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U.S. NEWSWednesday 27 January 2016
Primaries set to begin in rancorous presidential race
Continued from Front Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, puts England state adjacent to lican candidates or one
his hand on the back of a supporter while posing for photos at his Vermont home. He was of the three Democrats.
Trump is in a tight race in a campaign event at High Point Bulls Oswald Barn in Osceola, elected to the Senate as By choosing first, Iowans
Iowa with Texas Sen. Ted Iowa. an independent but votes hold outsized influence for
Cruz, a staunch conserva- with the Democrats. a small-population state.
tive. Florida Sen. Marco (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Facing potential upsets The caucus results can win-
Rubio is polling third and in Iowa and New Hamp- now the field and provide
hopes to consolidate sup- losing ground in the country lady, still holds a polling shire, Clinton can look to momentum for the top fin-
port among the party es- as wealth continues to clus- lead nationwide, but Sand- the next contests in Ne- ishers ahead of primaries
tablishment. The rest of ter among fewer and fewer ers has nearly matched the vada and South Carolina, and caucuses in the rest of
the field is lagging behind people. Hillary Clinton, the former first lady in Iowa and where she still enjoys strong the U.S. states, Washington,
in single digits, including former secretary of state, has eclipsed her in New support among Latinos D.C., and overseas territo-
one-time front-runner Bush, New York senator and first Hampshire, the tiny New and blacks who make up ries that run through June.
the brother and son of for- a large segment of the Next in line on Feb. 9 is the
mer presidents. Polls show Democratic base in those northeastern state of New
Trump and Cruz locked in a states. Sanders and Clinton Hampshire, which holds
very close contest in Iowa, have far out-distanced for- the first primary election,
while Trump is far ahead in mer Maryland Gov. Martin and it too can have an big
New Hampshire. O’Malley. impact on the campaign
Sanders has captivated The U.S. primary system that that far outweighs its small
younger Democrats and usually decides each par- population.
those in the most progres- ty’s presidential nominee The race gains huge mo-
sive wing of the party with often skews those choices mentum on the results from
his message of a bigger toward the candidates primaries and caucuses
government that would who voice positions that held on March 1, known
protect Americans who are appeal to voters at the ex- as super Tuesday, when 14
treme ends in both parties. states and one territory all
History has shown that turn- cast ballots or caucus for
out in the caucuses and the candidates.
primaries typically is domi- The primary system is com-
nated by the most motivat- plex and some say arcane.
ed party base voters. That It amounts to voters actu-
reality causes problems for ally choosing delegates
candidates. For example to the national nominat-
Republican nominee Mitt ing convention who are
Romney in 2012 had trou- pledged to a particular
ble tracking back to more candidate. At the same
centrist positions in the time a number of dele-
general election. gates are appointed from
That has become particu- among both state and
larly evident this year as national elected officials
voters in both parties voice and the party committees
frustration and anger at the on the state and national
government and the con- levels. But dating back to
gressional gridlock that has 1980 the candidate for
dominated American poli- both parties has clinched
tics during the eight years of the necessary half-plus-
President Barack Obama’s one delegates, making
presidency. That is particu- the conventions little more
larly true on the Republican than a coronation.
side among members of The so-called super dele-
the ultra-conservative tea gates are not linked to any
party faction, a movment one candidate but hold
born shortly after Obama huge power in their ability
took office in 2009. In that to get behind a candidate
climate, Iowa residents go during the primary and
first on Monday in small caucus process, a sort of
evening gatherings on thumb on the scales that
what is a typically a frigid often helps the candidate
winter night to caucus for most favored by the party
one of the 11 major Repub- establishment.q
