What are the presidential primaries and do they still matter in 2024?

The two main candidates for the White House in 2024 will be picked through a series of state votes known broadly as primaries.

Contenders will be whittled down gradually until one gains enough support to be named the official nominee for their party.

Donald Trump won the first two of these – in Iowa and New Hampshire – for the Republicans, while Joe Biden won New Hampshire for the Democrats.

The final decision is confirmed in the summer at the Republican and Democratic party conventions, after which the general election campaigning begins in earnest.

What are the primary elections?

Primary elections are held by the main political parties to choose a presidential candidate.

Rules vary state by state. Connecticut, for example, has what is known as “closed primaries” which means that voters can only participate in the primaries held by the party for which they have registered.

Other states, such as Georgia, have “open primaries”, which means any registered voter can participate, regardless of their affiliation.

The primaries choose delegates who are sent to the parties’ national conventions.

Democrats will have around 3,900 voting delegates at their convention and Republicans 2,429.

In recent elections, the successful candidate has arrived at the convention with enough delegates to secure the nomination.

The last time this didn’t happen was in 1952. The Democrats, after much horse-trading, nominated Adlai Stevenson, who was drafted on the third ballot, after the other candidates failed to secure a majority.

Dwight Eisenhower also fell short on the first ballot but secured the nomination when delegates who had backed Harold Stassen switched to the wartime general.

How do they work?

Voters will either take part in a primary ballot or, in some states, attend a caucus.

The Republican rules are simpler. For the first batch of primaries, delegates are awarded in proportion to the number of votes cast.

After March 14, states are allowed to award all the delegates to the candidate who polls the most votes.

The Democrats share delegates in proportion to the number of votes cast. But there are also attendees known as “super delegates’’, who account for nearly 15 per cent of votes at the convention.

They are normally party officials, such as members of the Democratic Convention. Other superdelegates include governors and members of Congress.

What is a caucus?

Caucuses work differently. They are run by the parties themselves. They are held in locations across the state with supporters attending in person.

The meetings can last several hours.

Their purpose is to choose delegates who are “pledged” to vote for a particular candidate at the parties’ national convention.

While some caucuses do hold secret ballots, many rely on a show of hands, and in 2020, a mobile phone app was used.

The caucuses can be the scene of lengthy horse-trading, with campaigns trying to persuade attendees to switch their vote.

While the Republicans cast their votes by secret ballot, the Democrats work differently.

Voters are asked to form groups according to who they support or join a cluster who are undecided.

A candidate failing to win the backing of 15 per cent of attendees is eliminated and their supporters, along with the undecideds, are free to join another group.

Things do not always go smoothly, as the 2020 Democratic caucus in Iowa proved.

Problems with the mobile phone app and inconsistencies in the vote counting resulted in both Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana and Bernie Sanders, the socialist senator from Vermont, both claiming victory.

Who won in Iowa?

Donald Trump secured an overwhelming victory in Iowa’s Republican caucuses, winning 51 per cent of the votes in the state. 

Mr DeSantis and Nikki Haley were left battling it out for second and third place, securing 21.2 per cent and 19.1 per cent of the vote respectively. 

DeSantis had gambled heavily on Iowa, a conservative state that he believes shares his values. After coming second in the state he dropped out of the race on Sunday.

Never Back Down, his political action committee, spent $100 million in the state and knocked on more than half the homes in Iowa.

Who won in New Hampshire?

Donald Trump picked up his second victory – comfortably defeating Nikki Haley on Tuesday to win the Republican nomination in New Hampshire.

Ms Haley has vowed to fight on to South Carolina, her home state, on February 24, but she faces a tough task in stopping Mr Trump.

On the other side of the race, Joe Biden won the Democratic nomination in New Hampshire but Dean Phillips, his main rival, rattled the party by taking 20 per cent of the vote.

What next: who will win in South Carolina?

Following Iowa and New Hampshire, the South Carolina primary will be the third contest in the cycle and is scheduled for February 24 2024.  

South Carolina is Ms Haley’s home state, with the former UN ambassador serving as its governor from 2011 to 2017. 

Despite this personal connection, however, Mr Trump has been considered the South Carolina frontrunner for months, with Ms Haley lagging behind the former president in state polls.  

Primaries and caucuses will be held across different states throughout the year, but the key date will be March 5 – known as “Super Tuesday” – when 17 states and territories vote.

Republicans will hold their national convention in Milwaukee from July 15-18 and the Democrats gather in Chicago for three days starting August 19.

The presidential election takes place on November 5.