What is Super Tuesday 2016? predictions and guide to key date in US election

Key date in US Presidential battle explained
Mark Chandler2 March 2016

Today is Super Tuesday, a pivotal moment in the race to see who will run for US President. But what is it and why does it matter?

March 1 sees nominating contests held in 12 states to see who will represent the Republicans and Democrats in November’s election.

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma,Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia are all taking part along with the territory of American Samoa.

It is named Super Tuesday, a concept introduced in 1988 to mark the day when the largest number of states hold their nomination contests.

This time around, the contests are set to be particularly important, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton already ahead after previous votes in four states. If they get a strong showing in today’s polls, the pair will be firm favourites to go on and win.

Super Tuesday: Hillary Clinton
EPA

For candidates, the nomination contest hinges on the amount of delegates they can win, distributed according to the vote in each state. A successful Republican candidate needs to get 1,237 delegates and 595, almost half of them, are up for grabs today.

For the Democrats, Mrs Clinton and Mr Saunders will be competing over 865 delegates, around one third of the total needed to secure their party’s nomination.

Crucial states in the race include Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s home state of Texas and the more moderate Massachusetts, where Mr Trump may find less favour.

For the Democrats, Mrs Clinton will be hoping to perform strongly in the southern states because of her popularity with African American voters, while sole rival Bernie Sanders should secure his home state of Vermont.

In most states, polls close at 7pm or 8pm local time, with the results expected to come through tomorrow.

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