Iowa is the first state in the United States presidential elections to cast its primary votes. Even though Iowa only provides about 1 percent of the nation’s delegates, the results of the Iowa Caucus are valued because they are the first indicator of which presidential candidates have the most support. The winner generally receives an increase in donations and greater support.

theodysseyonline.com

The days leading up to the caucus were tense in the democratic world. There was a lot of discussion on whether Sanders could lead in front of Clinton, or whether she could take him by surprise. Hillary Clinton was declared the winner of the Democratic Iowa Caucus with 49.9% of the vote, with 23 delegates. Bernie Sanders, who was second by a razor thin margin received 49.6% of the vote, with 21 delegates. Martin O’Malley received 0.6% of the vote with zero delegates. The Democratic presidential candidates faced a very close decision in the Iowa Caucus in the 2016 Presidential Election. The democratic contenders were Hillary Clinton, Bernard “Bernie” Sanders, and Martin O’Malley. Clinton is a former Secretary of State, and ran for president in the 2008 election as well. Sanders is a junior United States Senator from Vermont and has previously been a member of the House of Representatives and the mayor of Burlington. O’Malley was the Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015, and ended his presidential campaign after failing to gain traction in the Iowa Caucus.

www.alternet.org

More than 180,000 caucus goers made their to the caucus to vote for one of the 12 Republican candidates showcased on the Iowa ballot, making it a record breaking night, surpassing 2012’s previously held record of 121,503 voters. Entering the caucus, business mogul Donald Trump, led the final poll published by the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg with 28 percent. Just behind him, Senator Ted Cruz sat with 23 percent and Senator Marco Rubio with 15. Despite Trump’s lead in pre-caucus polls, Cruz was able to prevail with a much needed upset victory to top Trump with 51,666 votes receiving 8 delegates to Trump’s 45,427 with 7 delegates. Marco Rubio enjoyed a late surge to follow just behind Trump with 43,165 votes and 7 delegates. Cruz’s success can be accredited to a strong support base amongst religious and socially conservative voters, to overshadow the massive audiences the Trump campaign has been able to amass across Iowa and the country as a whole. However, following Cruz’s victory, questions have been raised on his ethics. Prior to the caucus, the Cruz campaign handed out flyers giving voters false grades based on their political activity, along with their neighbors’ grades in order to encourage a higher turnout. Furthermore, while the polls remained open, the Cruz campaign released a statement formulating rumors that Dr. Ben Carson had dropped out of the race. Trump was quick to accuse Cruz of deceiving votes by tweeting, “Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa, he stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong and why he got far more votes than anticipated. Bad!” He continued, “During primetime of the Iowa Caucus, Cruz put out a release that @RealBenCarson was quitting the race, and to caucus (or vote) for Cruz.” After failing to make an impact in Iowa, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, each announced the termination of campaigns.

Donald Trump Pictures – Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally in … www.zimbio.com

Overall, the results from each party’s caucus point to a continued antiestablish sentiment resonating within each of the parties, as political outsiders continue dominate the ballot box. The remaining candidates will make their way to New Hampshire for the nation’s first primary of this 2016 election season. Donald Trump remains the Republican frontrunner in New Hampshire with a 17 point edge over Marco Rubio, 33%-16%, while Ted Cruz stands at 14%. On the Democratic side, polls show Bernie Sanders ahead of Hillary Clinton with an average of 13 percentage points.

www.washingtonpost.com

The next primary will be held on Tuesday, February 9th in New Hampshire. As of Monday, February 8th, Bernie Sanders has a double digit lead in polls over Hillary Clinton, however,  the final results will only be available after the actual caucus.
If you are over eighteen and have not yet, make sure to head down to the secretary of state to register to vote in the Michigan presidential primaries! You must register by February 8th, 2016 to vote in the primary on March 8th, 2016.