Super Tuesday is seen as a key turning point in most presidential campaigns and narrows the field.
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| Donald Trump is expected to dominate among Republicans: he is currently polling at 37.5 percent |
Super Tuesday is the name given to the day when the largest number of US states are given the chance to cast votes for Republican and Democratic candidates. It is usually seen as a turning point in most presidential
campaigns, and a key indicator as to who the nominees will be from each
party. It narrows the field.
No doubt, it will clarify the future of the five remaining
Republican candidates - Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, John
Kasich, and Marco Rubio. On March 1, a total of 12 states and one
territory will hold their respective primaries or caucuses.
Super Tuesday and who gets left behind
For both Republicans and Democrats, Super
Tuesday comes down to amassing delegates. For Republicans, 595
delegates are at stake. For Democrats, there are 1,004. Considering
Republican candidates need 1,237 delegates to win the party's nomination
and Democrats need 2,383, Super Tuesday is one of the most important
days in the US presidential election.
This year there is an expanded cast of Super Tuesday states.
Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas have joined Super Tuesday, and Minnesota
has also scheduled its primary on the same date.
In short, Super
Tuesday, which covers a broad swath of the United States - and politics
of all persuasions - is a potent realisation of both the economic
staying power and organisational skills of all of the candidates.
For Democrats, this will mean a real
stress test for grassroots campaigns, such as the one currently being
run by Bernie Sanders. Large primary events such as Super Tuesday
inevitably favour well-funded candidates like his rival Hillary Clinton.
Within the ranks of the Republicans, only Donald Trump,
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio remain viable candidates for Super Tuesday and
beyond. Senator Cruz's home state of Texas is holding one of the
primaries on March 1, and Cruz is relying on strong evangelic support.
Trump, of course, is expected to dominate: he is currently polling at 37.5 percent. Rubio is considered the party's compromise candidate.
Super Tuesday delegate system
More delegates can be won on Super Tuesday than any other
day of the election. Candidates will receive delegates based on the
percentage of votes they receive. In Alabama, Republican candidates will
be competing for 50 delegates. Sanders and Clinton are competing for
60.
The biggest Super Tuesday trophy for candidates in both fields is
Texas, which offers 155 delegates to Republicans and 252 delegates to
Democrats.
Donald Trump and the GOP scramble for survival
In their battle to outflank each other and become the main rival to Donald Trump, Super Tuesday is a battle over fundraising
for both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. So far, Cruz has proven to be more
popular with donors. He entered this month with more than twice the
amount of money than Rubio.
The Texas Senator has also consistently
out-fundraised Rubio in the 11 states that will stage Super Tuesday.
Last month, Cruz raised more than $1.8 million from Super Tuesday
battlegrounds – in comparison, Rubio raised around half that amount,
$774,000.
The aftermath
It has been widely predicted the GOP
field will narrow after Super Tueday and either Kasich or Carson – or
possibly both – will have to withdraw from the race.
The remaining
candidates have large primaries ahead of them, including Florida,
Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri, on March 15. New York will vote
on April 19 after which there is another multi-state primary on June 7
when California, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey and the Dakotas vote.
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