With Giffords in Iowa, Clinton criticizes Sanders on guns

“If you live in Iowa you basically expect to shake the hand of everybody who is running for president, and it’s a reasonable expectation actually”, she said. Romney was on a roll and had won New Hampshire, en route to the GOP nomination.

There are 4,763 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, so it takes 2,382 to win the nomination.

The decision is more hard for Republican caucus-goers.

While each method has its advantages and disadvantages, the caucus system can be a grueling back and forth, particularly as it is carried out in Iowa. Win here, and a candidate can survive a loss in New Hampshire a few days later. Each party has different rules for caucus meetings. Why not Sanders? “There are just too many people that lived through the Cold War, and when they hear socialist, they hear communist”.

Once first-round votes are tallied, anyone stuck in a group that is not “viable” has the chance to align with a candidate who has passed the threshold.

“The Times editorial board has endorsed her three times for federal office – twice for Senate and once in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary – and is doing so again with confidence and enthusiasm”.

With all the media hype and strong polling numbers of Donald Trump, the Iowa caucus will give us the first clue whether the NY real-estate magnate has been able to convert this support into actual votes. There is no absentee voting, and voters caucus at a specific time in the evening at one of the 1,681 precincts in the state. “He sees that the average person isn’t getting a fair shake, he wants to fight for us”. It may be a strategic vote.

Sanders, meanwhile, has scheduled an event with Dr Cornel West, as well as a Students for Bernie Concert, featuring appearances by Vampire Weekend, Foster The People and actor Josh Hutcherson. Then on March 1, things get serious – it’s Super Tuesday, when 13 states and one territory go to the polls. Political junkies and casual observers alike want to know who will win.

“Hillary really persuaded me talking about the little issues, like mental health and college and things like that”, said 18-year-old Savannah Frye. Barack Obama – who made good on a vow to turn out new voters. The state doesn’t track the race of caucusgoers, but in the last general election, Latino turnout was quote low: 25 percent. I mean, surely Republicans will realize they can not possibly nominate a populist tycoon, with zero experience in government, who vows to round up and expel 11 million people. Delegates – who ultimately decide the primary – are awarded proportionally, based on a complex calculation. These methods include proportional, victor takes all or a hybrid.

But as Putnam points out it doesn’t necessarily work out that way. The least financially secure registered voters were also the least likely to register compared to financially stable individuals (54 percent to 94 percent, respectively) and least likely to vote at only 20 percent turnout in the 2014 midterm elections, according to Pew Research.

For sure, it will vary from state to state. When you ask people, even if they’re not supporting Donald Trump, they will talk about their candidate in relation to Mr. Trump.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Go with presumed favorite, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, veteran of the party power structure?

On the Democratic side, though, the picture is relatively clear.

They seem willing to entrust their hopes of retaining the presidency to a candidate envisioning change far more radical than anything Obama ever dangled before them. The party’s favored candidate is suffering from a wave of voter anger at establishment politics and those voters are turning to a non-traditional candidate who’s better channeling their frustration. These superdelegates are party brass and elected officials, such as senators, members of congress and governors.

The opposite was true as Hillary Clinton delivered an address before a group of Iowans today at Grand View University in Des Moines.