For the Democrats, it had Clinton leading in Iowa by just 1.1 percentage points. Sanders’s blaming Wall Street for everything ignores all sorts of evidence that disagreements in the United States reflect much more than simple election-buying; corporate America did not want the government shutdowns or the debt-limit shenanigans of the past several years, yet the GOP went through with both, anyway.
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In Iowa, it actually does all come down to turnout.
Monday’s contest will also offer the first hard evidence of whether Trump can turn the legion of fans drawn to his plainspoken populism into voters. Trump is hoping his star power will encourage a large turnout of first-time caucus-goers.
Clinton’s campaign, however, is way ahead of the organization game.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she’s on board, and U.S. Sen.
Though Clinton remains likely to win the nomination, a loss in Iowa would complicate her path and heighten Democratic concerns about her campaign.
He is hoping to finish at least a strong third in Iowa, giving him an edge in the battle to emerge as the favourite of the party establishment heading into New Hampshire, where he will face competition from former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich.
In the debate, Cruz had trouble explaining video clips that showed him supporting an amendment to an immigration bill in 2013 that would have given legal status, though not citizenship, to people who are in the USA illegally. He also got the same level of exposure as the other candidates received that night, if not more.
Clinton said she had been subjected to “years of scrutiny, and I’m still standing”. Still, there’s a sense of anxiety over whether Sanders can pull in voters who aren’t even on their radar.
“Who would disagree with anything Bernie says?” she said. Political junkies and casual observers alike want to know who will win.
On Monday, when they arrive at the caucus place, voters will divide into groups based on their preference for candidates. Instead, they will enter full get-out-the-caucus mode – dispatching herds of volunteers to knock on doors, deliver door-hangers and find ways to drive people to their local precincts if they can’t drive themselves.
He’s almost matched Clinton now on the ground. “And they didn’t even mention that he was born in Canada”. Ted Cruz in his final days of campaigning before the Iowa caucuses.
He says he likes Twitter because, “if somebody hits me, I hit them back”.
Their joint-event drew more than 1,500 people – a number larger than Sanders, who had a crowd of roughly 1,000 at his campaign event nearby. Now, though, his camp carries iPads and asks attendees to register electronically.
The TV programs will show excerpts of the town hall-style meetings Rubio has relied on in recent months, and especially in the days before the caucuses. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and his wife Jane Sanders wave to the crowd during a campaign rally at the Burlington Memorial Center, on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, in Burlington, Iowa. She was here in 2008; has the experience we didn’t have.
Freshman Erin Cady and Cade Martin said they were excited to back him – but wouldn’t head home to do it. Earlier, his campaign said it raised $33 million over the last three months of 2015, compared to $37 million for Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the same time period.
One major unknown that has Iowa Democrats buzzing is the race’s third candidate: former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. He showed no deference for other contenders or for party elder Bob Dole, who has spoken out against a possible independent run by Michael Bloomberg because he fears that could result in a win for Cruz.
Clinton, meanwhile, has strong backing among one of the reliably caucus-going demographics: Older women. Players also see a tight race on the Democratic side but give Sanders 51 percent odds to Clinton’s 47 percent.
The statement said viewers who have questions about the candidate or his positions can tweet or call in to the special.
But the Cruz campaign believes many won’t take the trouble to turn out.
Only 10 percent of those who think the nation is on the right track selected immigration, making it the fifth most popular choice for that group, according to the poll.
The real estate mogul’s controversial comments about Mexicans, Muslims and women are seen by his supporters as a welcome change from most candidates’ careful political correctness.
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He says an election held today would be a “toss-up” against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, calling the race “virtually tied”. “But getting college students to caucus is a really, really heavy lift”.
