Trump Wins Caucus

Yesterday, Kentucky Republicans turned out to vote in the Presidential Caucus. Doors opened at 10:00 AM and they closed at 4:00 PM.  Most locations throughout the state saw long-lines and voter turnout was higher than expected.

Despite the long lines, voters said the actual voting process was smooth and easy. The ballot was simple. A paper ballot with all of the candidates, including those that dropped out already, listed in alphabetical order. Since this was a caucus and not a primary election, many locations also saw tables set up that were campaigning for the Presidential candidates as well as people hoping to get the word out for their run in the primary for local and state positions.

Some voters complained that the event was disorganized and were unhappy with the prospect of having to return to the booth to vote in May. Others were excited that Kentuckians are relevant during the election cycle since the caucus occurred early in the process.

Kentucky awards delegates in proportion to the votes received. Trump was declared the winner of the state with 82,493 votes (~36%). Ted Cruz was in a close second with 72,503 votes (~32%). Marco Rubio was in third with 37,579 (~16%) and John Kasich was in fourth with 33,134 (~14%). Despite the rest of the candidates being out of the race, collectively they received 3,492 votes and 872 were uncommitted.