Expectations for CNN’s ‘Final Five’

March 23, 2016

Courtesy: Wiki Commons

By Jackson Cote 3/21/2016

Courtesy: Wiki Commons

CNN will be hosting a forum for the remaining Democrat and Republican presidential hopefuls Monday night from 8 to 11. Candidates from both parties will be vying for wins in Arizona and Utah’s primaries the following day. The Democrats will also be fighting for Idaho Tuesday. Here are some things to expect from the candidates as they head into what CNN has titled, “The Final Five”.
Donald Trump is ahead in the Republican race but does not have the GOP’s support. Conservative leaders in Washington gathered last week to seek ways to halt Trump’s progress towards the Republican nomination. Trump will be going into the forum attempting to cement his qualifications as the front-runner to skeptical conservatives. He will be making this appeal amidst multiple Trump rallies where his supporters went violent, one in Arizona where a protester was punched and kicked by a Trump supporter.
Republican candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich, who are trailing Trump, will most likely argue against the front-runner’s credibility. There is also a possibility that Cruz will take time to emphasize his firm Christian beliefs and appeal to his evangelical base, as the candidates enter the primaries of two Western states with large Mormon populations.
Kasich is coming from a big win in Ohio last Tuesday but is still lagging behind significantly, holding only 143 delegates. He will be attempting to scoop up the voters and delegates left behind by Marco Rubio’s vacancy these coming months.
Candidate Bernie Sanders is heading into the forum after a heavy-handed loss to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in five states the last Super Tuesday. He will most likely be spending his time further legitimizing his campaign, in order to close the gap between him and Clinton, which is by about 300 delegates.
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is predicted to establish her and Trump as the two major forces of the general election and will most likely target Trump in “The Final Five.”