Day Two of the Democratic National Convention

"42"

Last night was former President Bill Clinton's time to shine. As the possible first First Man of the United States this speech set the tone for how he would be featured during the remainder of Hillary's campaign. He began the speech, rather unexpectedly, with the story of when he first met a girl. No, not that girl. His future wife Hillary Clinton. It was interesting to see such insight into their marriage when so many people only see this political power couple as two politicians and not as a family unit. Though some might deem this as one of Bill Clinton's less well received speeches due to his greatness as an orator, he still did a good job at promoting the more personal and caring side of Hillary Clinton.

As the second night of the convention drew to a close, singer Alicia Keys performed a montage of some of her most popular songs which ended in a video of Hillary Clinton. Beginning with a digital glass ceiling breaking after showing the previous 43 presidents, Clinton spoke of her excitement at being the first female nominee of a major political party in the United States saying that "while I may be the first, one of you girls will be the next." This video was a general thank you to the delegates and voters who helped her get this far as well a tease at what her speech on Thursday night might be when she addresses the convention in Philadelphia. 

"The Senator from Vermont"

A gentleman almost too good for his election, Senator Bernie Sanders ended his race for the presidency on Tuesday at the end of the roll call voting. After hearing the delegate votes from all of the states except Vermont, Sanders entered the arena and seemed to take a moment to himself as thousands of people chanted his name and showed their love for him. He then graciously nominated Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic Nominee for President which was agreed to by a vocal vote from the convention delegates. 

Mr. Sanders you entered the race essentially unknown and managed to gain over 12 million votes and raise over 200 million in campaign donations. You raised the level of political discourse in this country and motivated a new generation to dream of an America they can be proud of. Though I personally never got to see you when I traveled to New Hampshire earlier this year, I am glad to have been able to witness your candidacy and all that you have brought to this country to make it just that much better. Thank you for your ideas Mr. Sanders and thank you for the decades of service that you have given to this amazing country. 

Back in Oneonta

After an exciting weekend spent in New Hampshire witnessing their 100th primary, our class returned home late Wednesday night. It was somewhat surreal to be back on my college's campus after being in the thick of the presidential race for so long and definitely less exciting. Waking up this Thursday morning knowing I had to attend class rather than some type of rally or town hall was a struggle, but knowing what I got to do over the weekend, I was able to get through it.

I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but while I was in New Hampshire I met a journalist name Jack Hitt who writes for the Huffington Post "Highline." My friends and I were interviewed by him when we attended the Chris Christie town hall and subsequently ran in to him at other events in New Hampshire. It turned out that he was doing the same things we were; going to any candidate events that he could and writing about them with his writing partner Kevin Baker. If you get a chance I would highly recommend you read his articles on Highline (you can get there by following the link at the bottom of this post). His articles give off the idea that he is having a conversation with his readers, telling them what he has been seeing and what he thinks of candidates and the primary process in general. And my friends and I happen to be mentioned in Day Two of his journey, which is pretty cool.

As I was in the van on the way back from New Hampshire I also had the pleasure of doing a phone interview with Casey Seiler from the Times Union, a newspaper that is based out of Albany, New York and focuses on people and issues affecting the Capitol Region, the area where I grew up. He wanted to know more about my experience in New Hampshire and about this blog, which I was extremely flattered by. His article was published in the Times Union today, Thursday February 11th both in print and online and can also be found at the bottom of this article. Mr. Seiler was also able to interview one of my classmates who is from the Capitol Region, Hannah Smith, and her experiences from New Hampshire are documented in this article as well.

Going from the nonstop action of a presidential election to the much calmer air around the campus of Oneonta is a transition that I wish I didn't have to make. Spending five days in New Hampshire definitely solidified the idea that I want to be involved in politics or the press in some form when I graduate college and maybe even to a lesser extent while I spend the next 3 years in college. So I just wanted to say thank you for reading this blog. I never thought that I would be getting noticed with it; it started out as an assignment for a class and has begun to blossom into something much more than that. I'll continue to keep you updated on the presidential election, just not to the extent I did during my trip, I am a college student after all. And maybe I even instilled in you the curiosity to learn more about politics or the presidential election process or just getting involved in your community. I hope you continue to follow along with me as this race continues because you never know what could happen next.


Jack Hitt, Huffington Post Highline article: http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/american-electoral/#day-1

Casey Seiler, Times Union article: http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-local/article/A-lesson-in-presidential-politics-6822330.php#photo-9385368

Day Four: Bernie Sanders

The only presidential candidate we had yet to see during our time in New Hampshire, and one who we were more excited to see than most of the others, was Bernie Sanders. We had been planning to go to his primary night rally at Concord High School just a few minutes from our hotel. One of the other students on our trip, Frank, had been volunteering with the campaign for some time and was supposed to be getting a ticket to the rally in order to get a better seat, while we waited in line and went in with the general public. In order to get his ticket we had to go into Manchester to the Sanders campaign office. Yet when we got there we were met by two deputy directors who didn't seem eager to help us out. These campaign staffers weren't welcoming to us, nor did they really believe that we were there just to pick up a ticket and see how they ran their office. They told us that because it was primary day they weren't willing to give tours or be able to talk to us for very long because they were so busy, something that was extremely disappointing to us. They also did not have any tickets to give out to the event which was odd because Frank had been promised one.

Obviously this entire situation angered us and reflected poorly on the people hired by the Sanders campaign, but we were hopeful that by showing up early to the rally we would be able to get front row seats. So we drove back to Concord, got a quick dinner and headed to the high school where the rally was being held. By  5:20 we were in line outside hoping to be let in by 6:00 so that we could wait inside for the rally to start around 7:30. 

Though it was a cold New Hampshire night everyone was willing to brave the weather in order to see one of the most intriguing candidates of this campaign cycle. At 6:00 the doors were opened and a security guard had us start to file in towards the metal detectors at the front entrance of the school. But right when we got to the doors the security guard said that this event was actually a ticket only event and anyone without a ticket would be turned away. We were all shocked. This had to be a joke. No where had this event been advertised as a ticket only event and at no point while we were waiting in the cold had anyone from the campaign or event come out to tell us we would only be allowed in if we presented a ticket. And we weren't the only ones in this situation. 90% of the people we had been waiting in line with did not have tickets either and had no idea that we needed them to get in. 

But we weren't giving up so easily. With so few people with tickets we figured that  if we just waited a little while longer the event staff would realize that the 200 people waiting outside to Feel the Bern weren't going anywhere and would have to be let in. 

We waited until 7:00. Almost 2 hours in freezing weather. And to make it worse no one from the event staff had any answers as to when we might be able to get in to the event or why it had not been advertised as a ticket only event. 

We were crushed. And more importantly we were frozen. So we went to our van  to warm up and try again in a half hour. But when we went back, nothing had changed. Now, we were devastated. 

The combination of unwelcoming staffers at the Sanders campaign office, having to wait in the cold for hours, and never being able to actually get in to the event did not leave us with a flattering image of how the Sanders campaign was being run. Now, we know that this was in no way Bernie Sanders' own fault and was most likely poor communications between various campaign staffers. But what we couldn't fathom was why we had to stand outside for so long without ever being told this event was for ticket holders only or why we never got a direct answer when we asked if there was a chance we would be let in to the event at some point during the night. Disappointed and slightly disenfranchised with the Sanders campaign, we headed back to our hotel to thaw and watch the primary results on tv. 

Probably the only good thing about standing outside for 2 hours was seeing this creative sign and the shirt pictured below. 

Day Four: The New Hampshire Statehouse

Since there were fewer scheduled campaign events to go to today because it was Primary Day a number of us decided to go to the New Hampshire Statehouse since it was down the road from our hotel. Being a resident of Upstate New York and living only 40 minutes north of Albany, the Capitol, I have been to the New York Capitol building countless times. The Capitol building is massive with huge, ornately decorated chambers for both the State Senate and State Assembly and an aptly named Million Dollar Staircase. The New Hampshire Statehouse in comparison is practically the size of a dollhouse.

We parked near the back of the Statehouse and were able to walk in without going through security, something you could never do in New York. Once inside we were free to walk around the three floors and explore the Senate and Representative Chambers, the Executive Office room, and the hundreds of portraits that hung on the walls. It was amazing to be in such a small Statehouse because it seemed as if democracy was right at our fingertips. Both the Senate and Represenative Chambers were significantly smaller than either of the New York ones and had a style dedicated to the colonial era whereas the New York Capitol building has a style that is almost gothic and extravagant in nature because it was constructed in the late nineteenth century. 

A mural in the downstairs hallway that depicted a battle on the third day of Gettysburg. This mural was gigantic, easily 6ft tall and 9ft wide. 

Political memorabilia that was displayed in the gift shop of the Statehouse. 

I even got a selfie with President Obama in the gift shop! 

The small yet impressive Senate Chamber.

The House of Representatives Chamber which was astounding because it held so many seats along with portraits of famous politics figures on the front wall. 

A portrait of Josiah Bartlett who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 hangs in the Executive Room on the second floor. 

A variety of pictures from the front of the Statehouse including one with my friend Jenny. 

Day Four: Happy Primary Day!

Today is the day! After weeks of campaigning, debating, and shamelessly promoting themselves the candidates will finally get to see if all of their hard work paid off. Most voting places are open from 6 am until 7 pm but a few towns run things differently on primary day. Because the towns of Dixville Notch, Millsfield, and Hart's Landing all have fewer than 100 residents they are allowed to begin voting at midnight and close their polls after everyone that is eligible to vote has voted. In past elections Dixville Notch has successfully predicted every Republican nominee since 1968, an astounding 12 elections. Today, these were the results:

Dixville Notch: 

Sanders 4, Clinton 0

Kasich 3, Trump 2

Millsfield: 

Clinton 2, Sanders 1

Cruz 9, Trump 3, Kasih 1, Rubio 1, Christie 1, Bush 1, Fiorina, Paul 1 

Hart's Landing:

Sanders 12, Clinton 7, Greenstein 2

Kasich 5, Trump 4, Christie 2, Rubio 1, Bush 1, Carson 1 

Now these towns may not have much to do with the overall outcome of tonight's election but it does showcase American democracy at its finest. And if this story sounded slightly familiar to you, the political drama "The West Wing" dedicated a sentimental plot line to the people of these towns during the reelection of their fictional President Josiah Bartlett. 

An Unexpected Surprise

Now at the Trump rally I neglected to mention one smal detail. That I was able to get a picture with the billionaire himself. As the rally ended my friend Hannah and I were going to try and get a picture with Willie Geist, one of our favorite reporters from Morning Joe. But as we got to the top of our sections stairs a woman with the Trump campaign asked us if we wanted to get a picture with him. Of course! I may not agree with 90% of what he says but given the chance to meet the man in person and even get a picture with him was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

So we waited in line and were lead to the basement of the arena where there was a holding room and more staff members. And then he just appeared. Trump walked in to the room like this was something he had been doing his entire life, talked for about a minute, and then started taking pictures with us. I couldn't believe it. The fact that just hours ago I shook former President Bill Clinton's hand and now I was shaking Donald Trump's was almost too much to comprehend. It was a day that could only have happened in New Hampshire during the presidential primary when the political circus is in town. 

I told you I met him, he even put his arm around me!

Day Three: Donald Trump

If you weren't sure yet about how crazy a Donald Trump for President rally could be, imagine going to a rock concert with a performer who hasn't toured in years. Everyone in the arena just can't stop talking about what it's going to be like and what their idol will actually do. That is exactly how Trump's rally on Monday night went.

We were lucky enough to get VIP seating to his rally because one of the students on our trip has been volunteering for Trump for the last few weeks and knew how to get us some of the best seats in the house. As we waited for the man of the hour we got to talk with some men from the Boston area who were Trump supporters and had already been to some of his other events in New England.  At the other events these guys had been to the they said the crowds had been much more energetic, but clearly they were excited to see their favorite presidential candidate. Now I'm sure some people would expect these Trump supporters to be racist or Un-American but these guys are simply tired of politicians in this country who never seem to get anything done. They believe that because Trump has never held political office that he will be able to get more things done than those who have been in political power for so long. 

After waiting around for two hours Trump's family was introduced in preparation for The Don himself to come out. All of his family members looked like supermodels, perfectly poised to be America's next generation of political royalty. And that's when he appeared, Don Trump in all his glory. From behind a black curtain Trump proceeded to the stage where he was met with enthusiastic crowds screaming at the top of their lungs and frantically waving their signs. 

Once he started talking people calmed down and actually seemed to be listening to what his political proposals were. But of course, with supporters come protestors. One protestor yelled obscenities about Trump's wife and was subsequently removed from the arena. But as Trump said himself, without protestors "you wouldn't be able to see how many people show up to my events." 

Last night almost 5,000 people came to the Verizon Center in Manchester to see Trump in action including numerous members of the media. I was able to spot Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, completing the trifecta of seeing the entire Morning Joe cast in one day which was great for a fan of the show like me. Major Garrett and Jonathon Karl from CBS and ABC respectively were just a few of the other evening news reporters covering the event. 

Overall, Trump's raly was one for the history books. Not just because I was able to see him live but because he said one of his most obscene words in front of thousands of people and one I won't repeat here. But I think that is the best way to sum up Trump: you may have been following him for months, but you never know exactly what he's going to do or say next. 

Don't worry, I haven't been converted to a Trump supporter. (Left to right) Jenny, Frank, Me, Josh, Hannah. 

Day Three: Chris Christie

As the third day began we ventured back out into the madness of American politics see a whole variety of politicians. Our first stop was to see Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie at a small town hall event held on the floor of a factory outside of Manchester. We got to the event right as Christie was being introduced by Buddy The Cake Boss, a fellow New Jersey guy,  and Christie supporter. Christie spoke for around 20 minutes before taking questions from the audience for another hour. This event has been my favorite of the Republican candidates so far because Christie took the time to listen to each of the audience members questions and give thoughtful, detailed answers to their questions that ranged for homeland security to social security. Christie himself is also an impressive orator, knowing exactly how to work his audience and implicitly go after his opponents. 

Day Three: The Clintons

From the Christie event our team hit the road to go to a Clinton rally at Manchester Community College. While waiting at the Clinton event I was able to spot several journaists and members of the media including Willie Geist, Mile Barnacle, Sam Stein, and Lawrence O'Donnel. This event was such a unique experience because we were able to see Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton all at once. It was truly a historic moment, no matter if you agree with their politics or not, these are some of the most well known political figures of our time. 

As Chelsea and Bill introduced Hillary, the crowd's intensity steadily grew so that everyone was severely excited by the time Hillary took the stage. She then talked for around 40 minutes about healthcare, making college affordable for young adults, improve our energy standards, work on giving women equal rights, and how we need to take back the country from those who want to destroy it. Her most notable quote from the rally was when she indirectly went after the younger generations who have been supporting Bernie Sanders in record numbers by saying "You may not support me, but I will support always support you." As someone who goes between supporting both Hillary and Bernie this quote struck me because it showed that Hillary is presenting herself as someone who cares more about getting young adults into public service because they want to have a say in their countries future rather than saying something that makes it seem as if she only cares about winning and nothing more. 

However great these speeches were the venue that this event was held at was not the bet to accommodate such a large crowd. Because there were so many members of the mainstream media at this event the number of people allowed in to the arena was very limited. This meant that I had to stand just outside the glass wall that separates those from the room were the Clinton's spoke and the overflow room where I stood. It was slightly annoying to be forced to stand in the overflow area because there was clearly enough room to stand near the back where the media was stationed. But with this being the only downside to this event it was begrudgingly overcome.   

By the way, did I mention I shook former President Bill Clinton's hand and almost got a selfie with him? Because I did and it was awesome! 

Chelsea and Bill Clinton introducing Hillary Clinton. 

The woman of the hour, Hillary Clinton in the flesh. 

My almost perfect selfie with our 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton. 

Day Two: Carly Fiorina

In last nights post about the second half of my second day in New Hampshire I got so caught up in theVermin Supreme mayhem that I forgot to mention we also met Carly Fiorina. She was holding a pre game party for the Super Bowl at The Yard Restaurant outside Manchester. This event was much smaller than the Marco Rubio event we had visited earlier that morning, but that wasn't actually a bad thing. Because there were fewer people at this event everyone was able to meet Carly Fiorina, shake her hand, get a picture with her, and grab some free campaign swag. Though she may not be anywhere near getting the Republican Nomination it is impressive that she continues to campaign hard for votes and stick up for herself when most people in her party are trying to take her down.

Day Two: Rubio Rally

Another early morning for politics here in New Hampshire. After a quick breakfast at the hotel our vans headed off to a small town near Manchester called Londonderry to witness Marco Rubio in action. We got to the school where Rubio was scheduled to speak around 8:30 but were forced to wait almost 2 hours before he eventually showed up.

In the meantime we were able to watch how volunteers handled crowd control with the almost 800 person crowd in just a small elementary gym. By chance our group happened to be stationed near where the media were going to be filming Rubio as he walked in. This gave a lot of us the opportunity to ask questions to reporters and even be interviewed by the media. I myself was interviewed by a man from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. I was asked about my views of the race thus far, what made Rubio a good candidate, and why Donald Trump seemed to be so popular with voters. 

Once Rubio showed up he proceeded to give his speech which highlighted the major focuses of his campaign. He talked about uniting the party, increasing the conservative movement, repealing most  of President Obama's policies, and increasing the size and quality of our military. Afterwards he shook hands with almost everyone in the room, but unfortunately I wasn't able to meet him personally. 

The Bern-rito

This "Feel the Bern-rito" was their burrito of the week and it needed its own post because it was just that creative (and good)! 

Candidate Signs in Action

Governor Kasich's signs could be seen as soon as we crossed the New Hampshire border. 

Signs for Trump, Jeb!, and Fiorina were not far behind. 

And of course I needed a picture with the giant Clinton sign outside of the campaign headquarters.

Day One: Clinton, Burritos, and Debates

cToday was the day! Today we woke up and got on the road at 8:30 in the morning and made our way to the great state of New Hampshire (stopping along the way at The Blue Ben Diner to grab some fabulous breakfast of course!).

As soon as we crossed the border into New Hampshire from Vermont it was clear that the primary is less than a week away. We saw sign after sign for all of the major candidates: Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. Driving into downtown Concord, New Hampshire's capital, it was clear that this state is invested in their legacy of being the first state to vote and how dedicated they are to this freedom.

The first campaign I was able to interact with during this trip was with the Hillary Clinton campaign with my friend Jenny. We walked to their campaign headquarters in Concord and were able to sign up right away to canvass around neighborhoods. While this was an enjoyable experience it seemed like the Clinton headquarters were not as populated as I was expecting them to be in the capital of one of the first primary states. Yes, the people we interacted with were friendly but they did not seem as energetic as I was expecting them to be about their candidate or about campaigning in general.

However, Jenny and I were able to meet and do some canvassing with an older couple named Annie and Henry. These two have been involved in politics in some way or another since George McGovern ran for president in 1972. They were what I thought more people from the Clinton campaign were going to be like. They were impressed that both Jenny and I were taking such an active interest in politics at a young age and were hopeful that our generation would be able to fix some of the problems that their generation had not. Annie and Henry were dedicated, informative, and energetic to get out the vote and make changes in our country. And I love that. To be able to have two generations working towards the same goal is something you definitely do not see everyday, but I'm glad I got to experience that moment.

After canvassing for a few hours, we returned to our hotel room in search of dinner. We found it at a Mexican Burrito shop where (I kid you not) I got a "Feel the Bern-rito." And it was pretty great! Beef, beans, cheese, rice, guacamole, and spicy mayo was a combo that you could only find in this shop; and the only dinner to get in order to truly get the New Hampshire primary experience.

Finally we ended out night with our own debate watching party at our hotel. This debate was sure to be an exciting event and it did not disappoint. It all started with a mis-calling of the candidates names forcing awkward interactions as Ben Carson was forced to wait to be called onto the stage, with the cameras focused on him the whole time, while almost all of the other candidates were called before him. Throughout the debate, Governor Chris Christie confronted Senator Marco Rubio about his inability to answer a question by simply dancing around it. These interactions showed that Christie wasn't afraid to show voters that he is still in this race and that Rubio may not be the next best candidate. While I finished watching the debate it was hard to focus on after such a long day of traveling and volunteering, so I'll try to post a good analytical article about the debate tomorrow morning.

2016 Campaign Cartoons

Looking for a way to laugh a little about the craziness that has become the 2016 Presidential Election?

Click the link below to find editorial cartoons about the presidential candidates, the state of the campaigns, and some of the policies they have begun to propose.

It's sure to make you laugh and cry at the same time whether you think the cartoon is funny or you just can't stand to hear another second about politics and the state of our nation!

(And if you just don't quite feel like clicking the link I've added a few of my favorites to this post )

Campaign 2016 Cartoons

Iowa Caucus Results

On February 2,2016 the Presidential election officially got underway because on this night the first votes were cast in Iowa to see who would become the 45th President of the United States. The most recent polls from Quinnipiac indicated that Donald Trump was leading in the Republican field with Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio rounding out the top three while Hillary Clinton was leading Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley in the Democratic field. However the results hat the polls had been predicting for months could not perfectly indict how he night would turn out.

In order to figure out exactly how the night went down let's begin with the Republican candidates for president. Polls from various sources had long been indicating that Donald Trump was leading both nationally and in Iowa for the past few weeks though his gap had narrowed to a 7 point lead for Trump, the closer it got to Election Day and the closer Ted Cruz got to the Evangelical voters. On the Democratic side the race was even closer with Bernie Sanders leading Hillary Clinton by just 3 points which, as Sanders stated later in the evening is "a virtual tie."

By the end of the night it was clear that Ted Cruz would be the Republican winner with 28% of the vote while Donald Trump came in second with 24% and Marco Rubio rounding out the top three with 23%, a margin that was much closer than most polls had predicted between Trump and Rubio. During his acceptance speech Cruz showed yet again that he is the best representative of the conservative movement, stating this was a "victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation." Trump meanwhile was rather subdued in his comments over his second place finish saying that he "absolutely loves the people of Iowa" and that he is "just honored" about the votes that he received from his supports.

Yet maybe the most surprising victory speech came from Marco Rubio who sounded more as if he had won the entire caucus rather than come in third place, "they told me I didn't have a chance because my hair wasn't great enough and my boots were too high, they told me I needed to wait my turn, to wait in line." With Rubio finishing strongly in third place and surprising many who thought that Trump would have had a much larger margin between the other candidates, Rubio will likely be getting more endorsements, money, and media attention than he has thus far. And with more attention this could mean a stronger finish both in the New Hampshire primary next week and the South Carolina and Nevada contests at the end of this month.

While the Republican race was able to be called relatively early in the night, results for the Democratic race were not officially announced until the next morning because the race was the "closest democratic election in the history of Iowa" according to party officials. In the end Clinton beat Sanders by barely a percentage point, though she began celebrating long before this was officially announced. Clinton spoke from a victory stage early in the evening before all of the caucus votes had been finalized, to thank Iowans as she "breathed a big sigh of relief" that her campaign was able to overcome the grassroots momentum that the Bernie Sanders campaign had been gaining for the past few weeks.

Meanwhile during Sanders speech, he seemed extremely grateful to be able to go from zero name recognition in Iowa to a tie with one of the well known political candidates of our time. For some across the nation, the narrow margins from this Iowa caucus evoked memories from 2008 when Clinton, who was known as the presumed nominee, was beaten by then Senator Barack Obama. However, this cycle the Clinton campaign seems extremely eager to take this small margin over Sanders as an absolute win, most likely in the hopes that she will be able to continue to build momentum towards New Hampshire and the rest of the primary season. Sanders is not opposed to declaring victory either as this tie proves to those who doubted him that he can indeed put up a fight against Clinton and Wall Street.

But Monday night was not just about the men and women who were able to finish strong and continue their campaigns and hopes of receiving a party nomination. No, Monday night was also the end of the road for candidates who were simply not able to turn out the support that they had once dreamed of. Republican Governor Mike Huckabee ended his run for the White House on Monday evening as well as Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley. By Wednesday afternoon even more candidates dropped out of the race including Senator Rand Paul and Senator Rick Santorum who had actually won the Iowa Caucus four years ago. For each of these campaigns they never seemed to be able to gain enough momentum to produce a serious run for the presidency, but nevertheless, they tried their best.

Now it's on to New Hampshire, the first state in the country where the first primary votes will be cast for president and where unprecedented things will be bound to happen. Who will come out on top of the Republican field? Will Cruz maintain his lead? Will Trump win and prove that he can turn out the vote when necessary? Or will Rubio continue his upward climb and potentially upset the entire field? And of course we can't forget about the Democrats. With Sanders' home state of Vermont next door he is presumed to win New Hampshire with a large margin over Clinton. But with her slight victory from Iowa will she be able to close the gap on Sanders and possible even win the entire state? Get ready to find out, there's only 5 days to go!

Claims of the Candidates

Have you ever wondered how much of what a candidate says is actually true? Maybe you have when it seems as if some of the information they are talking about in their speeches or during a debate doesn't exactly make sense to you, but for the most part it doesn't occur to people to double check what politicians are saying. However, if you ever feel like what a candidate says isn't true, but you can't seem to find any news site telling you otherwise, try going to FactCheck.org. On this site you will be able to find articles and videos that tell you both what candidates have claimed to be true versus what was actually correct about their statements. Here's what I found on some of the major candidates:

Rand Paul:
Recently, the pro-Paul Super Political Action Committee or PAC, ran an ad that accuses Senator Ted Cruz of being a fake conservative using information from various Senate votes that Cruz participated in. During the ad a voiceover states how Cruz "voted to borrow billions and bust the budget" and how he "skipped the vote to audit the federal reserve." The ad then goes on to say how Rand Paul is the true fiscal conservative in the race and that he will work to "cut spending" and "balance the budget." What the ad doesn't point out is that the first spending vote referenced dealt with an amendment to the defense budget or that this amendment never actually passed but failed in a vote in March of 2015 32-68. The second incorrect information deals with the fact that Cruz skipped a Senate vote. While yes, he did skip the vote, it was because he was campaigning in New Hampshire; during an election year it is common for Senators to miss certain votes simply because it would be hard for them to be in Washington, D.C. and campaigning around the country to get as many votes as possible. FactCheck also goes on to examine Cruz's voting record along with Senator Paul's and comparing them among conservative groups including Club for Growth, the National Taxpayers Union, and the American Conservative Union, all of which A ratings, indicating that both these members of Congress are conservative, contrary to what this ad will have viewers believe. Click on the link below to read the entire article that I used when writing this post: http://www.factcheck.org/2016/01/cruzs-conservative-credentials/

Hillary Clinton:
On January 12, 2016, Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton's daughter claimed that Senator Sanders wanted to "dismantle Obamacare, dismantle the chip program, dismantle Medicare, (and) dismantle private insurance." Clinton goes on to say that by "giving the Republicans, Democratic permission" to do such things that America will go back to a time when millions of people did not have health insurance before the Affordable Care Act was put into place. However, this is not true. Sanders intends to replace current insurance with a program called Medicare-for-All which would be paid for by new tax programs including increasing the amount of taxes wealthy Americans, those who make over $250,000 each year, would pay. Want to know exactly where I got this information? Click on the link below to watch FactCheck's video: http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/22/politics/fact-check-trump-iran-clinton-health-care-tapper-origwx-pk/index.html

The State of The Campaigns

~To preface this post I need to say that the information I will be providing will be prior to the events and results of the Iowa Caucus on February 1, 2016 ~

By the end of January any candidate who dreams of taking over the White House by the end of the year has been constantly campaigning in the first two states of the election process for the past few weeks or even months. These are the states of Iowa which will be where the first votes of 2016 will be cast when they caucus on February 1st and New Hampshire which votes in the first primary on February 9th, just eight days after Iowa.

According to the CNN/ORC poll focusing on the Iowa Caucus on the Republican side the top five candidates are businessman Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Marco Rubio, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and Senator Ron Paul with Trump leading Cruz by 11 points. On the Democratic side Senator Bernie Sanders is leading the pack by 8 points over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Governor Martin O'Malley based on the same poll. With only a few days to go before the Iowa Caucus it will be interesting to see which candidates move up in the polls and which candidates loose momentum before the first test that there campaign faces.

Even before the new year started there have been many candidates who ended their bid before the contest truly started including Democrat Senator Jim Webb and Governor Lincoln Chafee and Republican Governor Scott Walker, Governor Rick Perry, Governor Bobby Jindal, and Senator Lindsey Graham. For the rest of the campaigns that are still in the running they have been gearing up by putting out more ads that focus on both what their campaigns offer and how they are the better option to become president than their opponents would be. Candidates in the lead such as Trump, Cruz, Clinton, and Sanders have been, and will continue to hold rallies, meet with their constituents and provide Iowans with the necessary information on how to get people to caucus in support of their candidacy.

Endorsements have also been growing for candidates from fellow politicians such as Sarah Palin who endorsed Donald Trump the other day and Evangelical Leaders who have been focusing their attention and resources towards the Rubio campaign. Yet as both the Iowa Caucus draws nearer with the New Hampshire primaries following shortly after, it will be interesting to see how candidates interact with each other, their constituents, and maybe even which candidates will drop out of the race.