Super Tuesday likely to be watershed in U.S. presidential race

The unexpected results in the primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire have put the U.S. presidential race into thick fogs.

The Democratic and the Republican parties will hold their third primaries in Nevada and South Carolina, respectively. The fourth Republican primary will take place in Nevada on February 23 and the Democratic caucus in South Carolina on February 27, which will significantly influence the Super Tuesday voting on March 1 when primaries in 15 states will take place. In particular, the Republican primary in South Carolina attracts keen attention, as it is the first one where the GOP will apply the winner-take-all rule. The Republican Party mixes proportional representation and the winner-take-all system, while the Democratic Party allocates delegates in accordance with the rates of votes won.

U.S. media predict that the number of GOP presidential runners will be reduced to three to four as poor performers will be pressed to drop out of the race. The primaries will continue all the way to Washington D.C. until June 14. The two parties will hold national conventions to conclude on their final presidential candidates. The elections of 538 state delegates will take place on November 8, when the next occupant of the White House will be determined.

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