Intra-Party Conflicts in the U.S. Presidential Elections Have Intensified!

It seems that during this year's elections, both the Democratic and Republican parties are facing significant internal conflicts! Neither Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party nor Donald Trump in the Republican Party, despite leading in the vote count and having garnered more votes so far, can comfortably lean back on the couch and consider themselves the final winners. Both are still facing stiff resistance from rivals within their parties. Moreover, it remains possible that someone other than Clinton or Trump may ultimately emerge as the nominee for these two parties in the U.S. presidential elections. After the latest round of voting on Tuesday, the results of the intra-party voting became clear among Republicans in 23 states (including Puerto Rico) and among Democrats in 22 states. Voting in other parts of America will gradually continue in the coming days and weeks. The last round of intra-party elections for Democrats was held in Michigan and Mississippi. In Michigan, Bernie Sanders won, while Clinton won in Mississippi. However, what excited Sanders' supporters was that in Michigan polls, Hillary Clinton had been leading by a significant margin for several months. Although Sanders' situation improved day by day since the beginning of the voting and his sporadic victories, the overall polls suggested that Clinton would win in Michigan. Regardless of predictions and expectations, the results of the Michigan elections showed that Clinton still struggles to secure independent votes. In this state, the Democratic intra-party elections are held in an 'open' format. This means that it is not necessary for voters to be registered as 'Democrats' to participate in the Democratic intra-party elections, and the general public is free to vote. Sanders has shown that he consistently performs better in such states. Next week, elections in Illinois and Missouri, which together have 227 delegates, will also be held in an open format. In contrast, the high independent votes for Sanders in Michigan and their significant role in his victory indicate that if this election had been limited to Democratic voters, Clinton would have easily won. Next week, the Florida election, with 214 delegates, is among the states where only Democrats can vote. In the continuing Democratic intra-party competitions, most states will conduct voting in a closed or relatively closed format. However, regardless of the voting format, Sanders' supporters hope that victories similar to what happened in Michigan will generate the necessary enthusiasm and energy for a final victory and ultimately shape the outcome, reminiscent of what occurred for Barack Obama in 2008. On the Republican side, by the end of Tuesday, Donald Trump's victories in Michigan, Mississippi, and Hawaii showed that so far, the comprehensive efforts of influential Republicans to stop Trump have not succeeded, and his campaign engine is gaining momentum and speed. Some observers even described Ted Cruz's victory in Idaho as predictable since generally, the most conservative Republican candidates receive more votes in that state. Nevertheless, many Republican groups are still actively campaigning against Trump, and his candidacy for the presidential election faces stiff resistance from the core of the Republican Party and its veteran members. However, the big loser on Tuesday was Marco Rubio. He could not even garner as many votes as John Kasich in Michigan and Mississippi, finishing fourth. By the end of the day, he did not secure a single delegate. This is while Rubio's campaign was already facing a life-or-death crisis even before Tuesday's elections, despite a decisive victory in Puerto Rico. The key question for Rubio is the Republican intra-party elections in Florida. This election is crucial for Rubio for several reasons. First, the election in this state is held in such a way that whoever receives the most votes becomes the sole owner of all the delegates. The number of delegates in this state is 99, which can significantly boost the winner. The second and more important point is that Marco Rubio is himself a senator from Florida. Therefore, he constantly emphasizes that he is the only one who can take on Trump in this state. However, what led Rubio's campaign to enter a crisis on the eve of the Florida elections was a report from an anonymous source within Rubio's campaign, stating that some of his advisors told him he should withdraw from the race before the Florida elections. They argue that losing in Florida could end Rubio's political career and affect his reelection to the Senate. Rubio's campaign's public relations have denied these reports. Nevertheless, the Florida election is like a double-edged sword that could send Rubio's campaign into a coma and mark the end of his fight for the White House. Rubio remains adamant that despite Trump's lead in the polls in Florida, he will win. If he does not, one of the last hopes of Republican leaders to stop Trump will be dashed. They hope that at least a few significant losses for Trump (for example, in Florida) will prevent him from reaching the 50 percent threshold for the party nomination. If Trump remains the final winner next Tuesday, even his staunchest Republican opponents may have to sheath their swords and gradually think about uniting their party for the final battle against the Democrats and come to terms with the reality of Donald Trump's nomination.