Who is running the show?
There was at least one bright red hat with the, “Make America Great Again” slogan embroidered on it last weekend at the Clark County Republican caucuses.
And certainly many more Donald Trump supporters.
But just how many people are hoping Trump to be the Republican nominee for the U.S. President, we don’t know.
Unlike in previous years, there was no presidential straw poll. Instead, the state party will commit its delegates based on the outcome of the statewide May 24 presidential primary election.
The Democrats likely won’t pay much attention to the primary and will caucus on March 26.
The political parties can choose if they want to use the primary to allocate delegates or use caucus results, or some combination.
“One of the main differences between a primary election and a caucus is who is running the show, according to the state’s secretary of state website. “State governments conduct primaries, while state parties are behind caucuses. In both processes, voters are selecting candidates who will move on to the presidential election in November.”
A post by Joel Connelly, with the Seattle PI, calls it like it is, “Our state’s confusing, largely meaningless presidential primary.”
One thing is important to note, to vote in the primary Washington citizens must declare a party. The deadline to register by mail or online is April 25. The state keeps a public record of your party declaration for 22 months after the presidential primary.
The Republican’s lineup remains: Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. John Kasich and Ben Carson. On the Democratic side, it’s former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Lauren Dake
Lauren Dake covers politics for The Columbian. You can reach her at 360-735-4534 or lauren.dake@columbian.com. Follow her on Twitter .