WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to win their respective Michigan primary elections on Tuesday.

But there are challengers still in the running, and so here are the matchups:

  • Biden has a Democratic primary ballot challenge from Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota.
  • Trump has a Republican primary ballot challenge from U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Michigan polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time Tuesday, according to the Secretary of State's office. Most of the state is in the Eastern time zone; some counties are in Central time zone. Absentee voting is an option in Michigan to all registered voters; and the 2024 presidential primary is the first election for which early in-person voting also has been available.

While Biden and Trump are strong favorites to win in Michigan, there are potential complications on both party ballots.

On the Democratic ballot, Biden is facing an effort by some Arab Americans and progressive activists to urge voters to cast their ballots for “uncommitted” in protest of Biden’s support of Israel over the war in Gaza. The “uncommitted” effort has the backing of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, former Rep. Andy Levin and other leaders from Dearborn and southeastern Michigan communities.

On the Republican ballot, only one-third of the state’s delegates will be chosen Tuesday. The remainder will be assigned at congressional district meetings that take place March 2. A dispute between the current and former Michigan Republican Party chairs has resulted in rival events for allocating those delegates. Trump has backed the faction led by former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, who has been recognized by the Republican National Committee as the new chairman.

A historical note: Four years ago, the Michigan primary was the last one held in 2020 before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and a national public health emergency.

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