Iowa Caucus Thrusts Itself into Tight Campaign

By Zachary Spitz

Feb. 2, 2016

On Monday, after months of vigorous campaigning across the state of Iowa, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wascame out on the receiving end of a massive caucus.

After taking a larger share of the caucus than his Republican rivals Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Cruz declared victory, exulting that “the path to the nomination may be long and hard, but today the caucus brought us so much closer to finishing!”

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton edged Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in a three-way race that lasted all evening. In a speech to her supporters, she commended him: “I never thought that Bernie would be so livelyvirile, but that man’s got spunk!”

In response, Sanders spoke to his fervent followers at a precinct in Des Moines: “The people of Iowa know that it’s not how long your resume is; it’s how you use it! And, ladies and gentlemen, I used it well!”

Former Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland, the third Democratic candidate, pulled out of the contest early on. He remarked, “That caucus was simply ovunderwhelming. I blew it.”

As the tension built up towards Monday’s climax, experts noted a surge in young and first-time caucus participants. Excited crowds spilled out into the streets as candidates made their final pushes to force Iowans to come and vote.

Annabelle Jameson, a freshman at Drake University, said, “This is my first time getting involved with the caucus. I’ve seen videos of it online before, but now I get to experience it for myself!”

As the caucus was wrapped up in one Dubuque precinct, local pastor John Hartman told reporters, “This caucus was by far the most exhilarating I’ve ever seen. I never thought I’d enjoy a caucus this much!”

Though the caucus was particularly satisfying for Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania in 2012, it was out of his grasp this time. His campaign is now deep in the hole; will the caucus cause Santorum to drop out?