On the eve of the caucuses, the race to win Iowa turned more sharply combative as candidates desperate for an edge dashed through a frenzied final day of campaigning.
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Coming out of Iowa, two things are going to be remembered.
Marco Rubio on Tuesday night thanked Iowa for helping him exceed expectations in the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses with a projected strong third-place showing. But Barack Obama’s unexpected 2008 victory was instrumental in his path to the Democratic nomination, easing the anxieties of those who anxious the young black senator would struggle to win white voters.
Tonight we accomplished what the corporate media and political establishment once believed was impossible: after trailing Hillary Clinton in Iowa throughout this entire campaign, it looks as if we will leave the state with roughly the same number of delegates.
Iowa has held the first contest in the country since the early 1970s, giving it extra weight in the electoral process that can translate into momentum for winning candidates. Having run a textbook Iowa campaign targeting rural and evangelical voters, Cruz faced a steeper climb in New Hampshire, with its tradition of favoring more mainstream candidates.
“Unable to account of that numerical discrepancy and the orphan delegate it produced, the Sanders campaign challenged the results and precinct leaders called a Democratic Party hot line set up to advise on such situations”, the newspaper reported. Yet the results raised an equally curious question: how Trump, who’s branded himself as a reliable victor, can handle being a loser. Three in 10 first-timers favored Trump, while 2 in 10 supported Rubio and Cruz. “We’re just so happy with the way everything worked out”.
Clinton expressed confidence about her prospects earlier Monday and reiterated her argument that Sanders won’t be able to deliver on some of his ambitions policy proposals. Even without a declared victor, The Associated Press awarded all but one of the 44 Democratic convention delegates. But New Hampshire is also familiar territory for Sanders, who represents neighboring Vermont in the Senate and is well known among the state’s voters. Facing dim prospects in Iowa, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Jeb Bush – all current or former governors – were laser-focused on New Hampshire.
Later, as his supporters cheered and chanted, Sanders concluded by telling the crowd what he said no other candidate would tell them or the American people.
Cruz’s victory and Rubio’s good showing – outperforming the most recent polling – shifts the dynamic of the GOP race, which has for months been defined by Trump’s apparent dominance and the inability of one of the moderate candidates to emerge from an overcrowded field.
“This will likely be a long primary as Clinton and Sanders compete for the enthusiasm of progressive voters”, concluded Green. They also spell doom for those who barely register and then do badly in the New Hampshire primary. But undeclared voters, who make up the largest bloc in New Hampshire, can vote in either party’s primary, infusing the race with an added level of uncertainty. Trump skipped the last Republican debate before the caucus because of a dispute with host FOX News.
Those remarks drew jeers and boos when they aired inside Sanders’ caucus night party.
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Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, failed to catch a spark and dropped out on Monday night.
