Friday, February 12, 2016
New Hampshire was not the proving ground we hoped for
The New Hampshire primary was supposed to solve the mess of presidential candidates. That didn't happen.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders easily won their party’s respective primaries as voters headed to the polls. After Trump and Ohio Governor John Kasich, however, the Republican side still remains crowded with the next three candidates – Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio – each mustering around 11 percent of the vote. Even in the face of a commanding win by Trump, Republican voters still seem to be searching for an “establishment” candidate to challenge the real estate mogul and still seem highly undecided on whom, among the collection of Governors and Senators, it should be.
The only thing we know with relative certainty is that it will not be New Jersey governor Chris Christie or former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina, who have both suspended their bids for president after only mustering six and seventh-place finishes in New Hampshire, respectivally.
Moving into the upcoming primary contests in the next couple of weeks, voters and political observers alike will no doubt still be watching to see if Trump can continue to assert his dominance in the polls and ballot box, whether Kasich can capitalize on his momentum, or another candidate can break away from the pack to become a favorite to win the nomination.
A fierce battle has been brewing amongst GOP moderates thus far, and it looks set to explode in South Carolina and Nevada.
On the far less crowded Democratic side, Vermont Senator Bernie Sander’s commanding 22-point win over favorite Hillary Clinton also points to a nominating contest that is far from over.
