Donald Trump will likely secure the Republican nomination in the weeks following a major day of primaries – Super Tuesday – which has been dubbed a “formality” and “never mattered less”.
The presidential hopeful and former White House occupant has already accrued 273 delegate votes as states across America have selected their preferred candidate during primary and caucus season.
His only remaining opponent, former United Nations ambassador, Nicki Haley is on just 43 after winning only one primary – in Washington D.C., and losing her home state of South Carolina.
It comes just hours after the US Supreme Court ruled against states removing Trump from presidential ballots, in a major win for his campaign – while they did not say whether Trump engaged in insurrection on January 6, or whether the attack on the Capitol was insurrection.
The court will rule later this year on Trump’s claim he is immune from prosecution over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results – but it is unclear if this will be before the election.
It also comes as the Saxo investment platform found equity markets in the US perform 10 per cent better under Democrat presidents (16 per cent) versus Republicans (six per cent).
The research, which went back to 1972 and studied S&P 500 returns 12 months after an election found significantly higher returns one year on under the Democrats.
Trump is widely expected to lock in the nomination when he crosses the threshold of 1,215 delegate votes – but this moment is not expected to come before March 12 at the earliest.
Super Tuesday, held on March 5, will see 16 states – just under a third – as well as American Samoa and Democrats Overseas, holding their selection process on the same day.
Over a third of the total delegates for each party and over 70 per cent of those needed to clinch either nomination are available on Super Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
They are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.
But suggestions the race is practically unnecessary have emerged, given the strength of Trump’s lead over Haley – and the absence of any real competition for Democrat Joe Biden.
Political expert Frank Luntz told the Guardian that Super Tuesday has “never mattered less”, adding: “I don’t know any political event that’s got more attention for being less relevant.
“The decision has been made. The choice is clear. You know who the two nominees are and 70% of Americans would rather it not be so.”
And according to Betfair’s Trump Tracker, the businessman and former US Apprentice star is the “clear favourite” to clinch the crown.
Sam Rosbottom, Betfair spokesman, said: “We have seen continued backing for the former President to return to the White House following his comprehensive wins in the Missouri, Michigan and Idaho caucuses.
He added that Haley “remains the outsider to be on the ballot for the Republicans” while Trump “now has a 50 per cent chance of winning the election”.
He stressed that “it looks like we won’t be in for any surprises tomorrow” and said Super Tuesday’s primaries “will be a formality” and a step closer to a “Trump v Biden rematch”.