Super Tuesday 2024: Five takeaways from Minnesota’s presidential primary contests

On Tuesday, Minnesotans joined voters in 14 other states in choosing their preferred candidate for president, providing the clearest picture yet of who the Democratic and Republican nominees will be on ballots across the country in November.

(Spoiler alert: It’s probably a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.)

Here are five takeaways from Super Tuesday in Minnesota.

Nearly 46,000 Democratic voters marked their ballot “uncommitted” in Minnesota’s Democratic primary, many to signal their dissatisfaction with the way the Biden administration has handled the war in Gaza, which has seen mass civilian casualties. The sum was far above the 5,000-vote target that progressive leaders had set.

The goal, they said, was to pressure the White House into advocating strongly for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. On Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz told CNN he believes “the president is hearing that.”

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., dropped out of the presidential race on Wednesday after earning fewer votes in his home state than Biden or even the “uncommitted” movement. Phillips launched his long-shot bid for the White House in late October, garnering attention as the lone elected official running against the incumbent president but drawing few voters into his column in primary contests so far.

Phillips garnered about 8% of the vote, while 19% of Minnesotans cast a ballot for “uncommitted.”

Nearly 885,000 voters turned out for the 2020 presidential primary in Minnesota. This year, a little more than 585,000 voters hit the polls or voted absentee.

The numbers were low even before Tuesday’s contests began. More than 156,000 Minnesotans cast ballots during early voting in 2020. This year, fewer than 89,000 eligible voters turned out early for the state’s second-ever presidential primary.

In Minneapolis’ Seward neighborhood, election officials said that only two voters cast ballots between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. They expected it was because of a lack of competitive races on the ballot.

The front-runner for the Republican nomination for president got nearly 233,000 votes across Minnesota, according to the secretary of state’s election results page. Meanwhile, a little more than 244,000 voters cast a ballot for a Democratic candidate and uncommitted.

The sitting president garnered 171,272 votes. Meanwhile, Legalize Marijuana Now, which maintains major party status in the state, took 2,252 votes on Super Tuesday.

Secretary of State Steve Simon said that two factors typically contribute to turnout: Candidates can inspire strong feelings or voters can feel a sense of competition in the races.

Minnesotans registered their disdain for a November rematch between Biden and Trump. Democrats have criticized the sitting president over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war and his age has repeatedly become an issue on the campaign trail.

Trump has lost the popular vote twice, and his record supporting candidates down-ballot has been murky at best as he’s thrown his weight behind controversial figures whose extreme views fail to win in general elections.

Star Tribune staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.