WHO won on “Super Tuesday”? As I write this on March 1, primaries and caucuses were held in a dozen states (and one US territory) to select a presidential candidate in both the Republican and Democratic Party nominating contests this year. In the most recent polls leading up to Super Tuesday, news organizations have projected that GOP front-runner Donald Trump and Democratic Party front-runner Hillary Clinton are on the verge of being coronated as the winners, but let the actual figures after the elections tell the story.
What exactly is “Super Tuesday”?
Politico explained that “Super Tuesday” is the unofficial name for a Tuesday during the presidential primary election when the largest number of states hold their nominating contests.
The results of these contests will account for about half of all delegates that will determine who will be each party’s nominee.
The states choosing their nominee this day were Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia will hold contests for both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans in Alaska will hold caucuses. Democrats in Colorado will hold their caucuses as well. Finally, Democrats in American Samoa also held their nominating contest this Super Tuesday.
Politico explained the significance of Super Tuesday: “No other primary day has as many delegates grouped at once, and thus no other day gives a single candidate as much of a chance to declare a sense of certainty about his or her position.”
The results of Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses will certainly give so much momentum to whomever may win decisively in more states for both parties. Sometimes, many candidates concede and suspend their candidacy, making the frontrunner the apparent nominee until formally coronated during their respective party’s convention. This puts an end to the primaries and caucuses scheduled in other states after Super Tuesday.
But there are times, like in 2008 between candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, when the race was been tight, pushing the scheduled primaries and caucuses to continue in all states to determine the nominee.
No matter what the results of Super Tuesday might be, I hope we have a repeat of the 2008 election process. Citizens in all states must have their voices heard in choosing whom they want to be their party’s nominee. This also gives the voters the opportunity to present their views and aspirations on different issues that may have an impact on how the next president of the United States may stir the country moving forward. This will also energize and motivate citizens from all states to exercise their right of suffrage in the general election in November, after being heavily invested during the primary season.
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
