Connecticut, Rhode Island get their say in presidential primaries

April 02, 2024 1:17 am • Last Updated: April 02, 2024 2:29 am

By JONATHAN J. COOPER, Associated Press

In this combination photo, President Joe Biden speaks in Milwaukee, March 13, 2024, left, and former President Donald Trump speaks in New York, Jan. 11, 2024. Voters in Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island will weigh in Tuesday, April 2, on their parties' presidential nominees, a largely symbolic vote now that both Biden and Trump have locked up the Democratic and Republican nominations. (AP Photo)

Voters in four states will weigh in Tuesday on their parties' presidential nominees, a largely symbolic vote now that both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have locked up the Democratic and Republican nominations.

Biden and Trump are both expected to easily win primaries in Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin and add to their delegate hauls for their party conventions this summer. The decisions will nevertheless offer clues about enthusiasm among base voters for the upcoming 2020 rematch that has left a majority of Americans underwhelmed.

In particular, the tallies in Wisconsin, a pivotal November battleground, will give hints about the share of Republicans who still aren't on board with Trump and how many Democrats are disillusioned with Biden. Trump was scheduled to campaign Tuesday in Wisconsin and Michigan, two Midwest battlegrounds.

All four states have multiple candidates on the ballot, and three of them also have an option to vote for “uncommitted” or “uninstructed delegate.” Biden has faced opposition from activists encouraging Democrats to vote against Biden to send a message of disapproval for his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Wisconsin voters will also decide the fate of two Republican-backed statewide ballot measures that will shape how elections in the state are run and funded. Mississippi voters will decide a runoff between two Republicans vying to take on longtime Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who is favored to hold on to the strongly Democratic seat in November.

Trump and Biden turned their attention to the general election weeks ago after Nikki Haley dropped out of the GOP contest. Biden visited all the top battlegrounds last month after his State of the Union speech.

Biden and the Democratic National Committee have outpaced Trump and the Republicans in fundraising. Biden claimed the largest single-event fundraising record last week when he took in $26 million at a star-studded New York event last week with big names from the entertainment world teamed up with the president and his Democratic predecessors, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Trump is looking to one-up his rival with a fundraiser in Palm Beach, Fla., this weekend that he hopes will bring in $33 million.

Voters wait in line outside a polling center on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisc. Voters in Wisconsin, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York will weigh in Tuesday, April 2, 2024, on their parties’ presidential nominees, a largely symbolic vote now that both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have locked up the Democratic and Republican nominations. In particular, the tallies in Wisconsin will give hints about the share of Republicans who still aren't on board with Trump and how many Democrats are disillusioned with Biden. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)