The Iowa Caucuses are today, which marks the first votes of the 2020 Presidential election.
This is a huge moment for the Democratic Party, as it will be the first test for who in the party is likely to be the nominee. The frontrunners in the field, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, stand to do tremendously well in the polls.
A caucus, unlike a primary, isn’t a simple ballot vote. Iowa chose to conduct its selection process in groups called caucuses. This process can take as little as a few minutes for a small group, or as long as hours for a large gathering.
There will also be Republican caucuses, but officials expect that incumbent Trump will easily win those.
The Democrats in the running include:
Biden and Sanders have been polling the highest of any of the candidates and are expected to win, though it’s unclear which of them has the edge.
Related: Bernie Sanders Pledges to Immediately Legalize Weed in All 50 States if Elected
Iowa’s caucus marks the kickoff of the election season. Candidates that take an early lead in Iowa often do well in the primaries in other states.
As the first state to vote, Iowa is often under intense scrutiny in the lead-up to election season.
Many in the Democratic party consider this election very serious: As evidenced by the impeachment trial, many in the party see Trump as an existential threat to democracy.
The democratic nominee will have to go toe-to-toe with Trump’s confrontational reelection campaign. Many hope that whoever gets the nomination is tough enough to fight the incumbent candidate.
