A Semester Wrap-Up of Election Coverage
As the trek of another semester nears an end, it’s very possible that political engagement might have been pushed to the bottom of the priority list for some students.
Unless personally curating a social media experience of news and updates, this year’s packed schedule of primaries, caucuses, debates and candidates may have been lost in the shuffle of scheduled quizzes, essays and tests.
This is a chance to catch-up on anything missed throughout the semester, see the current situation, and look ahead to what’s left of the campaign trail and upcoming conventions before the general election in November.
Looking Back
Both respective parties began 2016 with debates in South Carolina.
The Republican Party featured a crowded stage of seven prime time candidates: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. An undercard debate for the Republican Party was held the same evening of January 14 featuring Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum after Rand Paul declined an invitation.
Three days later, the Democratic debate included Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O’Malley.
On January 28, Fox News Channel hosted another debate for the Republican Party in which Donald Trump did not attend due to previous confrontations with moderator Megyn Kelly of Fox. This would be the last debate before caucuses and primaries began and included Rand Paul in the prime time debate as well as Jim Gilmore in the undercard.
Iowa was the first state to hold a caucus on Feb. 1, with Ted Cruz winning the most delegates out of the Republicans with eight. Cruz won over Rubio and Trump by just a single delegate but received 27.6% of the popular vote. Clinton won by two delegates over Sanders, 23-21.
The field of candidates quickly started to decrease, as Huckabee and O’Malley suspended their campaigns the night of the Iowa caucuses. Just two days later, Republican candidates Rand Paul and Rick Santorum withdrew their bids.
As primaries carried on, Trump gained momentum heading into Super Tuesday. After Iowa, Trump won the next three states, including winner-take-all South Carolina. Sanders snagged a victory in New Hampshire but Clinton won the remaining states before March 1.
The Republican cast thinned significantly over this same span with Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore and Jeb Bush all pulling out of the race before February ended.
Ted Cruz picked up the biggest Republican win on March 1, earning 104 delegates from Texas. Marco Rubio finally got on the board with his first state win in Minnesota, but Trump took seven states, gaining a sizeable lead over his competition.
The Democratic Party was much closer on the day, with Clinton edging out Sanders’ final delegate count 519-359.
Without a win to this point, Ben Carson skipped the Republican debate on March 3 and dropped out of the running on March 4.
The Republican race became a lot tighter after Carson’s suspended campaign, with Trump (five wins), Cruz (four wins) and Rubio (two wins) all picking up delegates over the next primaries.
During this same period March 5-12, Clinton outgained Sanders in delegates 160-140 despite Sanders winning the majority of the states.
The races get streaky once March 15 rolls around. Clinton swept the Democratic primaries, winning Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Trump took the majority of all states on March 15 except for Ohio, which Ohio Governor John Kasich won the winner-take-all 66 delegates.
Read more about Kasich’s victory here.
After March 15 however, both Cruz and Sanders rattle off big strides after they both lost Arizona. Their wins are still not enough to close the huge margins they trail by.
On April 19, Trump and Clinton take commanding control of their respective parties. Trump has won all seven contests since April 19, earning him 257 delegates and reaching his current total of 1,069. While Clinton won just six of the eight states since April 19, she earned 399 delegates over Sanders’ 320 in this period.
Right Now
Barring any unexpected candidates, Donald Trump is on his way to earning a nomination as the Republican Party’s choice for a presidential campaign. Just 445 delegates remain up for grabs in the Republican contest.
Trump’s success streak over the last few weeks has knocked both John Kasich and Ted Cruz out of the campaign trail. Cruz announced the suspension of his campaign just a week after decalring Carly Fiorina as a running mate.
While Hilary Clinton holds a sizeable lead over Bernie Sanders, the 1,102 remaining delegates leave Sanders with a chance to win the Democratic nomination.
None of the remaining candidates have announced any plans of who could be their potential Vice President in the general election.
Coming Up
Three Democratic caucuses remain: Virgin Islands (June 4), Puerto Rico (June 5) and North Dakota (June 7). Two Democrat only primaries will be held on May 17 in Kentucky and June 14 for the District of Columbia.
Republican’s have two exclusive primaries in Nebraska on May 10 and Washington on May 24.
Both parties have primary elections left in: West Virgina (May 10), Oregon (May 17), California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota (all on June 7).
After the conclusion of all caucuses and primaries, each party will hold a national convention in July.
The Republican National Convention will be held in Cleveland, Ohio from July 18-21. The main event site will be Cleveland’s own Quicken Loans Arena. Information about the event can be found here.
The Democratic National Convention will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from July 25-28. The event’s home page can be found here.
Before the general election on November 8, 2016, you can register to vote three different ways: in person at your local board of elections, by mail, or online at vote.usa.gov.
