Republicans will hold nominating contests in 15 states and Democrats in 15 states and one territory on Super Tuesday, the day when the presidential races typically take shape.

President Biden remains the front-runner for the Democrats and doesn’t face any serious challengers. Among the states voting on Tuesday is Minnesota, the home state of Rep. Dean Phillips, who has launched a longshot bid against Mr. Biden and could face defeat in his home state. Although author Marianne Williamson had ended her long-shot campaign, she unsuspended it after she finished ahead of Phillips in the Michigan primary.

Former President Donald Trump is the front-runner for the Republican nomination, but former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is still in the race. Haley has yet to win any states, although she has picked up some delegates along the way. 

There are hundreds of delegates at stake for both Democrats and Republicans on Super Tuesday, but neither Mr. Biden nor Trump will be able to win enough delegates to secure the nomination on March 5. CBS News estimates that the earliest Mr. Trump can clinch the nomination is March 12 and the earliest Mr. Biden can is March 19. 

Which states vote on Super Tuesday 2024?

Republicans are holding primaries in the following states: 

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Maine 
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Tennessee
• Texas 
• Vermont
• Virginia

Republicans are holding caucuses in the following states:

Democrats are holding primaries in the following states:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia

Democrats are holding caucuses in the following the U.S. territory of American Samoa.

Iowa’s Democratic caucuses was entirely by mail beginning in January and will be releasing its results on March 5, to comply with the Democratic National Committee’s calendar.

Are Super Tuesday states the same every election cycle?

In the case of primary elections, the final decisions on the dates are determined by the state legislatures  — including those on Super Tuesday. Each state submits a proposal for a date to the Democratic and Republican national parties, and the parties approve the dates. If the states are unhappy with the date assigned by the parties, they may decide to hold hold their primary elections on the date of their choice, but they run the risk of sanctions from the parties. Caucuses are organized by state parties, so state legislatures do not play a role in those contests.

According to Barbara Norrander, emeritus professor in the school of government and public policy at the University of Arizona and the author of the 1994 book “Super Tuesday,” Super Tuesday started in 1988 when southern states wanted to coordinate to nominate a more moderate candidate. 

Since then, other states have joined the Super Tuesday bandwagon. By moving up their primaries and participating in Super Tuesday, a state can have more influence in the presidential election. 

How many delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday?

There are 865 Republican delegates up for grabs on Super Tuesday. The Republican candidate needs 1,215 delegates out of  2,429 to win the nomination.

Here are CBS News’ GOP delegate estimates going into Super Tuesday. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has since dropped out, has nine delegates and Vivek Ramaswamy, who has also dropped out, has three delegates. 

Democrats are vying for 1,420 delegates. The Democratic candidate needs 1,968 delegates needed to win, out of 3,934 total delegates. 

Full list of Super Tuesday states and delegate counts for 2024

Here are the Republican delegates at stake by state:

• Alabama: 50 
• Arkansas: 40
• Alaska: 29
• California: 169
• Colorado: 37
• Maine: 20
• Massachusetts: 40
• Minnesota: 39
• North Carolina: 74
• Oklahoma: 43
• Tennessee: 58
• Texas: 161
• Utah: 40
• Vermont: 17
• Virginia: 48

Here are the Democratic delegates at stake by state:

• Alabama: 52
• American Samoa: 6
• Arkansas: 31
• California: 424
• Colorado: 72
• Iowa: 40
• Maine: 24
• Massachusetts: 92
• Minnesota: 75
• North Carolina: 116
• Oklahoma: 36
• Tennessee: 63
• Texas: 244
• Utah: 30
• Vermont: 16
• Virginia: 99

Hunter Woodall, Grace Kazarian, Annie Bryson, Jake Rosen, Olivia Rinaldi, Shawna Mizelle and Katrina Kaufman contributed to this report.