In the recent Pennsylvania primary, Donald Trump easily secured the Republican nomination with 83.5% of the vote. However, the result was overshadowed by the high number of protest votes against him. Nikki Haley, who withdrew from the race over a month ago, managed to capture a substantial 16.5%, translating to over 155,000 Republican voters opting to support her defunct campaign rather than Trump. This result echoes a trend observed throughout the primary season, where Trump has won by large margins but faced significant protest votes. Haley’s performance in other GOP primaries held earlier this month, including Wisconsin, Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut, further highlights this pattern. The implications of these protest votes for Trump’s chances in the general election against President Joe Biden remain to be determined.
Biden has also faced his own share of protest votes, primarily from critics of his support for Israel during the recent conflict in Gaza. In Pennsylvania, the “Abandon Biden” group urged voters to write in “NO JOE” as a means of protest. Over 101,000 people, or 13.2% of the vote, in Michigan went for “uncommitted” in a similar protest movement. Whether the “Abandon Biden” group achieved its target of securing 40,000 protest votes remains unclear.
