President Joe Biden cruised to victory in Missouri’s unusual party-run primary last weekend, getting more than 85% of the vote and securing the vast majority of delegates up for grabs.
Still, the incumbent won’t get all the delegates — as enough Missouri Democrats voted for "uncommitted" as a likely protest toward Israel’s military invasion of Gaza.
Unlike in previous campaigns, Missouri’s political parties were responsible for running their presidential selection processes this year. Missouri Republicans held a caucus similar to those in Iowa, while Missouri Democrats instituted a system allowing for mail-in and in-person voting.
More than 19,000 people participated in the party-run primary, according to the state Democratic Party. Biden won about 85.3% of the vote, while uncommitted got 11.7%.
Biden will receive 61 out of 64 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, while uncommitted will have three delegates. "Uncommitted" received delegates in Missouri’s 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts, which take in a large part of the St. Louis area.
“The Missouri Democratic Party congratulates President Biden on his decisive victory in our party-run presidential preference primary last weekend. President Biden’s Administration has been focused on investing in the people and communities who need it most and has a long list of accomplishments to tout heading into November,” Missouri Democratic Party Chair Russ Carnahan said in a statement.
Both Biden and former President Donald Trump clinched their respective party’s nominations several weeks ago. But political observers have still been monitoring the results in the remaining primaries as a gauge of their potential weaknesses.
A number of groups in the St. Louis area directly campaigned for Missouri Democrats to cast “uncommitted” ballots in protest of Biden’s reaction to Israel’s military invasion of Gaza. That mirrors what’s happened in other states, most notably Michigan.
"Uncommitted" received more than 21% in Missouri's 1st Congressional District, which is represented by Rep. Cori Bush. Bush, D-St. Louis County, has been an outspoken critic of Israel's actions in Gaza and is the sponsor of a cease-fire resolution in Congress.
Even though Trump’s last major opponent, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, dropped out weeks ago, she’s still receiving significant percentages of the vote in places like Florida — which have "closed" primaries in which only registered Republicans can participate.
Because Trump and Biden were widely expected to win Missouri’s presidential selection processes, the major focus on the contests was less about the outcome and more about disgruntlement over the process.
Back in 2022, the GOP-controlled legislature got rid of the presidential primary that local election officials run. Efforts to revive that state-run primary faltered in 2023, which meant that parties had to pay for and organize their own contests.
Both Republicans and Democrats were upset over the move. Some Missouri Republicans, including the person who wrote the rules for the GOP caucus, said publicly that the decision to do away with the state-run caucus disenfranchised Missourians who are serving abroad. And Democrats like Carnahan used profanity last year to describe the predicament the state parties were placed into because of the legislature and Gov. Mike Parson’s decision.
Still, Carnahan said in his statement he was happy with the turnout — which he said allowed the party to connect with voters in the run-up to the 2024 election cycle.
“In spite of the attack on our voting rights by the Republican State Legislature, turnout in the Missouri Democratic Party’s party-run presidential primary exceeded that of the Republican caucus event, and Democrats used this election as an opportunity to start organizing early and generated grassroots enthusiasm across the state as we head into the 2024 election cycle,” Carnahan said. “Over 450 Missouri Democrats volunteered to organize a statewide election with nearly 100 in-person voting locations to ensure as many of their neighbors could cast their vote for their preferred Democratic nominee for president as possible. Missouri Democrats are fired up and ready to fight in 2024.”
Trump is widely expected to win Missouri’s electoral votes, but if state Democrats can boost Biden’s margin beyond the 41% he received in 2020, it could have an impact on the party’s other races.
Copyright 2024 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.
