Joe Biden, Donald Trump win in Arizona’s Presidential Preference Election
Mar 19, 2024, 8:04 PM | Updated: 8:47 pm
PHOENIX — Arizona voters decided which presidential candidates they want to see on the November ballot during the Presidential Preference Election (PPE) on Tuesday.
Democratic President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, a Republican, both earned their respective parties’ favor, according to a call by the Associated Press.
Biden received almost 90% of the Democratic votes while Trump earned around 76% with around 904,600 votes counted as of 8:20 p.m.
Arizona Democratic Coordinated Campaign Manager Sean McEnerney thanked Democrats for showing their support for Biden at the ballot boxes.
“Four years ago, Arizonans chose President Biden’s promise of freedom and a fair shot for every family over the chaos and dysfunction of Trump, and we’ll do it again this fall,” he said in a statement.
Arizona was one of five states to choose their presidential favorites
Several other states held similar elections on Tuesday, including Kansas, Ohio, Florida and Illinois.
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Biden and Trump both clinched the nominations for their respective parties last Tuesday.
The PPE stands out as an important milestone in each candidate’s campaign leading up to the November election.
A presidential preference election allows registered Democrats and Republicans to choose who they want their party’s presidential candidate to be. Since it’s a closed election, voters who are registered as Independent or undeclared can’t cast their ballots on Tuesday.
The parties will then host a national election where they nominate their candidate — and those candidates are placed on the ballot for the general election in November.
After the PPE, the next biggest voting event in Arizona will take place during the primary election on July 30.
What’s the difference between Arizona’s presidential preference election and the primary?
The primary will differ from the PPE in that it will focus on a variety of government positions. While the PPE hones down on Arizonans’ preferred presidential candidates, the primary election will narrow down a wide field of candidates who are competing for various seats of power.
Essentially, voters who cast ballots during the primary will decide which candidates appear on the general election ballots. These are candidates who want to be governors, legislators, members of Congress or local politicians. It’s also nonpartisan, so, unlike the PPE, Independent and undecided voters can cast ballots during the primary.
The names of candidates who appear on the November ballot are determined by the results of the PPE and the primary.
Arizona’s general election will take place on Nov. 5.
