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Who can beat Donald Trump in the 2020 US election? The opposition Democrats primaries begin Monday in the state of Iowa.
- Primaries begin February 3 in Iowa
- Democrats are looking for Trump challengers
- Choice in Iowa is very important
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Washington – On Sunday all of America will look to Florida. The most important sporting event of the year in the USA is on the program in Miami. Almost 100 million people will be watching the Super Bowl, the NFL football final between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
A day later, another state will be the focus of interest. And one that only has a little more than three million people at home. In Iowa, lost in the Midwest, traditionally the primaries for the US presidential election begin. This year marks the start of the Democrats’ search for the challenger from Donald Trump.
Iowa: A caucus for candidate voting
The Democratic candidate race starts with a primitive form of grassroots democracy: a so-called Caucus. Unlike usual, this is done literally with the feet. Party members come together in almost 1,700 places – schools, churches, libraries, sports halls or even living rooms. They then stand in a corner marked with the name of their favorite. So there is no secret of the election, on the contrary: there is lively discussion and voters can try to get others to their side.
Two ballots will be held. If less than 15 percent of those present are grouped in a corner in the first ballot, their votes are invalid. However, you can join another camp in the second ballot or try to make new alliances. The election results from all assembly locations are ultimately converted into delegate votes using a complicated key.
Iowa has an enormous influence on the further course of the primaries
The Iowa area code designates only 41 national delegates – just a fraction of the 3979 national delegates. Nevertheless, the caucus is of enormous importance: It has a decisive influence on the dynamics of the further course of the pre-election process. Those who do well in Iowa will get a boost for the next primaries. That was among other things in 2008 Barack Obama so.
Starting in Iowa: A Controversial Tradition
The great importance of Iowa is not undisputed, especially because the state has a predominantly white population and is characterized by agriculture. It is therefore not representative of the USA. However, state primacy has a long history and dates back to 1972, when the Democratic Party of Iowa first held its primary election in January. The Republicans followed suit four years later. Iowa later legislated for the state to hold the first presidential area code.
Candidate field of the Democrats
- Michael Bennet, Senator aus Colorado
- Joe Biden *, former US Vice President
- Michael Bloomberg, former New York Mayor
- Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana
- John Delaney, Congressman from Maryland
- Tulsi Gabbard, Congressman from Hawaii
- Amy Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota
- Deval Patrick, former Massachusetts Governor
- Bernie Sanders, Vermont Senator
- Tom steyer, Hedgefund Manager
- Elizabeth Warren *, Senator from Massachusetts
- Andrew Yang, Entrepreneurs
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Republican candidate field
The Republican candidate has basically long been determined; US President Donald Trump announced his candidacy on the day of his inauguration in 2017. Later he added his new campaign slogan: “Keep America Great”, in German something like: Make sure America stays great. Trump entered the 2016 election with the slogan “Make America Great Again”. Trump called this the best campaign slogan in history.
Trump’s renewed candidacy does not mean that he cannot be challenged by the Republican side. There are actually opposing candidates, namely:
- Roque de la Fuente, Businessman from California
- Joe Walsh, former Illinois Congressman
- Bill Weld, Former Massachusetts Governor
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US primaries
Before the election of the US president, there is the preliminary decision. A candidate needs an absolute majority of delegate votes for nomination at the party congress. Delegates are awarded proportionally at the congressional electoral district level (65%) and at the state level (35%) with a 15% threshold. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority in the first ballot, around 771 so-called super delegates (DNC members, party leaders, governors, senators and MPs) are also entitled to vote in the following ballots.
Dates of the US primaries for 2020
- February 3, 2020: Iowa Area Code (41 delegates)
- 11. Februar 2020: New Hampshire (24)
- 22. Februar 2020: Nevada (36)
- 29. Februar 2020: South Carolina (54)
- 3. März 2020: Super Tuesday: Alabama (52), American Samoa (6), Arkansas (31), Colorado (67), „Demokraten im Ausland“ (13, Kalifornien (416), Maine (24), Massachusetts (91), Minnesota (75), North Carolina (110), Oklahoma (37), Tennessee (64), Texas (228), Utah (29), Vermont (16), Virginia (99)
- 10. März 2020: Idaho (20), Michigan (125), Mississippi (36), Missouri (68), North Dakota (14), Washington (89)
- March 14, 2020: Northern Marianas (6)
- 17. März 2020: Arizona (67), Florida (219), Illinois (155), Ohio (136)
- March 24, 2020: Georgia (105)
- March 29, 2020: Puerto Rico (51)
- 4. April 2020: Alaska (15), Hawaii (24), Louisiana (54), Wyoming (14)
- 7. April 2020: Wisconsin (84)
- 28. April 2020: Connecticut (60), Delaware (21), Maryland (96), New York (273), Pennsylvania (186), Rhode Island (26)
- 2. Mai 2020: Guam (7), Kansas (39)
- May 5, 2020: Indiana (82)
- 12. Mai 2020: Nebraska (29), West Virginia (28)
- 19. Mai 2020: Kentucky (54), Oregon (61)
- 2. Juni 2020: Montana (19), New Jersey (126), New Mexico (34), South Dakota (16), Washington, D.C. (20)
- June 6, 2020: Virgin Islands (7)
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(cs/afp)
The Super Bowl turns into a battle between Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg: the mega football event is just one example of the massive politicization of sport *. Its independence, which the US president long swore, is over.
The Democrats started the US primaries. In Iowa, Pete Buttigieg seems to have prevailed against Bernie Sanders.
* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network.
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