Super Tuesday

Super+Tuesday

Kingshuk Roy

The 2016 presidential race storms its way into Minnesota . On March 1st, Minnesota joined eleven other states in a crucial battle for all presidential candidates – Super Tuesday. This date is when major nominating elections and contests are occurring within twelve states. A victory on Super Tuesday has major implications on the course of the presidential elections, as 661 Republican delegates are up for grabs along with 865 Democratic delegates. Winners of each state will win either delegates proportional to the amounts of votes distributed throughout the different candidates or a candidate can win all the delegates of a state. Victories are crucial everywhere as the political race remains as tight as ever.

 

For the Republican race, a candidate needs 1237 out of the total 2340 delegates to represent the Republican party as the final candidate. Prior to Super Tuesday, Trump leads the race with 82 delegates. Cruz and Rubio are neck in neck with 17 and 16 respectively. Kasich and Carson are staggering behind with 6 and 4 delegates, endangering the longevity of their campaigns. Trump, despite his constant media and public backlash, remains heavily on top. However, both Rubio and Cruz are rising in the polls and have a realistic shot at the nomination. Carson and Kasich are both falling further and further behind, and may drop out to support Cruz or Rubio take down Trump.

 

On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders faces a challenge in combating Hilary’s current lead. Hillary is closing in on the nomination with 544 versus Bernie’s 85. A total of 2383 is required to secure the Democratic candidacy.  However, it is important to note the difference between a pledged delegate and a superdelegate. Exclusive to the Democratic party, superdelegates are delegates that can switch candidates depending on how campaigns turn out. A pledged delegate will be pledged to one side, regardless of how campaigns turn. This is crucial in truly understanding Hillary’s lead and not counting Bernie Sanders out just yet. Of Hillary’s 544 delegates, a whopping 453 are superdelegates. Of Bernie’s 85 delegates, only 20 are superdelegates. The media is often exaggerating the lead that Hillary Clinton has over Bernie, when the current pledged delegate count is only 91 to 65 in Hillary’s favor. If Bernie can get wins off of pledged candidates today and can garner more support over the next few months, there remains the possibility that he can overcome Hillary. This is a big if, but it is possible.

 

The precinct caucuses will be occurring in numerous places around Rochester, MN. At Willow Creek Middle School, a Democratic caucus will be held. The Republican caucus will be occurring at Mayo High School. Voting officially begins at 7PM. People who will be of voting age by NOvember 2016 are heavily encouraged to participate in this crucial part of determining America’s future leader.

 

The caucuses had a phenomenal turnout this year in Minnesota. Both the Republican and Democratic caucuses were done in similar fashions. Each individual is routed to a different room based on his or her precinct (precincts are determined by house address). From there, each individual is recorded on an attendance sheet and all patiently wait while the room supervisor works his or her way in addressing all the rules. Then, the supervisor calls upon for audible votes in directing the procedures of the caucus. Voters in the room quickly voted “Ay” on all issues in order to proceed to the Presidential surveys as quickly as possible. After the surveys, most voters left to go on with their day and watch the results unfold.

 

The results of Super Tuesday nationwide helped candidates from both parties accrue a bigger following. The frontrunners remain the same, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. However, the race is far from over. As of March 8th, 2016, Clinton has 1134 delegates and Bernie is trailing behind with 499. Trump’s lead is shrinking, despite having 384 delegates, Crus is catching up with 300, Rubio with 151, and Kasich with 37. Dr. Ben Carson has dropped out of the race.
The country will be undergoing a major change in leadership as Obama’s final term is ending. Despite caucuses being over, there are still ways to get involved with the campaigns. It is important for the youth of the nation to be educated in how the game of politics in our country operates as they progress into adulthood. No matter who or what you support, go out there and get involved.