Iowa Caucuses Spur Discussion on Campus

Registered Republican and Democratic residents in Iowa met in caucuses in all 1,774 voting precincts to elect delegates to each party this past Monday. Sen. Ted Cruz won 27.6 percent of the Republican vote, receiving eight delegates, while Trump, with 24.3 percent of the vote, and Rubio, with 23.1 percent, both received seven delegates. On the Democratic side, Clinton came out victorious with 49.9 percent of the vote and 23 delegates, closely followed by Sanders who received 49.6 percent of the vote and 21 delegates.The Iowa Caucus is the first major electoral event of the nomination process for the 45th President of the United States. The caucuses have proven to be an early indication of which candidates will go on to win the nomination of the Republican and Democrat parties. In addition to Iowa, 15 other states will hold caucuses to determine presidential nominees. Historically, the Iowa Caucus, as the first one of the series, is famous for its ability to garner massive media coverage and sway the results of the following caucuses. Iowa’s status as a swing state therefore attracted nationwide attention, which in turn has provided momentum for the candidates who received strong support at the event.

“It is disturbing that the Democrat Party has moved so far left that 50 percent of Democrats support his collectivist, anti-American ideals.”

Although only 15 percent of Iowa’s eligible voters attended the Caucus, future primaries are expected to boast higher attendance rates, especially New Hampshire which typically draws 50 percent of voters.According to senior Spencer Burleigh, frequent attendee of Republican Club and an eligible voter in New Hampshire, said the reason behind the poor turnout for caucuses is the two-hour time commitment. Nevertheless, he admitted that he likes the Democrat’s system of voting in caucuses “because it encourages people to vote for people who they truly support.”Clinton’s marginal win over Sanders was not a surprise to many students on campus. Prep Isadora Kron, who identifies as a Democrat, mentioned that Trump’s defeat was unexpected in Iowa, but as for the Democrat results, she wasn’t surprised. “Bernie is a real contender in this election based off of how slim the margin of Clinton’s victory was,” said Kron.Senior Cesar Zamudio, co-head of Democratic club and active Hillary supporter, agreed with Kron, but also suspects Clinton’s win will gain momentum for her campaign. As for the New Hampshire primaries next week, it will be difficult to see who comes out on top asSanders is currently leading by a large factor in the polls. “It will be hard to sway voters; both campaigns are working hard to get the vote out,” said Zamudio.However, several Republicans expressed their embarrassment for the practical tie. Senior Michael Shao argued that Clinton’s 0.3 percent lead was decided almost entirely on luck as several coin tosses are rumored to have decided who received delegates.“Bernie pulled a tremendous victory with the fact that a candidate everybody thought a few months back had zero chance has managed to tie with one of the most established, well funded, well connected candidates,” commented Shao.Upper Matthew Robbins, a co-head of Republican club, agreed with Shao that Clinton, as former Secretary of State, should have gained a larger percentage of the vote over Sanders, a senator from Vermont. “Hillary’s performance was utterly pitiful,” Robbins said.Senior Peter Luff, also a co-head of Republican club, shared Shao’s and Robbins’ critiques of Clinton’s performance. Despite Bernie’s recent strength in polls, Luff believes opposingly that Sanders is unlikely to win the candidacy over Clinton.“[Bernie Sanders] would get slaughtered in the general election,” said Luff. “It is disturbing that the Democrat Party has moved so far left that 50 percent of Democrats support his collectivist, anti-American ideals.”Iowa stumping Trump came as a surprise to most Exonians. However, Burleigh suspected that Rubio’s unexpected boost in numbers came from former Trump supporters. Despite Trump’s wide base of Evangelical voters, his overall drop in support resulted in victory for Cruz, setting him up as a daunting force for the remainder of the nomination process.Senior Sean Taylor agreed with Burleigh, noting that “the biggest winner of the night was Marco Rubio.” Because Rubio had not been polling well in Iowa leading up to the Caucus, his finish in a close third, and most importantly receiving seven delegates, reestablishes him as a strong contender for the Republican nomination. “I think he’s the Republican Party’s best shot at winning the general election,” Taylor added, listing Cruz’s young age and comparatively moderate views as two key reasons.New Hampshire is the first state to hold a primary election within a series of primaries across the nation. Like the Iowa Caucus, it receives extensive media coverage and plays a decisive role in determining a frontrunner. The New Hampshire primary will be held on Monday, Feb. 9, and voters will have the entire day to cast direct ballots for a candidate.In many ways, this primary can set the stage for the rest of the election, as candidates who do poorly will frequently drop out while those who are lesser-known but do well quickly become strong contenders. However, New Hampshire’s influential position in the process is somewhat controversial because the state is not ethnically diverse nor representative of the country’s voters.When New Hampshire holds its primary this upcoming Tuesday, both parties are expected to have tight results. For Democrats in the state, Sanders holds an impressive lead over Clinton. Although Cruz’s win in the Iowa Caucus gains momentum for his campaign, Trump is still leading in New Hampshire by over twenty points.On the same morning of the primaries, Dem club will be hosting a Get Out The Vote event where teams of students, beginning at 5 a.m., drop literature on doorsteps all over the area reminding and encouraging people to vote.