One race down

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a candidate. 

With Tuesday’s landslide victory for Trump and Ted Cruz’s subsequent bowing out from the race the Republican Party is now set for nearly six months of campaign toward getting your vote for presidential hopeful Donald John Trump. 

For the last few weeks, Kasich and Cruz were hoping to block Trump from getting the nomination, thinking they could win a floor fight at the convention. 

Cruz even went so far as to nominate a vice president candidate, Fiorina, in hopes of collecting more women and tech voters. 

With Cruz dropping out and Kasich considering dropping at the time I write this, expect a Trump VP candidate to be announced at the convention next month.  

On the other side Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continue the bloody battle for the Democratic nomination. 

Why is this still going on while the Republicans have claimed their nominee? 

The answer may be in the states that have voted so far. 

Every red state that will likely vote for Trump in the national Presidential election with more than a handful of votes have already voted. 

The liberal powerhouse state, California, has yet to vote for their primary, nor has its left leaning neighbor to the north, Oregon. 

New Jersey has also yet to vote. Why is this important?

Three states that typically vote blue have over 600 votes: California has 496, Oregon has 67, and New Jersey has 131. 

Now of the remaining 1191 primary votes Clinton just needs 15% to claim the nomination while Sanders needs 78% of the total votes. 

While the chances are slim, Clinton’s favored super delegates (governors, senators, congressmen and DNC party members) have for the most part already pledged their part so are few of these remaining votes are from distinguished party leaders. 

Clinton may be close but an upset isn’t unheard of. 

Technically the candidate is decided in the national convention, the Democratic one being held in Philadelphia July 25-28. 

The vote is often just a formality, but in 2012 the Republican nomination still had some straggling hopefuls holding onto the race and an official vote had to be tallied to give Mitt Romney the nomination. 

What happens if Sanders loses the state to state votes but holds on until the convention? 

Well, super delegates could change their minds. 

Electors, the ones that go to the convention to tell the party the vote you cast, aren’t even obligated to maintain that vote at the convention. 

Things like announcing running mates and any potential scandalous information might change the minds of the electorate voters. 

As we head to a summer and fall of more politics, what can be said of this election? 

One of the most startling things might be the power of people who we don’t usually think of as major political players. 

Underdog Sanders has been able to hold his own against a legacy candidate like Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump, a personality with no political precedence, has been able to rally voters to get him halfway to the Presidency. 

Will the issues that this primary season has brought up continue to be issues? Claims of election fraud, especially in Arizona’s Maricopa County where the press announced a winner hours before lines of people were even able to get to the polls, may continue to haunt this and future elections. 

Media coverage will also be considerably considered for campaign reform, as will Citizen’s United and the role of corporations in politics. 

As we head to the Election Day remember to watch the debates, evaluate all positions, and vote not just for President but for state and local elections as well.