Biden and Trump win Massachusetts presidential primaries

Follow below as results roll in for both the Republican and Democratic primaries.

GBH News is ending our live coverage of the Massachusetts presidential primary.

We'll have additional stories on Wednesday and later this week. Stay tuned for analysis from our political team.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump were in high spirits at Quincy’s Inn at Bay Pointe as they watched the presumptive nominee cruise to victory in the state’s Republican presidential primary.

Tom Hodgson, the controversial former sheriff for Bristol County who now serves as Trump's Massachusetts campaign chairman, said about 75-100 people filled the hotel to cheer on the former president.

“We expected he would do very well, and we’re very proud that he did so well because Massachusetts has traditionally been a very moderate state,” Hodgson said. “But the truth is, it really exemplifies what’s really going on in the country. People are fed up — whether you’re Democrats, Independents, Republicans — with the way our country is spiraling downwards.”

As of 11 p.m., Nikki Haley had received about 36% of the state’s Republican votes, according to unofficial and incomplete returns.

But the consensus from those at the Quincy watch party was that it was time for Haley to suspend her campaign and get behind Trump.

Jesse Steinmetz GBH News

“I think she tries to manipulate the support that she actually has,” said Helen Tam from Dartmouth. “She’s proven her disloyalty to Trump. I think a lot of her credibility is now down the drain, and this is why the results are the way it is.”

Attendees largely feel confident Trump would do well against Biden in a general election.

The Associated Press has called the race for Joe Biden.

Fewer than 1% of results in the state's Democratic primary have been counted, but at this point Biden leads with 82% of the vote.

The AP will call a race once the results show a candidate has an overwhelming lead over the rest of the field.

The Associated Press has called the Republican presidential primary in Massachusetts for former president Donald Trump.

With about 2% of the ballots counted, Trump leads with 60.2% of the votes.

The AP will call a race once the results show a candidate has an overwhelming lead over the rest of the field.

Jesse Steinmetz GBH News

The drizzle outside didn’t dim the mood at Boston's oldest bar, where around 40 supporters gathered Tuesday night to root on Joe Biden in the state's Democratic presidential primary. The crowd let out a hearty cheer to celebrate the race call, then went back to mingling amongst themselves.

“Even though it was somewhat of a foregone conclusion he was going to be the Democratic nominee — or at least the winner of the Massachusetts primary — it’s a fantastic night because we get a chance to celebrate democracy,” said Steve Kerrigan, chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

He added that the primary offers a chance to see “the divisive nature” of the Republicans' primary.

The general mood at Bell in Hand was optimistic for the president.

Many attendees suggested that voters who ticked the “no preference" option on the primary ballot to protest Biden's handling of the war in Gaza will rally around him come November, though there were a couple people at the bar who said they would not vote for Biden in the general election because of his stance.

John Cluverius, associate professor of political science at UMass Lowell, said the two parties' primaries tonight are about different things.

On the Republican side, the question is whether Nikki Haley can garner any delegates.

"To get any delegates out of Massachusetts, she needs to either win statewide or win in one of the nine congressional districts in Massachusetts," he explained.

Cluverius thinks Haley might be able to pick up delegates in the 5th or 3rd districts, but said "there are very few places where Nikki Haley can outright beat Donald Trump."

On the Democratic side, meanwhile, the story is more about an issue than a candidate. The grassroots movement to encourage voters to select "no preference" in a symbolic move to encourage Biden to call a ceasefire in Gaza.

Historically, that "no preference" option hasn't been too popular here.

"In 2020, less than 1% of Massachusetts Democratic primary voters elected to choose 'no preference,'" Cluverius said.

Time will tell how strong that "no preference" count ends up being in Massachusetts — and what impact it may have.

Since the pandemic struck in 2020, Massachusetts voters have had more options on how to vote. Vote-by-mail and in-person early voting are now widely available.

As of Monday at 9 a.m., about 10% of eligible voters had already cast their ballots. Over 433,000 Massachusetts residents had voted by mail, and over 50,000 voted early in-person. Of those ballots cast, over 323,000 were Democratic, over 155,000 were Republican and nearly 6,000 were Libertarian.

Secretary of State William Galvin predicts that on Super Tuesday, over 600,000 Democratic ballots and 400,000 Republican ballots will be cast by the end of the day.

While the winnowed-down candidate pool may have some voters feeling lackluster, advocates and political experts say the consequences of not voting could have a downstream effect on civic democracy.

“It’s always important to vote whether we believe the individual act is going to sway an election or not,” said Peter Ubertaccio, vice president of academic affairs and professor of political science at Stonehill College. He said turning out to vote helps keep us “civically fit.” Read more here from GBH’s Elena Eberwein.

At Saugus’ Belmonte STEAM Academy, a slow trickle of voters were finding their way to the voting booths in the gymnasium at around 7:20 a.m. Among the crew there to help them were two sisters, Patricia Copeland and Dolores Caggiano. The sisters have been manning the polls for 15 years or so, and Copeland said a tradition of civic duty goes back farther than that in their family.

“Our dad was the chairman of the board of registrars many years ago,” Copeland said. “It was when you were 21 to start to vote, not 17. And when we turned 21, he would say, ‘I don't care who you vote for, but you have to vote because voting is a privilege.’”

Later in the morning, at about 8:30, Sebastiano DiModica was leaving the Saugus Italian American Club where he had just cast his vote for Donald Trump. In the 2020 general election, about 50% of Saugus ballots were cast for Joe Biden, while 47% voted for Trump. DiModica said he previously voted for Trump in 2016 when he won.

“I voted for Donald Trump for his ideas, not his ideals,” said DiModica, “because it was very challenging for me through those four years to explain to my two young boys growing up how a gentleman should be. And I didn't agree with a lot of his personal decisions.”

Still, DiModica said, as a small business owner, he feels the economy isn’t working for him the way he’d like it to, and that’s his main concern in the voting booth this year.

Correction: Due to an editing error, the 2020 Saugus tallies were incorrect in a prior version of this post. The correct numbers are 50% for Biden and 47% for Trump.

GBH’s Paris Alston went out to talk with voters Tuesday about the local push to vote “no preference” on the Democratic ballot in protest of President Joe Biden’s policy toward Israel.

Listen to her interview on GBH’s Morning Edition with Somerville City Councilor Willie Burnley Jr. on why he’s helping organize the “no preference” campaign.

“We’re telling people that if they believe that we need a different path forward, we need to vote 'no preference' for a ceasefire,” he said Monday.

A slow but steady trickle of people filed in and out of Spring Street Elementary in Shrewsbury early Tuesday morning to cast their ballots.

At least three voters told GBH News immigration is a top issue for 2024. 

Preston Shaw told GBH News he voted for former UN ambassador Nikki Haley because he doesn't like former President Donald Trump nor President Joe Biden. Come November, Shaw said if it's a Trump-Biden matchup, he will "hold his nose and vote."

Anthony Lassiter, who stopped by the South Street location to cast his vote, said he supports Biden.

"What's not to like? I mean, he's not perfect. And no person has been. But he's the most transparent of the people I've seen in decades." 

Alexi Cohan GBH News