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February 3rd, 2016 
Awake Goy 
Iowa caucus results, clockwise beginning top right: Democrat winner, Democrat second place, Republican winner, Republican second place
The Iowa caucuses are a done deal! The results are in, and the presidential candidates have packed up and moved on to New Hampshire (NH) to face new challenges.
In Iowa, Donald Trump was humbled, coming in second to Ted Cruz, who took the Republican win and a giant share of the limelight. But wait a minute! Perhaps Cruz equally shared the limelight with Marco Rubio. In fact, many political observers have declared Rubio to be the big winner of the night: in that his third place finish was a very impressive showing of strength among the Christian conservatives and to some extent among younger voters. Observers contend that as a result of Rubio’s performance the establishment might well line up behind him, since he is more acceptable to them than is Cruz. Both Cruz and Rubio had effective on-site organizations (ground games) and media campaigns, and displayed the necessary political acumen to stay the course. With over 99 % of the vote in, the Republican top five lineup is: Ted Cruz 28 %, Donald Trump 24 %, Marco Rubio 23 %, Ben Carson 9 %, and Jeb Bush 5 %.
On the Democrat turf, the caucus results were so close that most are calling the contest a virtual tie: Hillary Clinton 49.9 % and Bernie Sanders 49.5 %. Martin O’Malley, the third candidate in the running, finished with some .6 % of the vote; and before the evening was over, O’Malley announced that he was suspending his candidacy. In analyzing these statistics and the surrounding events, it is evident that the Clinton campaign was a bit depressed by the results, while the Sanders campaign celebrated with increased expectation of preserving momentum and capturing the Democrat nomination.
Bernie Sanders, being the Senator from the adjoining state of Vermont, is a kind of favorite son of New Hampshire, the site of the second presidential runoff contest. This fact, along with his progressive message, has put Sanders out in front of Hillary Clinton by double digits – Sanders 59 %, Clinton 39 %. Very few political experts believe that Clinton has a real chance to win New Hampshire, but they say that she could significantly close the gap—and that is the big challenge for her in the Granite State. Clinton must convince the electorate that her qualifications and vision are superior to that of Sanders: she has to articulate a mature strategy of how to move the country steadily and responsibly forward. Sanders, on the other hand, with his democratic-socialist agenda, has to maintain the enthusiasm of the liberal younger white voter and find a way to win over a sizeable number of African-Americans and Hispanics to his camp.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump has for weeks been the front-runner in New Hampshire. But can he overcome the setback of Iowa and continue his charismatic appeal to the large block of working class white voters and conservatives as he has done in the past? It is really a new day for Trump, and some believe that if he does not win the New Hampshire primary his candidacy is over. Both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio need to do well in New Hampshire in order to keep their perspective bright for winning the nomination. They are both appealing primarily to much the same slice of the Republican electorate: conservative white middle class voters who want a stable, predictable future. The big challenge for Cruz is to become more acceptable to the leaders of the party, while holding on to his voters who are in rebellion against the establishment. Rubio must simply show that he can win: the Party leaders appear to be moving toward him. Of course, in the general election, anyone who is the Republican candidate is going to have to win over a significant number of African-American and Hispanic voters.
And so the gauntlet has been cast! The battle of New Hampshire is on! The date of the NH Primary is February 9, 2016. And the question is: When the dust settles, who will still be standing?
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Source Article from http://politicalblindspot.com/new-political-challenges-for-candidates-in-new-hampshire/
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