Iowa Caucus: What America Learned
The Iowa Caucus proved one thing about the 2016 presidential election, the polls lie.
Heading into the Iowa Caucus, Trump was projected to win and held a lead in the polls. On Monday night, America learned the truth about the 2016 election — it’s an outlier and polls aren’t reliable.
After months of anticipation and sheer confusion over whether or not Trump would actually walk away a winner in Iowa, the Hawkeye state gave Republicans the ability to breathe a sigh of relief and declared Senator Ted Cruz the winner of the Iowa Caucus.
Ted Cruz won the Iowa Caucuses with only 28%, narrowly beating Donald Trump by 4%. Cruz’s win in Iowa was a big deal, not just for the campaign, but for the Republican party who only weeks ago was beside itself at the prospect of having Donald Trump win the nomination.
Leading up to the Iowa Caucuses, Republicans watched as Trump dominated in the polls, drove the media conversation, and packed arenas to the brim with people excited to watch the real estate mogul spew anti-Muslim rhetoric and play off people’s fears all the under the guise of making America great again. But on Monday night, Iowa Caucus-goers sent a message to the establishment that Iowa was not Trump territory, but rather it was Cruz country.
Monday night, gave reassurance that Trump’s bigotry and fearmongering was not loud enough to sway the Hawkeye state. Instead, Iowa Caucusgoers opted to make history by choosing the first Hispanic to win the Iowa Caucus. The Hawkeye state showed the rest of America that it would not succumb to choosing a celebrity over an evangelical candidate who spoke to the values that resonate with Iowa Republicans.
For months, analysts and voters (on both sides of the aisles) have watched in disbelief as Trump appeared to be the untouchable candidate. The momentum Trump endured during his most audacious comments and improbable policy statements. Nothing seemed to slow him down, and then Iowa spoke.
The Iowa Caucus proved two things — polls lie and a ground game is paramount. Trump missed the mark. Cruz had over 130 appearances in the Hawkeye state while Trump had a little over 30. With New Hampshire days away, the polls are showing Trump leading in the Granite State and Marco Rubio in second place, but as everyone learned with Iowa, the polls can be deceiving and Trump supporters are not very reliable. The first in the nation primary will pick up where the Iowa Caucuses left off. Here’s to hoping the Granite State will keep Trump where he belongs, as a first place loser.