Malden voters follow lead of state and nation, back Biden and Trump in Presidential Primary election

By Steve Freker

The turnout was right around what was expected, perhaps a bit higher, but Malden voters did go to the polls on “Super Tuesday” and followed the state and national trends. Over 7,100 Malden voters cast ballots in the Presidential Primary on Tuesday and backed Democratic incumbent U.S. President Joseph Biden in that party’s primary, and former U.S. President Donald Trump prevailed in Malden over former United Nations Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Hailey in the local Republican Primary vote.

In Malden, as expected, 19.48% of the registered voters came to the polls on Tuesday, 7,146 of 36,692 registered. The 36,692 voters are the largest number of registered voters – citywide – in Malden municipal history.

On the Democratic side, President Biden took 82% of the vote in Malden (3,405 votes), with the nearest challenger being Marianne Williamson (692 votes). Ben Tafoya (3,391 votes) and Kathleen Manning Hall (3,622 votes) were unopposed and elected as Mass. Democratic State Committeeman and State Committeewoman, respectively. A total of 4,127 voters took Democratic ballots.

In Malden’s Republican Primary, 2,357 voters took Republican ballots and former President Trump received 1,576 votes, or 67%, to 679 votes for Haley, 29%. Three candidates who had since withdrawn from the Republican race – former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (29), businessman Vivek Ramaswamy 10) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (11) – also received Malden votes.

Robert Aufiero (1,370 votes) ran unopposed for Republican State Committeeman and was elected. For Malden Republican State Committeewoman, Monica Medeiros Solano topped Marcy Macauley, 1,027-713, and was elected.

While both Biden for the Democrats and Trump for the Republicans are still at a small fraction of the delegate counts needed to secure their respective parties’ Presidential nomination, both are virtually assured of the nods, which will guarantee a rematch of the 2020 election, with the Final Election on November 5, 2024. The primary season concludes nationwide on April 2.

In Massachusetts, statewide Donald Trump carried the state in the Republican Primary with 340,218 votes (60%) to Haley’s 208,956 votes (36.8%). Biden and Trump were big winners all across the country as well in the 13 state primaries held, with Biden triumphing in all for the Democrats and Trump winning all but one, with Vermont going to Hailey, for the Republicans.