FOUR THINGS ABOUT THE U. S . CAUCUSES

1 HARD FEELINGS

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday said Texas Senator Ted Cruz “stole” first place in the Iowa caucuses and called for “a new election” or nullification of Cruz’s win. Trump was particularly upset at how the Cruz campaign alerted caucus-goers to rival Ben Carson’s decision to go home after the caucuses, stoking speculation he would drop out. “Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa, he stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong and why he got far more votes than anticipated. Bad!” he wrote to his 6 million Twitter followers.

2 DROP OUTS

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is suspending his run for the Republican presidential nomination, after finishing near the bottom of the pack. “It’s been an incredible honour to run a principled campaign for the White House,” Paul said in a statement.

“Today, I will end where I began, ready and willing to fight for the cause of Liberty.” Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum is also dropping out of the race after his dismal performance.

3 LOST MOMENTUM

Struggling Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush asked a group of supporters to applaud after a speech about his ability to lead the country was met with awkward silence. Speaking at an event in Manchester, N.H., on Wednesday, Bush said he would not “trash talk” or be an “agitator-in-chief”. When he paused for applause, there was none prompting him to say, “Please clap.” The crowd did.

4 WAITING GAME

Ohio Governor John Kasich said he’s ready to drop out of the Republican presidential race if he “gets smoked” in the New Hampshire primary. “We’re not going to be dragging around like some band of minstrels who beg people to come to our show,” Kasich said.