5 Things to Expect After the Sanders, Trump Wins

Things could get tense in South Carolina
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2016 5:53 AM CST
Updated Feb 10, 2016 6:12 AM CST
5 Things to Expect After Sanders, Trump Wins
Donald Trump speaks at the South Carolina Tea Party Convention last month.   (AP Photo/Willis Glassgow)

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump won big in New Hampshire on Tuesday, putting their parties in uncharted territory, which the GOP establishment in particular could find tricky to navigate. Here's what analysts expect to see in the days leading up to the Nevada caucuses—which are on Feb. 20 for Democrats and Feb. 23 for Republicans—and the South Carolina primary, which happens on Feb. 20 for Republicans and Feb. 27 for Democrats.

  1. Race will become a big issue for the Democrats. Outside Iowa and New Hampshire, "the Democratic Party is 44% non-white," and Sanders has yet to show that he can take those votes away from Hillary Clinton, analyst Joe Trippi tells Politico. But the senator from Vermont is trying: His first campaign stop on Wednesday is breakfast with the Rev. Al Sharpton in Harlem.

  1. The GOP "establishment lane" will remain crowded. Even if Chris Christie's "hard thinking" leads to him dropping out, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich are expected to keep jostling for the votes of Republicans turned off by Trump and Ted Cruz. Jeb Bush, who came close to a third-place finish in New Hampshire, told supporters Tuesday night that they had "reset things," the Hill reports.
  2. Trump will have to answer questions on the military. With eight military bases in South Carolina, military issues are big, meaning Trump can expect rivals to target his opposition to increasing military spending and his Vietnam-era draft deferments, the New York Times reports. "The commander-in-chief question is going to be a big one," senior Bush adviser Jim Dyke says. "If you look at exit polls from 2008 and 2012, in both elections about 25% identified as active military or had served in the military."
  3. John Kasich will come under attack. The Ohio governor, who said he would drop out if he performed poorly in New Hampshire, is now a target because of his second-place finish, which could test his resolve to keep his campaign positive, predicts the Washington Post. His rivals are expected to lay into his moderate positions on immigration and health care.
  4. There will be some GOP last stands. South Carolina is expected to finish off a few campaigns, probably including that of Carly Fiorina, who won't qualify for Saturday's Republican debate, CNN reports. Ben Carson campaign director Bob Dees, however, says there is zero chance of his guy dropping out in the weeks to come, reports the Guardian, which notes that Carson's support has nosedived amid concerns over his foreign policy knowledge and "latterly, availability of laundered clothing and ability to successfully walk on to a stage."
(More Election 2016 stories.)

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