What was widely anticipated seems all but confirmed; Both Trump and Biden are slated to win the majority of votes in their respective primaries, having essentially secured the nomination of their respective parties. 

While there were no serious contenders in either primary, Republican former Governor and United Nations representative Nikki Haley mounted a campaign against Donald Trump that, according to The Hill, has made her “Trump’s chief GOP critic,” though it should be remembered  that in the early days of the primary former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was the most outspoken critic of Donald Trump. Haley developed a sharper tone towards the former president later on in the primary race. She has challenged not only his ability to beat Joe Biden in the general election, but also his ability to lead a stable administration. Furthermore, Haley has criticized Trump’s position on Ukraine, saying that his policies would “bankrupt social security” and that Donald Trump is only “watching out for himself.” She has even pointed out many of Trump’s confused statements, and called for a test of mental fitness for any presidential candidate over 75. Despite all of this, Haley was never able to really put Trump on the back foot in his march to the nomination and, following a disappointing showing on Tuesday where she only won Vermont, announcing on Wednesday that she was suspending her campaign.

For Biden, his chief challenge in the primary is the “vote uncommitted” campaign which expresses both the frustration with Biden from the Democratic Party base but also the attempt to draw these discontented sectors back into the Democratic Party. 

Both Struggle with Independent Voters

According to ABC, exit polls “show weaknesses for Joe Biden and Donald Trump alike among independent voters”. Early exit polls in North Carolina, Virginia, and California showed that 35 percent, 36 percent, and 33 percent of Republican primary voters won’t guarantee that they will vote Republican in November. 

Furthermore, Nikki Haley split independent voters with Trump in Virginia, and many Haley supporters have said they will not vote for Trump in November. These votes weren’t enough for Haley to win in the primaries, but in a tight general election, they add up. 

While Haley has dropped out of the race, she has yet to endorse Trump. Instead she congratulated and “wished him well,” and added that she “wish anyone well who would be America’s president.” 

Biden Campaign Fueled By Fear of a Trump Presidency

Many fear a Trump presidency and see him as an authoritarian eager to attack democratic rights. This is the main thrust behind Biden’s campaign. The base of the Democratic Party is, however, not eager to vote for Biden the way the Republican base is eager to vote for Trump.

In a recent poll released by New York Times/Siena a majority of respondents across race, gender, and age say Trump’s policies helped them and their families more than Biden’s. This shows the limitations of the Biden presidency and his re-election campaign. So too does the results of the “uncommitted” vote, which is largely a protest vote over President Biden’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and continued military and financial support to Israel. As a result of a high profile campaign and a large Arab population, Michigan was able to amass 100,000 “uncommitted” votes. In Minnesota, Colorado, and Tennessee the “uncommitted” vote total was over 43,000 (18.9%); 45,000 (8.8%); and over 10,000 (7.8%) votes respectively. In North Carolina and Massachusetts, 88,000 (12.7%) and 58,000 (9.3%) people voted “no preference.”

This isn’t the only sign of Biden’s growing unpopularity. The latest polls show Biden trailing Trump by 4 points, and maybe losing his likeability edge over Trump. The close nature of the race again underscores the significance Independent voters will play in the elections. Biden is very aware of this, and already reached out to Nikki Haley supporters, saying that “There is a place for them” in his campaign. 

The Wave of Lesser Evilism To Come 

The threat that Donald Trump and his MAGA movement represent is real. So is the reality that Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are not an alternative that can beat Trump and the Far Right. In fact, on some issues — like immigration and the border — Biden has actually adopted Trump’s position, which has only emboldened the Far Right inside the Republican Party. 

The current genocide taking place in Palestine shows that Biden and the Democrats are committed to upholding the interests of U.S. imperialism, even at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. The Biden administration has expressed its disagreement with how Israel is handling the situation in Palestine. Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris has called for an “immediate six-week ceasefire.” Yet, they continue to give military and financial aid to Israel because of Israel’s strategic role as a beachhead of U.S. imperialism’s interests in the region, nothing more, nothing less. 

Instead of being uncommitted, and leaving the door open to voting for Biden and forgetting the harm his policies have done to the working class and the oppressed both here and abroad, the working class and oppressed need to build our own political party. 

As we have said in a previous article, it is possible to build the type of political party that we need. However, to do that requires that we change the way we think about political parties and power, and shift our daily political practices. 

The Far Right will not be, nor has it ever been, defeated at the ballot box. We need a working class party that recognizes this, and instead of channeling our collective energy into a political party that routinely abandons the working class and oppressed, seeks to unleash the full power of the working class and oppressed. Every moment we spend supporting a “lesser evil” that still leaves the working class and oppressed under attack is a moment lost in building the alternative that we all crave. If we want a political alternative, we have to start building it now, and not wait until tomorrow. 

With that said, we continue to call on people to join our “network for a working class party that fights for socialism” so that we can organize the types of discussions we need to seriously take up the task of providing the working class and oppressed with an alternative they can be excited about.