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Split decisions on Western Tuesday
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March 23, 2016
The three states holding caucuses and primaries on March 22, also known as Western Tuesday, produced split results for both parties’ presidential frontrunners. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the Arizona Democratic primary in convincing fashion, but her opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, posted huge wins in the Democratic caucuses in Idaho and Utah. Sanders' margin of victory was so great in the two caucuses that CNN reported that he actually won more Democratic National Convention delegates overall on Western Tuesday than Clinton did.
With almost 95 percent of the precincts reporting in Arizona, Clinton defeated Sanders, 58-to-40 percent. She won 14 of the state’s 15 counties, losing only Coconino, home to Flagstaff. In 2008, Clinton won the Arizona Democratic presidential primary with just over 50 percent of the vote, defeating then Illinois Sen. Barack Obama who won 42 percent.
But Sanders was able to turn in a good night by posting overwhelming victories in the caucus states, where the enthusiasm of his supporters overwhelmed the Clinton forces. In Idaho, he walloped Clinton 78-to-21 percent and carried 43 of the state’s 44 counties, losing only tiny Lewis County. Sanders’ margin was reminiscent of Obama’s 80 percent victory in the state’s Democratic caucuses in 2008. And Democratic turnout in Idaho hit 23,880, up from 21,224 eight years ago.
In the Utah presidential caucuses, with 82 percent of the precincts reporting, Sanders overwhelmed Clinton, 80-to-20 percent. Sanders was winning all of the state’s 29 counties, except for three—Beaver, Plute, and Rich—that had not reported any votes.
Billionaire developer Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the Republican presidential race also easily won the Arizona Republican presidential primary. With almost 95 percent of the precincts reporting, Trump beat Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, 47-to-25 percent. Because of heavy early and absentee voting—well over half the GOP ballots were cast this way—Florida Sen. Marco Rubio finished third with almost 14 percent of the vote.
And since it was a GOP winner-take-all state, he captured all 58 of the Arizona’s Republican National Convention delegates. Trump only lost Graham County to Cruz. Ironically, Trump’s winning tally of 47 percent equaled the 47 percent mark by the two previous Arizona GOP presidential primary victors, Mitt Romney in 2012 and home state Sen. John McCain in 2008.
But Cruz also had a good night and captured the Utah GOP caucuses with a whopping 69 percent, with 85 percent of the precincts reporting. And by hurdling over the 50 percent threshold, by Utah GOP rules, he was able to claim all 40 of the state’s Republican National Convention delegates. Trump didn’t even finish second in Utah. That honor went to Ohio Gov. John Kasich who won 16 percent of the caucus vote.
James A. Barnes is a senior writer for Ballotpedia and co-author of the 2016 edition of the Almanac of American Politics. He is a member of the CNN Decision Desk and will be helping to project the Democratic and Republican winners throughout the election cycle.
See also
- Presidential election in Arizona, 2016
- Presidential election in Idaho, 2016
- Presidential election in Utah, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Presidential election, 2016/Polls
- 2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards
- Presidential election, 2016/Straw polls
