Even though the 2024 presidential election is months away, the primaries are heating up, setting the stage for the November ballots. Presidential primaries are each party’s way of choosing their nomination for who they want to see on the ballot.

The Republican primaries began with the Iowa caucus on Jan. 15 which attracted only 14.4% of the state’s registered voters, and both Democratic and Republican candidates battled for votes in their respective primaries in New Hampshire on Jan. 23.

So far, former president Donald Trump and incumbent president Joe Biden have dominated their primary races. Trump won 51% of the votes in the Iowa caucus. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took second with 21.2% of votes, and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley collected 19.1% of votes.

As a result of Trump’s victory, DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dropped out of the race. However, Haley opted to remain in the race for the New Hampshire primary. She received 43.3% of the votes, compared to Trump’s 54.4%.

This loss was substantial, yet Haley stands out as a strong candidate for many independent voters and Republicans who have lost trust in Trump.

Still, junior Nicholas McCarthy doesn’t think that base will be enough for Haley to beat Trump and win the Republican nomination. McCarthy
believes Haley’s support from independent voters “won’t really make a difference,” claiming “she doesn’t have a chance.”

As many Republican candidates dropped out of the race, it appears as though they were using the presidential debate platform to elevate their political careers. Chris Christie, for example, has been generally politically inactive since he ended his governorship of New Jersey in 2018, though he did also serve as a lobbyist until 2020.

Senior Nora Shaughnessy believes “[US politicians’ politics are] somewhat about their own personal beliefs and not addressing the real issues,” adding that “a lot of people, especially on the Republican side, want to address their own goals when running, and that could be anything.”

For Democrats, Joe Biden drowns out most other Democratic candidates. Nevertheless, Minnesota House representative Dean Phillips has gained some traction, clinching 19.5% of the votes in New Hampshire.

The next Republican primaries will take place on Feb. 8 in Nevada and the US Virgin Islands. Results were not yet available at press time.