Biden wins Illinois Democratic primary

President Biden has won the Democratic primary in Illinois, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Biden has already hit the delegate count he needs to clinch the Democratic nomination, but a win in the Prairie State could add as many as 147 more delegates into his column, according to a tracker from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill.

The incumbent easily beat his long-shot challengers, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Marianne Williamson, but he also faced a push in the state for Illinois voters to leave their Democratic ballots blank or write “Gaza” on their ballots, as reported by the Chicago Sun Times. 

Progressives and Muslim Americans in several states have been organizing primary protest votes amid frustration over the administration’s handling of the war in Gaza. The efforts, which first drew headlines in Michigan’s primary last month, have since been replicated in states including Minnesota and Hawaii. 

As Biden wins the Illinois Democratic contest, former President Trump is set to score as many as 64 delegates on the Republican side as the pair head toward a 2024 rematch. 

Biden beat Trump in Illinois by roughly 17 points in 2020.