How the presidential candidates have approached Iowa this election cycle. Donald Trump plans to campaign in Arkansas on Wednesday. After some organizational business and speeches, Republicans write down their pick for president and turn in their secret ballot. On average, about 1 in 5 registered Iowa voters show up to caucus. Ted Cruz at the top of the heap: His social conservatism, evangelical background and status as a hard-liner make him perfectly poised to do well in Iowa.
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All eyes tonight will be on Iowa in what’s expected to be thrillingly close Democratic and Republican caucuses.
Some say that giving two otherwise unimportant states so much influence over the process to fill the most powerful job in the world is undemocratic.
As Republican and Democratic caucus voters used new Microsoft tallying apps during the Iowa caucuses, some took to Twitter to say the apps were crashing, while others complemented them on how swiftly they worked.
In her bid to fend off the rising popularity of Democratic candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton continued to harp on the message that she is the most electable and experienced candidate of the party.
The party faithful and everyday voters will head to meetings in Iowa and polls in New Hampshire over the next week-and-a-half to decide first-in-the-nation contests that could set the tone for presidential primaries throughout the country. For Democrats, Monday’s caucuses are the first step of a multi-step process of winning delegates to the party’s national convention.
“These are both small states where the candidates literally have to get out and talk to the voters”, Redlawsk said.
What Iowa and New Hampshire will not do is provide any insight into which, if any, of the potential GOP nominees can help the party win the general election by expanding its support beyond its almost all white base – a key goal for the GOP since the party’s autopsy report on its 2012 defeat. More candidates could look for the exits after sleeping on it.
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, New Hampshire residents get to vote in primaries (not caucuses) for who they would like to see as their parties’ nominees.
GOP caucus-goers will hear a final pitch from a candidate’s representative or supporter.
Iowa’s importance is not based on precedent nor delegates: its importance is driven by the media. Those supporters have to choose another candidate. A candidate who receives less than 15 percent of the support in the room is considered not viable in that caucus. If not they can try and recruit other supporters or jump over to another candidate. The big questions if all those people lining up for their rallies will turn out to caucus.
“If you would’ve told me a year ago that two days out from the Iowa caucuses we would be neck and neck – effectively tied – for first place in the state of Iowa, I would’ve been thrilled”, he said. That means a Republican candidate could win a single delegate with as little as 1.67 percent of the vote, depending on how the rounding works out.
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That scenario has worked better for Democrats, as the national party has chosen the victor of the Iowa caucuses in the last three contested nomination races.
