2020 Election Update 1/31

Photo Courtesy of USA Today

By Jeremy Perillo

With the Iowa caucus only three days away, the world is anxiously waiting to see how the remaining Democratic Presidential candidates will fair in the primary process. The first of three events in a busy February, Iowa will be crucial to proving a candidate’s longevity in the campaign going forward.

Four days after the Iowa caucus, there will be a debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. The debate is ahead of the New Hampshire primary on February 11. The fact that these two events fall so close to each other is no coincidence, as the candidates make one last push to leave an impression on those voting in the primary. 

Both are considered an early measurement in the national sentiment towards the candidates and are used by candidates to gauge how much more success their campaigns may have. With Bernie Sanders’ recent jump in polls, placing him closely behind Joe Biden, it will be interesting to see how the two fair in the polls following the results of the caucus and primary.

Early Thursday morning, Sanders received a major endorsement, by the 200,000 members-strong American Postal Workers Union. The union also endorsed Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton, and later supported Clinton in the general election against Donald Trump. The endorsement of such a large labor union is something that Sanders’ campaign hopes will be enough to carry him ahead in key states.

Some predictions have Sanders winning all three preliminary primaries/caucuses, with his campaign boasting that if he wins Iowa, he will win all three. While that is certainly possible, it doesn’t mean Sanders will have a sweeping victory throughout the rest of the primary season. Many political scientists believe Biden has the best possibility of winning the nomination.

Within the first two weeks of February, there will be major developments in the Democratic campaigns, in addition to the results of Trump’s impeachment trial. Regardless of whether the President is acquitted or convicted, the results will undoubtedly have a major impact on how the candidates continue their campaigns from that point forward.