Iowa Primary Caucus Results
- Feb 4, 2016
- 2 min read
What does this mean for the 2016 Presidential race?
On February 1st, the Iowa Primary Caucuses opened, ushering in passionate caucus goers, eager to make their voices heard in support of a candidate in an exciting primary season. On the Republican side, many wondered whether Donald Trump, the real estate mogul; television personality; and almost perpetual GOP frontrunner, would manage to breakthrough as Ted Cruz, the anti-establishment Texas Senator, continued to rise in poll numbers, perhaps swiping a portion of the evangelical support. On the Democratic side, would Hillary Clinton emerge triumphant as many expected her to? Or would Bernie Sanders, the Senator from Vermont and self-styled political revolutionary, steal the liberal spotlight?
As the results appeared last night, Senator Cruz emerged victorious in the GOP field. Mr. Trump settled onto the runner-up podium with a margin of about three to four percent between him and Senator Cruz. However, the results shed light on a slowly ascending contender, often ignored in the extremely anti-establishment flurry: Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Senator Rubio, for part of the night, turned the showdown for Iowa within the GOP aisle into a three-man race, along with Mr. Trump and Senator Cruz. Ultimately, Senator Rubio secured third place.
However, what is truly significant is not merely his place on the victors’ stand but the very small margin between him and Mr. Trump, only about one to two percent. Enough time must pass before one could determine whether Senator Rubio’s prominence in Iowa and proximity to Donald Trump is a fleeting surprise or a genuine shift in the dynamics of the presidential race.
In the Democrats’ aisle, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders faced what one might practically call a tie. However, this morning, Hillary Clinton was officially declared the Iowa victor, with 49.9% of voters while Senator Sanders received 49.6% with coin tosses held in several precincts confirming Secretary Clinton’s success.
The Iowa Primary Caucuses leave voters (and anyone interested) with some relevant questions to consider. Will Donald Trump still manage to maintain a grasp on the prestigious position he’s maintained in the GOP field since summer, despite a second place in Iowa? Will Marco Rubio’s third place standing in Iowa threaten Donald Trump since their numbers were so close? Will the Florida Senator manage to obtain an even more respectable status in the primary season and become a truly viable contender for the nomination? And, will Senator Sanders, the proclaimed harbinger of a “political revolution” with great achievement in the Iowa caucuses, maintain his base and engender conversions among Secretary Clinton’s supporters and the undecided skeptics?
Works Cited
Reilly, Katie. "Some Iowa Caucus Precincts Flipped a Coin to Determine the Democratic Winner." Time. Time, 2 Feb. 2016. Web. 2 Feb. 2016. <http://time.com/4204049/iowa-caucus-coin-toss-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders/>.
(Most information besides obtained from CNN coverage of the Iowa Primary Caucuses, 2016)
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