Key Primary Races in California and North Carolina to Follow on Super Tuesday

Typically, Super Tuesday looms large on the political calendar as the moment the presidential race moves from one-state-at-a-time contests into more than a dozen states, all at once. The delegate haul is immense, representing as much as one-third of each party’s total. The contest is expensive and sprawling and, quite often, consequential.

Not this year.

In 2024, Super Tuesday notably lacks much electoral drama. Donald Trump is widely expected to capture a series of lopsided victories. President Biden faces no substantial primary challenges. While neither man is expected to clinch their party’s nomination when ballot tallies are reported tomorrow night, the primaries will put them well on their way.

But wait! All is not lost for political watchers tomorrow evening. Down the ballot from the presidential race, several states are hosting consequential primary contests. These races lack the high profile of the presidential campaign, but they can give us hints about the kind of race the country may face in November.

Here are three worth watching:

California Senate

The California Senate primary was expected to be a titanic clash over the future and ideology of the Democratic Party. Things haven’t quite worked out that way.

The unusual nature of California politics has effectively transformed the contest into a race for second place. The state’s so-called jungle primary system means that the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party. Representative Adam Schiff is the front-runner, likely to nab one of two winning spots. What’s less certain is whom he will face.

A key part of his strategy has been to pour $10 million into an effort to elevate one Republican opponent, Steve Garvey, a 75-year-old former baseball star. Garvey has held few campaign events and not bought a single campaign ad. And yet, with help from Schiff, he now appears poised to advance to the general election.