This Weekend in Politics

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Julia Nall

Stay updated this political season with Prospective Online’s consistent coverage of the 2016 presidential election.

Julia Nall, Print Editor

The Democratic caucuses in Nevada ended in a slim victory for Hillary Clinton, who is expected to leave the state with 18 more delegates. According to the Associated Press, Clinton has at least 501 delegates and superdelegates while Sanders has at least 69, despite a near tie in Iowa, a 22% lead for Sanders in New Hampshire and slight 5.3% lead by Clinton in Nevada. Superdelegates are party leaders and elected officials who make up a fifth of the Democratic convention. While no delegates are required to vote as their state does, many pledge to support a certain delegate. However, some can remain unpledged, adding to the complexity of the campaign process. Clinton also had a superdelegate lead in 2008 before losing the nomination to President Barack Obama; albeit, this year her lead is considerably stronger.

Both Democratic campaigns are reporting that they are happy with Nevada’s results.

The Republican caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 23.

Meanwhile, Republicans held primaries in South Carolina, where Trump won all but three counties. Trump gained 50 delegates from the winner-take-all state with 32.5% of the vote. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio trailed behind with 22.5% and 22.3%, respectively. Jeb Bush, after coming in fourth, announced that he would be suspending his campaign.

The South Carolina Democratic primary will be Feb. 27.