A preview of Super Tuesday

This time of year, early in the Presidential primary season, we see the greatest number of U.S. states holding primary elections and caucuses. The day that the highest quantity of these occur throughout the United States is called Super Tuesday. A traditional day for elections since 1976, the phrase “Super Tuesday” was coined by journalists and political pundits. Often referred to as a candidate's first test in national electability, a failure to do well on Super Tuesday generally predicts a poor race in the future. On the other hand, a convincing win in the Super Tuesday primaries typically pushes the candidate straight towards a party nomination. This year, Super Tuesday will occur on March 3. This year, 14 state primaries, as well as the American Samoa caucuses will take place, amounting to a total board of 1,344 pledged delegates voting to decide party nominations. This number is 33.8% of the nationwide total voting delegates; a huge act of democracy concentrated into a single day.