Democrats and Republicans on the Island followed statewide trends in the presidential primaries Tuesday, with the former backing President Joe Biden and the latter picking former President Donald Trump over Nikki Haley.
With no real competitors, Mr. Biden had a commanding lead in all six Island towns, though there was a small contingent that voted no preference. In all, he had 2,386 votes across the Island on his way to win the statewide primary. The next closest vote getter on the Democratic primary was Dean Phillips, with 91 votes. He was outweighed by the 197 voters who had no preference.
For the Island, things were tighter in the Republican race. Mr. Trump won the statewide primary and edged out Ms. Haley 633 to 544 on the Vineyard. He won every town here with the exception of Chilmark, where Ms. Haley won out 38-19, and in Aquinnah, where there was an 8-all tie vote.
The lead-up to the primaries on the Island was relatively quiet. There were few sign holders displaying their candidate pride in the rainy weather Tuesday, though a short line had formed at the West Tisbury polling center by the afternoon.
“It’s been, actually, pretty steady,” said town clerk Tara Whiting-Wells. “It’s busier than a normal primary, it feels like.”
Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and about 1,600 Islanders had already cast ballots via mail-in or early voting, according to the secretary of the commonwealth’s office.
Voters expressed an array of reasons for how they voted when queried at the polls.
Tisbury voter Kevin Begley said he doesn’t regularly vote in presidential primaries, but felt compelled to turn out and cast his ballot for Mr. Biden.
“I’m scared to death of Trump,” he said. “The Republicans have drunk his Kool-Aid.”
Richard Toole, a 74-year-old Oak Bluffs resident, also voted for President Biden, though he was struggling because of Mr. Biden’s stance on Israel.
“Having a hard time voting for Biden, but I am,” Mr. Toole said. “They’re blowing my tax dollars up…They’re blowing citizens up.”
On the Republican side, Cassandra Bowler was casting her vote for Nikki Haley.
“She’s the better option on my Republican ticket,” she said.
Oak Bluffs Republican voter Joe Haertel, though, was siding with Mr. Trump.
“My main reason, I’m 100 per cent pro-life and Trump proved he is 100 per cent pro-life,” Mr. Haertel said at the Oak Bluffs polls.
In Edgartown, Sarah Apy said she had been voting blue in Edgartown for over 40 years, whether she liked the candidate or not.
“There are many years I feel like I’m voting for the lesser of two evils,” she said.
This year, the ongoing crisis in Gaza prompted her to take a stand at the polls. In protest of President Joe Biden’s continued support for Israeli military action, Ms. Apy voted “uncommitted” on her Democratic ballot. Her vote is part of a larger, nationwide movement by activists urging President Biden to stop all U.S. military aid to Israel.
“I’m really annoyed with Joe Biden,” she said. “He’s a warmonger...I don’t see any excuse for it to be going on.”
Massachusetts was one of 15 states holding primaries on what is known as “Super Tuesday.”
President Biden took the 2020 Democratic primary on the Island, garnering 36 per cent of the vote and beating out Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Former President Trump beat out former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, earning more than 80 per cent of the vote.
Mark DeFeo, an unenrolled voter, said he’s been voting in Edgartown since he was 18 nearly 50 years ago.
When asked what his hopes are for November, Mr. DeFeo said he didn’t dare speak it aloud.
“Unity,” he said after a long pause.
Brooke Kushwaha, Thomas Humphrey, Louisa Hufstader and Addison Antonoff contributed to this report.
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