The latest on the Michigan primaries and 2024 campaign

Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their respective primaries in Michigan on Tuesday, but a glance under the hood of the results reveals serious concerns for both campaigns as they pivot to a likely November rematch that is looking more volatile by the day.

Here are some of the takeaways from the 2024 Michigan presidential primary:

• November warning signs: Biden’s victory came with a warning from progressives, young voters and Arab American Democrats in the form of an “uncommitted” protest vote: Change course on Israel’s war in Gaza or risk losing a significant chunk of support in what could be a decisive general election state. For Trump, the roughly 30% of Republicans who voted either for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley or on the GOP’s “uncommitted” line might be more difficult to parse. Though his third presidential nomination in three tries could be clinched in a few weeks, a sizable group of Republicans are either firmly opposed to him or still to be won over.
• "Uncommitted" campaign claims success: Supporters of the movement urging Michigan Democratic voters to check “uncommitted” said their campaign had been a success because it had attracted enough votes to get Biden’s attention. The biggest question is whether the effort will spawn copycats — and if so, whether those campaigns will draw much of the vote in their own states’ primaries.
• Time running out for Haley: She again failed to deliver the momentum-changing win that she needed — and her margins are shrinking, rather than growing, as time runs out. The Republican race is accelerating, with over one-third of the party’s delegates at stake in next week’s Super Tuesday contests. An underdog presidential contender’s odds only grow longer as the race shifts out of the early voting states, where retail politics make a difference, and onto the national stage, where money and momentum matter most.
• Disappearing Dean Phillips: His bid to challenge Biden continued to fall flat, as those dissatisfied with the president over his support for Israel in its war with Hamas chose to cast protest votes for “uncommitted” rather than supporting the only alternative Democratic candidate in the race. Even more embarrassing for Phillips: He was neck-and-neck with Marianne Williamson — the author and public speaker who ended her long-shot campaign weeks ago.

Read all of the takeaways from Michigan's primaries.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their respective primaries in Michigan on Tuesday, and now the attention shifts to the Super Tuesday contests.

Here's a look at some of the key primary dates coming up in March:

• March 2: Idaho Republican presidential caucuses, Michigan Republican Convention, Missouri Republican presidential caucuses
• March 3: Washington, DC, Republican presidential primary
• March 4: North Dakota Republican presidential caucuses
• March 5: Super Tuesday — states and territories holding elections include Alabama, Alaska Republican presidential primary, American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa Democratic presidential preference, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah Democratic presidential primary and Republican presidential caucuses, Vermont and Virginia.
• March 6: Hawaii Democratic presidential caucuses
• March 12: States and territories holding elections include Georgia, Hawaii Republican presidential caucuses, Mississippi and Washington, among others.
• March 19: Arizona, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio will hold presidential primaries and Florida will hold its Republican presidential primary

Access the full 2024 election calendar.

President Joe Biden “continues to be fit for duty” after his annual physical was conducted at Walter Reed, Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a memo Wednesday, adding that there are “no new concerns” from this year’s physical.

“The President feels well and this year’s physical identified no new concerns. He continues to be fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations," the doctor said.

O’Conner concluded his letter: “President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.”

Earlier Wednesday, Biden joked about his age while telling reporters about his annual physical. “They think I look too young,” Biden said, adding that there was nothing different from last year’s physical.  

At 81, Biden is the oldest president to have held the office. He would be 86 years old at the end of a potential second term. He has been persistently dogged by criticism and concerns over his age and stamina. In a CNN poll conducted by SSRS released earlier this month, 46% of Democrats were concerned about his age.

The White House said the doctor assessed that the president “doesn’t need a cognitive test.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the president’s physician was “happy” with how the president’s annual physical went. 

A cognitive test has not been part of a standard presidential physical. If Biden or his doctor had a specific concern, his doctor could perform a brief assessment that might determine whether further evaluation is recommended.

When the president has received his physical in the past, his physician — Dr. Kevin O’Connor — has issued a report on the president’s health. Presidents are under no legal requirement to release information about their health and can choose which details are made public.

This post has been updated with additional details on Biden's physical.

Two of Michigan's delegates will go to the Democratic National Convention uncommitted, according to a new CNN estimate based off results of the state's primary.

The outcome follows a push by Arab American activists for Democrats to cast protest votes for “uncommitted” amid anger over president Joe Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.

More than 101,000 ballots were cast for “uncommitted” in Tuesday’s primary, according to the latest ballot count on Wednesday afternoon.

President Joe Biden said that he was sorry to hear that Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell was stepping down from his leadership position. 

“We fight like hell, but he never, never, never misrepresented anything and I’m sorry to hear he’s stepping down,” Biden told reporters when asked about his reaction on Wednesday.

Biden was in the State Dining Room where he delivered remarks on fighting crime and then participating in a roundtable with police chiefs. 

McConnell announced on the Senate floor Wednesday that he will step down as GOP leader in November.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are headed to the southern border tomorrow putting immigration in focus, and ad spending data underscores how the issue has dominated the early part of the 2024 campaign.

According to AdImpact data, political advertisers from both parties – campaigns, outside groups, and issue advocacy organizations – have spent nearly $52 million on campaign ads about immigration so far in 2024, by far the top issue.

That’s nearly $20 million more than the next top issue, Trump himself, about whom political advertisers have spent about $32 million advertising. Trump has been the focus of dozens of ads, both good and bad, with Republicans aligning themselves with Trump and touting his endorsement, and Democrats warning of the prospect of a potential second term.

The third issue by ad spending is housing – driven largely by the high-profile Senate primary underway in California, where well-funded candidates like Adam Schiff and Katie Porter are shelling out tens of millions of dollars, and where the lack of affordable housing is a key problem for residents. Political advertisers have spent about $27 million advertising about housing. 

More background: AdImpact categorizes political ads by the issues they reference, and calculates cumulative totals for the amount spent on ads that reference those issues. The data covers only broadcast TV ad spending, but still provides a good measure of which issues are most prevalent in paid political messaging.

Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott will join Nikki Haley at her South Burlington rally Sunday, the governor’s press secretary Jason Maulucci confirms. 

Last month, ahead of the New Hampshire Republican primary, Scott, a Trump critic, endorsed Haley.

“After years of controversy, violent rhetoric and growing polarization, the very last thing we need is four more years of Donald Trump. Our future is in jeopardy, and Americans deserve candidates with character and integrity, who respect the rule of law, the rights of all people, and the Constitution,” Scott said in the announcement.

Haley has continued to reiterate she will stay in the race for Super Tuesday, despite trailing former President Donald Trump in polling and delegates.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she respects Mitch McConnell’s decision to step down as the Senate GOP leader and used the announcement to drive home her call for a new generation of political leaders.

“I respect Sen. McConnell’s decision. Serving at that level for that long is not easy. He did many good things, but he is right that we do need a new generation, not just in Congress but also in the White House,” Haley posted on social media.

On the campaign trail, Haley has attacked both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump on their ages, saying they are both too old.

Haley’s comments come about an hour before she is set to have a campaign event in Utah, where Republican voters will partake in a caucus on Super Tuesday.

For the White House, Michigan is a political problem that calls for a policy solution. That’s the consensus from conversations with several senior Michigan Democrats, most of whom are fully supportive of President Joe Biden and rooting for his reelection in November.

They hope the anger and dissent voiced in more than 100,000 uncommitted votes in the primary Tuesday is more than a warning sign, but rather a turning point in the administration’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war.

That figure, even as Biden won 80% of the Democratic vote, was higher than many party strategists anticipated. Before the polls closed on Tuesday, one Biden ally in Michigan told CNN they were hoping the uncommitted vote would stay below 50,000.

Today, Democrats are carefully studying the protest vote — particularly in cities and counties beyond Dearborn, the heart of the Arab American and Muslim community in Michigan — as the campaign intensifies its eight-month battle to November. 

“This anger won’t be resolved with meetings, it will take bold action by the president — and his relationship with Netanyahu,” one senior Michigan Democrat told CNN. “This isn’t a political problem, it’s a policy problem.”

How the Biden campaign responds to the outcome of the primary will set the tone for the fight ahead, the Michigan Democrats said, with one urging “a constructive approach not an arrogant one.”

“The young people who may not have voted Tuesday are just as worrisome as those who voted uncommitted – maybe more so,” a senior Michigan Democrat, who is in frequent touch with the White House, told CNN. “The Biden coalition doesn’t come together without young voters.”