Four Caucuses And A Primary: What To Watch For In Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine and Nebraska

Top row, from left: Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, John Kasich; Bottom row, from left: Marco Rubio, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump. (All photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Written by Michael Sol Warren

Super Tuesday is in the past but the presidential primaries keep rolling along. Today five more states head to the polls. Here’s what to watch for.

General

Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine and Nebraska are all hosting primary contests today. Louisiana is the only one of the five holding a primary election; the other four states use the caucus system. Kansas and Louisiana are both Democratic and Republican races today; Kentucky and Maine are only Republican while Nebraska is only Democratic.

Democrats

There are 109* delegates up for grabs today in the Democratic race. This breaks down into 33 delegates for Kansas, 51 delegates for Louisiana and 25 delegates for Nebraska. A candidate must win a total of 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Hillary Clinton

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads the Democratic race with 609 delegates. Clinton is favored over Bernie Sanders in most states across the nation, but this advantage is especially strong in the south. Louisiana is Clinton’s safest bet today.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has endorsed Clinton.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Clinton has a 99 percent chance of winning Louisiana.

Clinton’s website | Clinton’s Facebook page | Clinton’s Twitter account

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Bernie Sanders

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is second in the Democratic race with 412 delegates. Sanders had a surprise win in Oklahoma on Super Tuesday; he’ll be doing well if he can carry some regional momentum into Kansas and Nebraska.

Sanders’ website | Sanders’ Facebook page | Sanders’ Twitter account

Republicans

There are 149 delegates at stake today in the Republican race. This breaks down into 40 delegates for Kansas, 43 delegates for Kentucky, 43 delegates for Louisiana and 23 delegates for Maine. A candidate must win a total of 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson announced the suspension of his campaign yesterday, leaving four candidates in the Republican race.

GOP front-runner, Donald Trump.

GOP front-runner, Donald Trump.

Donald Trump

New York businessman Donald Trump leads the Republican race with 338 delegates. At this point, Trump should be favored to win in every state until something changes.

Maine Governor Paul LePage has endorsed Trump.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Trump has a 95 percent chance of winning Louisiana and a 51 percent chance of winning Kansas.

Trump’s website | Trump’s Facebook page | Trump’s Twitter account

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Ted Cruz

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is second in the Republican race with 236 delegates. Cruz proved on Super Tuesday that his win in Iowas was not a fluke after he picked up three more states (Alaska, Oklahoma and Texas). His best chance to steal another win today is in Kansas.

Cruz’s website | Cruz’s Facebook page | Cruz’s Twitter account

(Wikimedia Commons)

(Wikimedia Commons)

Marco Rubio

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is third in the Republican race with 112 delegates. Rubio finally picked up his first state of the race on Super Tuesday when he won Minnesota. Don’t expect him to add another state today.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Kansas Senator Pat Roberts have both endorsed Rubio.

Rubio’s website | Rubio’s Facebook page | Rubio’s Twitter account

(Wikimedia Commons)

(Wikimedia Commons)

John Kasich

Ohio Governor John Kasich is fourth in the Republican race with 27 delegates. Kasich has had very strong showings in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont up to this point. Maine is his next chance to finally win a state in New England.

Kasich’s website | Kasich’s Facebook page | Kasich’s Twitter account

 

*Delegate numbers in this article only account for pledged delegates. Unpledged “superdelegates” are not included because they can switch commitment at any point before the party convention.

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