Biden, Trump land in top spots in presidential primary election in Beltrami County

Mar. 6—BEMIDJI — Bemidji and Beltrami County followed the statewide trend of voting for Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the Minnesota presidential primaries, continuing the projected course for the 2024 Democratic and Republican presidential nominations.

Voters across Minnesota, and in 15 other states, participated in what's known as Super Tuesday on March 5, casting their ballot for who they think their respective party should nominate for the 2024 presidential campaign.

A total of 1,267 people voted in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary across Beltrami County, 2,848 in the Republican Party primary and 20 in the Legalize Marijuana Now Party primary. These account for approximately 14.68 % of the county's 28,172 registered voters as of 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

Trump won the county's Republican primary with a total of 77.81% or 2,216 primary participants voting for him. Candidate Nikki Haley received 577 or 20.26% of the vote.

Four others who had already dropped out of the race but remained on the ballot also received a grand total of 50 votes and there were 5 write-ins.

In Bemidji, Trump received 408 votes and Haley received 137.

Trump also won the rest of Minnesota, receiving 232,919, or 68.92%, of votes across the state in the Republican primary, while Haley walked away with 97,182, or 28.77%.

Biden took home victory in the DFL primary in Beltrami County, with 78.22% of the votes, with a total of 991 participants selecting him as their preferred candidate.

There were a total of nine candidates on the ballot, some of whom have previously dropped out of the race, along with an "uncommitted" option which many people across the country have used in protest of Biden's response to Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

The uncommitted movement in Minnesota launched a week before the election and had a goal of 5,000 votes but received a total of 45,942 through the state, 129 of which came from Beltrami County.

Other choices that received votes in the county totaled 130 votes with 17 write-ins.

In Bemidji, Biden received 294 votes, with the Uncommitted option following in second with 49 and Dean Phillips in third with 24 votes.

Biden's win in Beltrami County resembled the statewide results, where he received 171,299 votes, or 70.03%, with Uncommitted in second at 18.78% and Dean Phillips in third at 7.76%.

Minnesota residents had a third party they could select in the primaries, with 20 people in Beltrami County participating in the Legalize Marijuana Now Party's presidential primaries.

A total of five names were on the ballot, with Rudy Reyes winning in Beltrami County with five votes, or 25%. Krystal Gabel came in second with four votes, and Vermin Supreme in third with three.

Krystal Gabel won the party's race statewide, taking home 28.24% of the votes with 776.

The winning candidates for each party will be allocated delegates as a part of the national race for their party's endorsement.

Minnesota has 93 Democratic delegates, with a candidate needing to receive 1,968 out of a total of 3,934 national delegates available to receive the Democratic nomination.

The state has 39 Republican delegates, with a candidate requiring 1,215 out of 2,429 national delegates to receive the Republican nomination.

Delegates will be formally awarded at each party's national convention. The Democratic National Convention will be held in August, and the Republican National Convention will be held in July.

Complete results of the state's presidential primaries can be found on the

Minnesota Secretary of State's website.