr. Trump was expected to secure the Republican nomination later on Tuesday. The early conclusion to the nominating contests means Americans will face a lengthy general-election campaign. Mr. Trump, who faces 91 criminal charges in four cases, is leading Mr. Biden in many polls.


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