Monday night’s caucus was filled with high turnouts and high stakes. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas claimed victory over Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, while the Democratic nominees were left in a “virtual tie” by the end of the night.
Senator Ted Cruz started at the back of the pack in September, appearing as an unlikely contender for the Republican nomination. With frontrunner Donald Trump leading drastically in the polls, he capitalized on the views of the religious and social conservatives to gain support.
“Tonight is a victory for the grass roots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation,” Cruz told his supporters at his campaign’s headquarters last night. “…the Republican nominee and the next president of the United States will not be chosen by the media, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment, will not be chosen by the lobbyists.”
Breathing a big sigh of relief is Hillary Clinton, who was just announced this afternoon to be the Democratic winner of Iowa Caucus. Last year, it was prospected that she was the clear front-runner. With Bernie Sanders strong political stances on economic inequalities for the middle class, he slowly started gaining popularity leading up to voting on Monday night.
Bernie supports narrowed the margin between the two candidates in the polls, maintaining the advantage in New Hampshire, days before the primary.
All eyes, however, were on Donald Trump and his failure to come out on top. Halfway through the votes being counted, his early lead began to fade as a new, unexpected candidate came from behind. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, after coming in third place was the rising candidate of the caucus. Being within one percent of Donald Trump, the race is just as tight for the Republicans as it is for the Democrats.
