Super Tuesday: Voters cast their ballots as Donald Trump aims to trounce Nikki Haley

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate and North Carolina Attorney General, Josh Stein, made his first campaign stop in Clayton, a town about 15 miles (25 km) southeast of Raleigh.

He talked the presidential election, his likely Republican rival, and the war in Gaza. He says North Carolina could very well flip Blue for Biden in November.

"I'm excited about the President's commitment to campaigning here and trying to win North Carolina. They already have staff on the ground. They have a big campaign office. We are going to run an aggressive door to door campaign, getting our voters excited and engaged."

Voters began drifting into a voting centre in Clayton shortly after polls opened.

While Trump cannot win enough delegates on Tuesday to formally clinch the nomination, another dominant performance would essentially end suspense.

Tuesday's contests will award more than one-third of Republican delegates - and more than 70% of the number needed to secure the nomination.

"I personally believe that he does truly care what the direction that this country is going into," said gunsmith William Sabatini, 38, while standing outside a polling station in Nashville.

"You know, he's not the Lord and savior--that's Jesus Christ. But I feel personally that he is just the direction this country needs to go into," Sabatini added. 

Taylor Swift encouraged her fans to vote on Super Tuesday.

"I wanted to remind you guys to vote the people who most represent YOU into power. If you haven’t already, make a plan to vote today. Whether you’re in Tennessee or somewhere else in the US, check your polling places and times at http://vote.org," she wrote on her Instagram stories. 

Biden told reporters on Tuesday that he had won his last five polls, ahead of November presidential election.

"My poll numbers, the last five polls you guys don't report, I'm winning, five, five in a row. You guys aren't looking at The New York Times, a great paper,'' Biden said at Hagerstown, Maryland, while on his way to Joint Base Andrews.  

A report by the news agency Reuters mentioned that there was an anti-Trump sentiment among voters in Colorado on Super Tuesday. 

Voters in Texas head to the polls to cast their ballots. 

President Joe Biden urged the voters to cast their votes as he said in a post on X that "now is the time to make your voice heard". 

He later offered a message to the Black community. During a radio appearance taped at Camp David Monday that aired Tuesday on on K104 in Dallas, Texas, he said, "Think of the alternative, folks. If we lose this election, you're going to be back with Donald Trump. The way he talked about, the way he acted, the way he dealt with African American community, I think has been shameful." 

Donald Trump said Tuesday morning that Nikki Haley had "no path" to the nomination. 

In an interview with Fox News, she said, "I don't know why everybody is so adamant that they have to follow Trump's lead to get me out of this race. You know, all of these people deserve to vote. Sixteen states want to have their voices heard." 

Voters in Virginia began filling out ballots in the presidential primaries as polls opened in several states across the nation. 

In Charlottesville, voters began drifting into the polling station just after it opened at 6 am EST (1100 GMT).

Virginia is an open primary state that allows registered voters to participate in either primary. It could boost Haley's results given her relative strength with independent voters compared to Trump. 

North Carolina will be watched closely for signs of each candidate's strength in one of the potential battleground states that could decide the general election.

Trump won the state in the 2020 election against Biden by just over a single percentage point.

The state allows voters who are unaffiliated with a party to participate in any primary they choose, which could lift the performance of former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley. 

Voting began in North Carolina's 2024 presidential primaries on the biggest day of primaries in the presidential election cycle. 

Voters began drifting into a voting center in Clayton shortly after polls opened.

The United States is all set for Super Tuesday - a presidential primary election day when the greatest number of US states hold primary elections and caucuses. Today, 15 states are holding Republican contests on the biggest voting day of the primary season. 

Donald Trump will aim to deliver a knockout blow to his lone challenger for the Republican presidential nomination, Nikki Haley.