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Outsider candidates upset political landscape
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Iowa was the first state to have its primaries and to the surprise of many, the results were not so clear cut. Donald Trump trailed behind Ted Cruz while Bernie Sanders was in a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton, indicating that both party establishments are facing considerable opposition from outsiders.
On the Republican side, former senator of Texas, Ted Cruz, was the surprise winner with 28 percent of the votes. Despite leading in polls, business mogul Donald Trump trailed behind Cruz with 24 percent of the votes. However, the most surprising turn of events lies in third place. With 23 percent of the votes, the former Florida Senator, Marco Rubio, claimed the third place position.
Unlike Cruz and Trump, Rubio is the most popular establishment Republican. However, Rubio’s performance in Iowa led to his exposure in the Republican debate on Feb. 6 for the New Hampshire primaries as he was challenged on his qualifications as President. For each question that was asked, he only repeated his difference between him and President Barack Obama. In Hampshire, Rubio placed fifth which shows no unity in the established Republican base. The front runner for New Hampshire, Trump, seems to be untouchable with his commanding lead, and that only spells trouble for the establishment.
On the other side, former Vermont senator, Bernie Sanders, was in a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of the State; however, Sanders beat Clinton in New Hampshire by 10 percent. The establishment Democrat has less to worry about because Clinton is projected to take the primaries in the Southern states after New Hampshire.
Nonetheless, the lesson that can be learned from both parties is that establishment politics are facing harsh opposition from political outsiders. From the Iowa primary, it is clear that the outsiders are actually contenders for the candidacy of their respective party.
