Iowa Caucuses results: Fight for the White House begins

[-:Undertaker:-]

US Presidential race begins: Iowa Caucuses results tonight

The first part of the battle for the White House starts today with the Republicans and Democrats in the US state of Iowa

Republican line up with anti-establishment frontrunner Donald Trump centre

DES MOINES, IOWA - For more than a year, presidential candidates have fanned out across Iowa, shaking hands and posing for photos with voters in coffee shops, American Legion halls and libraries, often in towns so small that most Iowans have never heard of them.

The payoff comes Monday when the Iowa caucuses launch the presidential nominating process, giving some candidates a boost and likely ending the White House hopes of others who fare poorly.

The caucuses will start across the state at 7 p.m. CST Monday, with Democrats gathering at 1,100 locations and Republicans joining at nearly 900 spots. The length of each meeting can vary depending on turnout, with delays in voting possible if volunteers must struggle to record long lines of participants. The caucuses are run by the parties, not state or county elections officials.

The Republican race has been dominated by US billionaire and celebrity Donald Trump who has funded his own campaign shunning party donors. Original favourites for the Republican nomination such as Govenor Jeb Bush and Senator Rand Paul have been swept away with the rise of Donald Trump with both falling to single digit polling figures. The focus now is on the three-way battle between Mr Trump, Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Marco Rubio.

Democratic line-up with anti-establishment Bernie Sanders who now poses a real challenge to Hilary Clinton

The Democratic Party faces a choice of who to nominate for the US Presidency in 2016 given current President Barack Obama is not allowed to run again having served two terms in office. Originally thought to be an easy run for Hilary Clinton, polling has picked up a challenge from Congressman Bernie Sanders who is very much to the left of the party and has an untainted record which Clinton is battling with. Comparisons have been made with the British Labour leadership contest in 2015 where the outsider Jeremy Corbyn managed to win the party leadership via members despite the party being against him: much like Donald Trump and the Republicans. Can Sanders and Trump pull it off? Much depends on Iowa.

Back again: Former Presidential candidate Ron Paul lands in Iowa to support son's faltering presidential bid

For about 20 minutes, it was as though Iowans had gone back in time four or even eight years. There he was on stage in a University of Iowa ballroom, students overflowing out of the room and chants of “President Paul” echoing through the hallways.

Ron Paul was back.

The two-time competitor for the Republicans’ presidential campaign introduced his son, Rand Paul, who is trying to finish what his father started with campaigns in 2008 and 2012. On the eve of Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, Ron Paul made his first political speech in Rand Paul’s campaign.

It was vintage Ron Paul. Ending the Federal Reserve. Reforming drug-sentencing guidelines. Ditching heavy military spending. A matter-of-fact way of telling rivals they were wrong or stupid or both.

“The revolution is alive and well,” Ron Paul said to cheers. “It’s been a few years since I’ve been here,” he said later.

A really interesting race with anti-establishment candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders doing exceptionally well. All eyes will be on whether or not Trump can win tonight, which polls suggest he will, and whether Sanders can gain momentum by winning Iowa and carrying it over to the next states against Clinton. 2016 really has been the year of the outsider though, and I am hoping for a Trump and Sanders victory in both races tonight.

I am gutted though that my favourite candidate Senator Rand Paul went and blew it at the start of the race by attacking Trump and trying to gain out of it. Had Trump not been in the race or had Paul not gone against him the hardest out of all the candidates, he would be in a top-tier position and could have been the alternative candidate. If I were voting in this race, I would be torn between voting for Paul or Trump. Nostalgia too to see Ron Paul back. I love that man.

All this said I find US Presidential races way too long, boring and just... tacky. Thank GOD we're a constitutional monarchy.

Thoughts?

[-:Undertaker:-]

Ted Cruz won Iowa beating Donald Trump.

Hilary Clinton won Bernie Sanders but only by the flip of a coin - and no I am not making that up.

[FlyingJesus]

She won Bernie? That's a bit of a shit prize

Glad Cruz is back in it properly, not a huge fan of his but good to see that there's at least one sane person in the running

[lemons]

go bernie