Politics –
Iowa Caucus 2016 – A Huge Upset!
And they’re off! Monday’s Iowa Caucus officially kicked off the 2016 election season with a series of upsets.
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Republican presidential candidate and Christian conservative Ted Cruz pulled off a surprise upset, besting frontrunner and expected winner, Donald Trump.
As of midnight, Cruz claimed victory in the Iowa Caucus with 28% of the GOP vote. Interestingly, Donald Trump came in second with 24%, while Marco Rubio made a surprise showing with 23%. The remaining candidates weren’t even close, with Ben Carson at 9% and Rand Paul at 4.5%. The poor showing of the other Republicans created the first casualty of the night, with Mike Huckabee accepting defeat and dropping out of the race. Monday’s results could further trim the list of candidates, possibly forcing Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and a host of others to also rethink their political aspirations.
On the Democratic side, the Iowa Caucus was an absolute nail biter. As of midnight, the Democrats were in a virtual tie. Hillary Clinton was in the lead by a whisper with just 49.9%, while Bernie Sanders was on her heels at 49.5%. Martin O’Malley was distantly invisible, garnering only 0.6 of the vote and accepting the writing on the wall.
“Tonight I have to tell you that I am ending this presidential bid,” O’Malley told the crowd with a twinge of sadness in his voice. His exit now makes the Democratic contest a genuine 2 person race.
With the Iowa Caucus far too close to call, Hillary Clinton could not make the victory speech she had hoped to make. Still, she spoke optimistically to her crowd of supporters.
“As I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief — thank you, Iowa — I want you to know I will keep doing what I have been doing my entire life,” Mrs. Clinton said as former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea stood by her side. “I will keep standing for you. I will keep fighting for you.”
The grassroots campaign from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders paid off and garnered him a huge win. Entering the contest a distant second, the Iowa Caucus provided Sanders with the exact amount of delegates as Hillary Clinton, which was unexpected. The underdog candidate celebrated big but cautiously.
“Tonight, while the results are still not known, it looks like we are in a virtual tie,” Sanders said in his remarks. “While the results are not complete, it looks like we will have about half of the Iowa delegates,” he added as his supporters shouted “Feel The Bern.”
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A jubilant Ted Cruz was also able to celebrate an unexpected victory.
“The Republican nominee and the next President of the United States will not be chosen by the media,” Cruz told a crowd of cheering supporters in Des Moines. “Will not be chosen by the Washington establishment. Will not be chosen by the lobbyists.”
“Whatever Washington says, they cannot keep the people down,” Cruz continued. “Courageous conservatives said, ‘yes we can.’”
Visibly uncomfortable with the unfamiliar spot of second place, a relatively humble Donald Trump gave a somewhat somber and muted speech to his Iowa Caucus supporters.
“We finished second, and I want to tell you something. I’m honored – I’m just honored,” Trump said while conceding defeat and congratulating “Ted” on his victory. He then added, “We will go on to win the Republican nomination and we will easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up there.”
Political analysts predict that if Trump is unable to win next week in New Hampshire and Marco Rubio is able to squeak out a win as expected, Trump will no longer be seen as a winner and could be in deep trouble for the nomination.
The Iowa Caucus provided both good news and bad news for both political parties. According to Edison Research, the good news went to Republicans who learned that turnout for their caucuses was at an all time high of 185,000. However, the bad news for everyone was that it was an awful night for the political establishment.
Republican voters completely shunned establishment candidates such as Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina, in favor of fringe candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. The news was equally bad for the Hillary Clinton campaign, as voters proved they are not as emotionally connected to her as they are to Bernie Sanders.
Nevertheless, both the Republican and Democratic parties have a lot to figure out as the 2016 political race is now in session.
Could NOT wait to get here and read your post this morning DJ….Lol. So let's recap the American news media narrative for at least the past 2 months (especially cable news and in particular CNN and MSNBC): Bernie Sanders (with his crowds size and as per the polls) was on the verge of causing a "major Upset" by beating Hillary in Iowa. Did Bernie come close? Yes he did. Mighty close. But in the end Hillary managed to win in a photo finish. And now the fight is really on…which I believe will serve her well. "Inevitability" has been her worse enemy. Thanks to Bernie's rise she will now have to really buckle down and fight for the nomination. Bernie may win New Hampshire outright. But I'm confident Hillary will win the nomination. Now….on the Republican side……. For months, it's been nothing but FREE media for Trump, 24/7, courtesy of… Read more »