15th March 2016

AmCham Policy Report: Issue 4 - March 15: US Presidential Elections: Week of Reckoning

This is the biggest week of the primary campaign for both the Republicans and Democrats. Republicans will see whether Donald Trump has a realistic chance to gain the 1,237 delegates necessary to become the Republican Party’s candidate without a convention battle, or whether the highly unusual condemnations of Trump by the last presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, and other party leaders have shifted support to other candidates. 

Democrats will learn whether Bernie Sanders’ narrow upset victory last week in Michigan portends a shift similar to the one that lifted Barrack Obama past Hillary Clinton in 2008. They will also watch carefully to see if Secretary Clinton can improve her results among white working class voters.

This week marks a shift in the way delegates are awarded. Up until now, every primary and caucus except South Carolina has awarded delegates proportionally. This allowed all major candidates to accumulate votes. Starting today, the primaries shift heavily into winner-take-all contests. Second place no longer means much at all. Read the attached report below (in English).

 

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic