Who Will Minnesota Vote for on Super Tuesday?

With Donald Trump's recent second primary win in South Carolina, taking 44 delegates, and giving him a commanding lead over the other candidates, he solidified himself as the front-runner for the Republican party and the one to beat in future primaries and caucuses. Marco Rubio placed second and is gaining momentum while Jeb Bush has bowed out. Hillary Clinton, on the Democratic side, narrowly beat out Bernie Sanders in Nevada and is hoping to stifle his momentum. The race is far from over. Super Tuesday is only a week and a half away where 12 states will help decide who will be the presidential nominee for both parties. Minnesota is one of those states. The Republican establishment continues to wonder when or if Donald Trump can be stopped. Frank Bruni of the New York Times states that since 1980 every Republican candidate who won both New Hampshire and South Carolina went on to secure the Republican nomination, putting Trump in a good position. The question remains: Will other states break this trend and push back against Trump’s dominance? Minnesota is one state that might. The most recent data from a Star Tribune poll shows Marco Rubio hanging on by a thread with a 2-point lead. While 2 points is within the margin of error, it gives the Rubio campaign cause to feel optimistic. It’s the first poll showing Rubio leading in any state. Of the people polled, 61% had an unfavorable opinion of Donald Trump, indicating that Minnesota Republicans see Rubio as a Trump alternative. It’s unclear if Rubio will win Minnesota, and depends on his performance in the Nevada caucus, but polling is in his favor. Hillary Clinton holds a commanding 34 point lead over Bernie Sanders in Minnesota. However, Sanders has proven effective in narrowing her lead in both New Hampshire and Nevada. He could do it again, but all signs point to Hillary Clinton winning Minnesota. Either way, it's without a doubt a close race on both sides of the aisle.   Photo courtesy of: Michael Vandon