Hillary Clinton claimed an impressive election Super Tuesday as she won primaries in several states. Clinton carried the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Massachusetts with ease, obliterating rival Bernie Sanders in strong victories. Sanders was able to win elections in Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma and Vermont.
Clinton’s win in the Deep South has been attributed to a strong Black voter turnout, especially in Georgia. It is estimated that 8 in 10 Black voters backed Clinton, which gave Clinton a total of 536,250 votes to Sanders’ 213,464. Black voters make up at least 50% of Georgia’s voting democrats.
Clinton has finally been able to tap into the coalition of voters who backed President Obama during his elections in 2008 and 2012. She is taking a significant lead in her delegate count towards the Democratic nomination with 1,055 delegates compared to Sanders’ 418 confirmed delegates. The candidate who has 2,383 delegates will win the Democratic nomination for president.
On the Republican side of yesterday’s elections, Donald Trump surged ahead of the dwindling candidates for the presidency. Trump carried the states of Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia and Vermont, taking a significant lead over Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. States such as Virginia recorded a record turnout of Republican voters with many drawing comparisons to the turnout for President Obama during his run for office. After his major wins, Trump stated at a victory party, “The Republicans have tremendous energy. The Democrats don’t.”
Despite his many critics, Trump has been able to tap into a dissatisfied and angry Republican electorate. The source of these emotions has at its roots anger towards Obama policies, intolerance and bigotry. Trump has been able to harness this negative energy to his benefit at rallies and the voting booth. It is becoming evident that a Clinton versus Trump faceoff is a very real possibility that will polarize the country along societal issues that have not been seen since the 1960s. The image of a White woman with real power in America’s White male-dominated society is the ultimate turnaround for women’s rights. During the founding of America, women were not allowed to vote and had no rights to own property. A Clinton presidency will be just as historic as an Obama presidency, if she is elected.
