Former US President Donald Trump has won the Republican primary in Illinois, reported The Hill, citing Decision Desk HQ.
Donald Trump, however, has already achieved the required delegate threshold he needs to secure the Republican nominations, and his win in Illinois adds to his winning streak on the GOP side.
According to a tracker from Decision Desk HQ, The Hill, there are 64 GOP delegates up for grabs in Illinois.
Earlier in 2020, President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in Illinois by nearly 17 points, and Donald Trump lost the state to former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton back in 2016. Notably, this year, Joe Biden has clinched the Democratic nod and is set to win as many as 147 delegates from the state as both of them head for a rematch in presidential elections, The Hill reported.
Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination for president on March 13, while Joe Biden secured the Democratic nomination a day before.
The long-anticipated rematch of Trump and Biden is expected to mirror the 2020 campaign, though Trump will run this time under the spectre of 91 felony charges related to allegations that he plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat, CNN reported.
The charges included that he played a lead role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol; illegally took classified documents from the White House; and covered up hush money payments to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election. However, Trump has now achieved a record of accomplishments and missteps for voters to weigh.
Moreover, Biden is so far running a similar campaign to 2020, appealing to concerns over Trump’s authoritarian behaviour and a middling economy, according to CNN.
Notably, unlike Trump, the US president has never faced a serious, well-funded primary challenge, with Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, his lone rival in elected office, dropping out and endorsing Biden last week.
(with inputs from ANI)
