In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, both President Joe Biden and his Republican counterpart Donald Trump secured victories in their respective primaries, as per Edison Research. However, the unexpected surge for former candidate Nikki Haley turned heads.

Pennsylvania, boasting 19 Electoral College votes pivotal for the 270 needed to clinch victory, remains fiercely contested in the 2024 presidential race, setting the stage for a Biden-Trump rematch.

The primaries served as a litmus test for voter fervor in a campaign overshadowed by dismal approval ratings for both contenders.

With nearly half of the votes tallied, Biden commanded a staggering 94.4%, amassing 491,892 votes, according to state election data. Meanwhile, Trump garnered 79.4% with 268,670 votes cast, representing 33% of the counted ballots. However, the unexpected support for Nikki Haley, who garnered 20.6% with 70,648 votes despite withdrawing from the race in March, underscored lingering discontent within the Republican ranks.

Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and U.N. ambassador, retained a presence on the Pennsylvania ballot even post-exit, showcasing dissatisfaction among GOP voters, particularly amidst Trump’s ongoing legal battles, facing a daunting 34 criminal counts in New York.

In a bid to sway the political landscape, Muslim and Arab-American voters spearheaded an “Abandon Biden” movement in Pennsylvania, protesting the president’s response to the Gaza crisis. Similar sentiments reverberated in crucial swing states like Arizona, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, with Michigan’s primary witnessing a notable 13% uncommitted vote surge.

In Pennsylvania, organizers aimed for 40,000 write-in “uncommitted” ballots, a testament to the dissatisfaction echoing across party lines. Nonetheless, the tabulation of these results may extend beyond Tuesday night due to manual entry requirements.

Having secured their party nominations early in March, Biden and Trump scarcely faced any formidable opposition in the primaries. Yet, the tight margins in Pennsylvania underscore the state’s significance, with Biden’s razor-thin victory in 2020 and Trump’s narrow triumph in 2016 shaping the electoral landscape.

As both contenders intensify their efforts in Pennsylvania, the focus shifts towards the broader battleground, with implications reaching beyond Tuesday’s primaries. Biden’s roots in Scranton and his longstanding political presence in neighboring Delaware add layers to the electoral calculus in this crucial swing state.

Meanwhile, the race for U.S. Senate between incumbent Democrat Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick remains a pivotal battleground, with Senate control potentially hanging in the balance.

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; additional reporting by Nandita Bose, James Oliphant and Susan Heavey; Editing by Trevor Hunnicutt, Jonathan Oatis, Heather Timmons and Gerry Doyle)