Surrounded by major news networks running on screens across the walls, a crowd of people dressed in red, white and blue garb gathered at the Hammer Museum Tuesday night to discuss politics, socialize and drink wine as they awaited the results from 10 Republican primary and caucus elections held on what is commonly known as “Super Tuesday.”
Democrats, Republicans and Independents together watched closely as the final numbers from the preliminary elections streamed in on large projector screens, and vied for various election-themed door prizes. As of 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, Mitt Romney kept his strong lead in the race, winning a majority in five states. Rick Santorum came in second with three more states under his belt.
Super Tuesday is the day in election years when the greatest number of states hold primary elections or caucuses to nominate a party candidate for president, said John Zaller, professor of political science who specializes in American politics.
During primaries, a predetermined number of delegates from each state nominates presidential candidates to run on behalf of their political party.
In order to become the Republican presidential nominee, a candidate must win at least 1,144 delegates out of the total 2,286.
The Republican Party is still largely divided in choosing a candidate, said Darren Ramalho, a second-year political science and English student and the internal vice chairman of Bruin Republicans.
In Ohio, which is generally dubbed a “swing state” by experts, Romney edged out Santorum in a close race by a 1-percent margin.
But even with so many undecided voters, Ramalho anticipates Romney will likely emerge as the Republican nominee because voters feel he is must suited to rival President Barack Obama.
“For many (Republican) voters, the idea is that, “˜We need to beat Obama,'” Ramalho said.
As of 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, Romney had a total of 386 delegates. Santorum, in second, had won 156 delegates. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul came in third and fourth, respectively.
Typically, the highest number of votes are cast for the primary election so the results from those primaries strongly indicate which candidate is most likely to win their party’s presidential nomination, said Tim Groeling, a communication studies professor who specializes in political communications.
Candidates who do not come out on top on Super Tuesday typically drop out of the race soon after, Groeling said. Following Super Tuesday, it becomes mathematically impossible for lower-tier candidates to acquire the number of votes needed to win the candidacy, he said.
But as results came in Tuesday evening, Groeling said he anticipates the current Republican candidates will likely stay in the race regardless of the final results.
Gingrich and Paul will probably stay in the race for a while because for them campaigning is no longer about having a clear shot at the nomination but rather about staying in the conversation, Groeling said.
Super Tuesday is important because it contains some of the “battleground states,” which are swing states a nominee must clinch to win the general election.
Ohio, which held its primary election on Super Tuesday, is a battleground state that has recently been at the center of the debate about who will win the primary, Zaller said.
“Battleground states can win you the election,” Groeling said. “If you spend $500 million in California and you’re a Republican, that’s just foolish, because California is (typically) Democratic, but doing the same in a battleground state could help you win.”
More Republican candidates have risen and fallen in polls for the 2012 election than usual, Zaller said. While Romney has seen consistent support, the other candidates have come and gone in the spotlight, he said.
Democrats were also closely watching the results from Super Tuesday to gauge who would run against incumbent Obama in the upcoming election.
“The fact that Romney is performing well (in primary elections) means the Republican Party is not dead in the water,” said Francesca de la Fuente, a third-year anthropology student and internal vice president of Bruin Democrats. “He might not be the most fun candidate, but he is the most viable candidate for the Republicans.”
However, de la Fuente said she feels that with a smart campaign, Obama could beat Romney in the general election.
“(Romney) would be a challenge, but not one that we can’t overcome,” de la Fuente said.
Melina Madrigal, a graduate student in Italian who identifies herself as a Democrat, was among the spectators who attended the Super Tuesday party hosted by the Hammer Museum.
Although she still intends to vote for Obama, Madrigal said it is nonetheless important for her to be knowledgeable about the potential candidates from both parties.