Super Tuesday: Dozen States Holding Primary Elections, Caucuses with Hundreds of Delegates Up for Grabs

Created by Robert C. Weich III Mar 01 2016, 12:05 PM EST

Tuesday is a big day for presidential hopefuls and it is known as Super Tuesday. A total of 12 states will hold primary elections and caucuses and the leading candidates for President of the United States could add to their leads and distance themselves from their competitors.

Hillary Could Gain Delegates from the South & Add to Her Lead

Democrat Hillary Clinton has a slight lead over Bernie Sanders with 91 pledged delegates compared to Sanders' 65. Looking at "superdelegates," those who are not required to pledge their support to a candidate, Clinton holds a big lead. When the delegates vote Tuesday, Clinton is expected to get most of the votes in the southern states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama and Georgia. Sanders hopes he can get some delegates in Vermont, Massachusetts, Colorado and Minnesota.

Clinton could add big numbers of delegates if she wins Texas (222 pledged delegates) and Georgia (102 pledged delegates).

Clinton should win Alabama easily (53 pledged delegates) since a recent Monmouth poll showed her leading the state by 48 points.

Delegate Counts by State for Democratic Race

Texas: 251 total delegates, 222 pledged, 29 unpledged

Oklahoma: 42 total delegates, 38 pledged, 4 unpledged

Arkansas: 37 total delegates, 32 pledged, 5 unpledged

Alabama: 60 total delegates, 53 pledged, 7 unpledged

Georgia: 117 total delegates, 102 pledged, 15 unpledged

Tennessee: 75 total delegates, 67 pledged, 8 unpledged

Virginia: 109 total delegates, 95 pledged, 14 unpledged

Massachusetts: 116 total delegates, 91 pledged, 25 unpledged

Vermont: 26 total delegates, 16 pledged, 10 unpledged

Minnesota: 93 total delegates, 77 pledged, 16 unpledged

Colorado: 78 total delegates, 66 pledged, 12 unpledged

Trump Can Pick up the Speed with Wins on Super Tuesday

The Republican contest is much more crowded race, but Donald Trump seems to be pulling away. If Trump grabs even more delegates Tuesday, he could really distance himself from the other candidates.

A big state for Trump is Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz's home state. A total of 155 pledged delegates are up for grabs in Texas. If Cruz loses in his home state, it could really hurt his campaign. Trump currently has 82 delegates, while Cruz has just 17. Sen. Marco Rubio is right behind Cruz with 16 delegates, but he is really hoping to win a state's delegates. Rubio says that he is the best candidate to take on Trump after Super Tuesday.

Trump could pick up big numbers if he wins Alaska, Texas and Georgia. In Alaska, Trump has already received the backing of former governor Sarah Palin. An Emerson poll on Monday had Cruz edging out Trump in Texas.

Trump leads Rubio and Cruz in pre-primary surveys by almost 15 points in Georgia, so it is likely he wins that state and gets a majority of the 76 delegates.

Struggling to survive in their campaigns, John Kasich and Ben Carson hope they can get some delegates just to prove that staying in the race is worth it. Kasich has six delegates and Carson has just four.