It’s officially 2016 and America is ready to elect yet another president. With all of us thoroughly immersed in the new semester, it’s been super hard to stay in touch with the outside world. Rather than pouring through articles and articles in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, it’s easier for me to just summarize what’s going on. So if you need a rundown of everything that’s happened this past week, we’ve got you covered for two major events.
1. The Iowa Primary
In case you didn’t know, it was this past Monday and a major deal in the political world. The Republican side consisted of our usual leading characters: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and everyone else. The Republican side has been in a dirty fight recently because of all the candidates attempting to establish their direct positions and how they differ from everyone else. Ted Cruz eventually emerged as the winner and it was a great surprise to everyone who strongly believed that Donald Trump would come out on top. However, this change shows the tough road ahead on the 2016 trail for the Republicans.
RESULTS (Top Three):
1. Ted Cruz, 27.6%
2. Donald Trump, 24.3%
3. Marco Rubio, 23.1%
Courtesy of Raw Story
For the Democrats, it was a real nail biter. There was no decision for a long time. There were also several conspiracy theories that made the wait even more interesting. Bernie Sanders’ campaign continued with #FeeltheBern and there was an “a virtual tie” between the two candidates- Clinton and Sanders. But eventually, Hillary Clinton pulled through on a short margin on Tuesday around noon. This also proves that the presidential race on the Democratic side is much closer than anyone expected. Political pundits expect a close race in the next couple of states- New Hampshire, then Nevada and South Carolina.
RESULTS (Top Three):
1. Hillary Clinton, 49.9%
2. Bernie Sanders, 49.6%
3. Martin O’Malley, 0.6%
Courtesy of The Nation
2. The New Hampshire Debates
We had two New Hampshire debates this week, one for each party. It was pretty interesting to see how the candidates were able to react in a completely new setting like New Hampshire and after some defining results from the first primary. New Hampshire doesn’t run on the caucus system like Iowa and the two debates continued to set all of the candidates against each other on a public forum directly communicating with one another and the public.
The next primary is Tuesday, February 9 and it’s too close to call across the board but I will definitely be watching and even if you can’t watch too closely, always remember that you have a say in America’s future.
Feature Image: Courtesy of CNN