First state election: Hillary loses, Trump takes second

The race to be the next President of the United States intensified following the first state election in Iowa yesterday.

Hillary Clinton, who many expected to roundly beat challenger Bernie Sanders, finished in a statistical tie with Sanders – a loss for her in practical terms. This is not a good sign for Hillary’s prospects going forward, and reflects the integrity and honesty issues around her handling of classified email.  My previous summary of that issue is here.

Donald Trump posted a second place finish behind conservative Ted Cruz, but only by a small margin. That finish is a blow to Trump, but only shows how truly competitive the race is now. Some here in America attribute Cruz’s win to his time spent in Iowa directly speaking with voters around the state. Trump took a light-touch approach, flying in for large rallies, but not spending significant time in the state.

The New York Times has some good info graphics showing the results of the race, found here.

Trump has gone quiet on Twitter since the voting started Monday evening. I’m curious to see how he positions himself against the loss and for the next state primary election, Feb. 9 in New Hampshire.

A note on delegates: The USA election process includes a feature known as the electoral college. Candidates win delegates to the electoral college based on their proportion of the vote won in state elections. (It’s more complex than this, but you get the idea.) The ultimate goal is to win more delegates than your competitors. This electoral college result actually supersedes the popular vote of the people.