Expert available for comment on Super Tuesday

Dr Emma Shortis (0430 358 798 or emma.shortis@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: US history, US politics, Trump administration

“March is an enormous month for Democrats in the United States. Before it’s over, more than half of the total delegates up for grabs in the presidential nomination race will have been allocated, meaning we may well know who will face Donald Trump this November within a couple of weeks.

“Tuesday the 3rd of March—Super Tuesday—kicks off this important month, allocating a huge 30% of total delegates. Super Tuesday will take the Democrats’ national pulse, covering states across the continent, from California to Texas, Virginia to American Samoa.

“How the candidates perform on Tuesday could prove a crucial turning point for the race. In 2000 and 2004, the nominee was decided by mid-March. As polls currently stand, Bernie Sanders is in prime position for a sweeping victory this week. If that happens—keeping in mind that polling is notoriously unreliable—there’s no telling how the rest of the party (or the country) might react.

“One thing is for sure, though—November is still a long way off.”

Dr Emma Shortis is a Research Fellow at the EU Centre in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University. She previously spent a year in the United States, where she was a Fox-Zucker International Fellow at Yale University as part of her PhD in history. Shortis is regular media commentator on the history and current politics of the US, and co-host of RMIT’s new Barely Gettin’ By podcast.

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