Biden’s performance put to the test, Wisconsin voters zero in on inflation, border crisis and Supreme Court
By Mark Silva
June 17, 2016, Newser
Jared Polis. Photo: JIM WATSON/WIREPHOTOS
It’s the end of the week, but here’s what happened, in case you missed something:
Vermont
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Vermont has voted in every presidential election since 1980 except for 1988, when it was part of the battleground state of Florida, says the Burlington Free Press (h/t NBC’s Steve LaPierre). He beat Hillary Clinton by about 18 percentage points last time. It’s also the only state where Bernie’s name wasn’t on the ballot. And as the AP points out, the Democratic primary is coming up this year, meaning there’s a possibility of another blowout.
Arizona
Trump is now officially the GOP frontrunner after winning the state’s GOP primary on March 17 by 24 points. But if he can’t win Arizona, will he be able to win New Hampshire? And if he does, how will he do it? The AP has two takeaways:
· Trump “won Arizona by carrying 10 states,” but he’ll have to make up ground in Nevada and Colorado.
· Trump will have to win in New Hampshire, which is a must for him to really win. New Hampshire is home to more than half of the nation’s Granite State voters.
South Dakota
The state has been “tight” for President Obama in recent elections. A recent poll says the Democratic primary is essentially a dead heat. But the GOP primary has been much more competitive. So if President Obama won by six points in South Dakota, will his margin be even more? Not likely. State law allows for a “cloture vote,” in which a candidate can be selected regardless of the primary win. “The law requires there to be five percent of the ballots remaining in the race after candidates have been chosen,” says the Sioux Falls Argus Leader in Sioux Falls report.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a must-win state for President Obama. It’s the only state that hasn’t voted Democratic in a presidential election since 1984 and the only state where Barack Obama won his primary