Looking ahead to North Carolina’s Super Tuesday as Iowa Caucuses conclude
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The 2024 election season officially kicked off with the caucuses in Iowa, though election day remains months away for North Carolinians.
The nation kept a close eye on the Midwest on Monday as Former President Donald Trump claimed the victory in the GOP caucuses. With Iowa taking the first steps into a ballot box, people are looking ahead to what these results mean for the remainder of the year.
“Really what we get to see is how people compare to expectations that we the political punditry have set out for them,” Nelson Beaulieu said. “There’s actually only been three presidents who have ever won the Iowa caucuses, so it’s not quite as indicative in terms of success for the White House.”
Nelson Beaulieu is a political science instructor at Cape Fear Community College. While winning the Iowa Caucuses doesn’t stamp a candidates ticket to the White House, he says its results along with the caucuses in New Hampshire and primaries in Nevada and South Carolina could set the stage for Super Tuesday in North Carolina.
“If there’s a competitive race on either side, but in particularly on the Republican side, you’re likely to see most independents opt for the Republican ballot to have a say in that party’s presidential primary,” Beaulieu said.
Democrats in North Carolina will have a small selection for a presidential candidate in the primary because Joe Biden will sit alone at the top of the ticket, but Beaulieu says that’s no reason not to vote.
“There’s a lot of really, really important offices — Board of Education is huge, County Commissioners right now is huge,” he said. “These offices decide what life looks like in New Hanover County.”
As other states go to the ballot box ahead of North Carolina, Beaulieu says to not let those results impact your vote.
“That decision, who is a viable candidate or not, really rests with each individual. I would never throw away my voice or my power based on what another state says is the right decision,” he said.
Super Tuesday in North Carolina is March 5.
