The 2016 Democratic Presidential Primaries were held from February 1st to June 14th, 2016. Mike Gabbard, the governor of Hawaii, defeated Bill De Blasio, the mayor of New York City.
Gabbard announced his campaign on March 28, 2015. Two days later, De Blasio announced he was going to run. In November of 2015, labor union leader Bernie Sanders announced he was running. However, he dropped out on February 2, 2016 after an extremely poor showing at the Iowa primary.
The campaign was divided into two camps: Gabbard's socially conservative and fiscally populist camp, and De Blasio's socially and fiscally liberal camp. De Blasio had suffered from Gabbard's supporters calling him a far-left extremist. This ended up with Gabbard winning the nomination.
Feb 1:The Iowa Primary[]
For months, the Democratic primaries were focused on Gabbard and De Blasio, although Sanders did have some support. The Iowa primary was seen as a clue to who would win the nomination, and after voting was over, Gabard won the state, but just barely, with 50% of the popular vote and De Blasio getting 48.1% of the popular vote. Much of Gabbard's support came from rural Iowa voters and other Iowa counties. De Blasio did win other counties too.
After this primary, Bernie Sanders announced he was dropping out of the race, stating low poll numbers and an extremely poor showing at the primary.
Feb 9:New Hampshire[]
When Iowa was won by Gabbard, De Blasio needed to do something to win the New Hampshire primary. Fortunately, since a majority of New Hampshire voters saw Gabbard as an extremist on social issues, De Blasio did have the money to win. And indeed he did, with him winning 58% of the popular vote compared to Gabbard's 42%. De Blasio's liberalism helped him win the New Hampshire primary, as his policies proved to be popular with New Hampshire Democrats.
Feb 22:Nevada and South Carolina[]
In Nevada, Gabbard, with his working class views on the economy, proved popular with Nevadans. Gabbard spent a lot of money campaigning for the primary and making speeches frequently. He won the primary with a good 53.5% compared to De Blasio's 46.5%. Much of that victory has to come from Clark County, a typical Democratic county that, while somewhat urban, also has a rural feel to it that made him win.
In South Carolina, while De Blasio was on the ballot, a large number of voters voted for Gabbard at 92% compared to De Blasio's 8%. Much of that has to do with the imindation of black and poor white voters. Even so, De Blasio did not win a single county or locality in the state, and his best result was only 39.4% in a single town. De Blasio was severely hated in the state due to his liberal views and anti-Confederate feelings.
March 1:First Super Tuesday[]
The first Super Tuesday was indeed a big victory for Gabbard. Just like with South Carolina, Gabbard won Alabama and Georgia by wild margins, winning 66.7% of the vote in Alabama and 71.2% in Georgia. Arkansas also voted largely for Gabbard, with 63%. Tennessee, surprisingly, was won by Gabbard in a landslide, beating De Blasio by 69% of the popular vote. Texas voted for Gabbard by a similar margin of 68.7%. Gabbard also won Oklahoma, but by a lesser margin than the other states he won, at 59%. Virginia, lastly, was won by Gabbard, earning 71% of the popular vote. Like South Carolina, all of the states he won (except Oklahoma) were primarily due to a strong dislike of De Blasio and the imnindation of black and poor voters, as well as Hispanics in Texas.
March 5:Big Sunday[]
De Blasio actually gained momentum with the Big Sunday primaries. De Blasio won Kansas with 68% of the popular vote, Nebraska with 61.2% of the popular vote, and Maine with 78%, while Gabbard won Louisiana with 79%, also due to the imnitadtion of black and poor voters along with a strong dislike of De Blasio.
Mar 8:Just Some Primaries[]
Michigan soon turned into a hotspot when De Blasio scored an upset victory, winning 51% compared to Gabbard's 49%. This caused media outrage from several outlets, including Fox News, a primary supporter of Democratic Southern Conservative politics. These later turned into protests, but these faded out within a day.
The other primary in Mississippi was won by Gabbard with 86% of the popular vote. Again, much of his victory has to do with voter imndation and opposition to De Blasio's liberal policies.
March 15:Second Super Tuesday[]
The Second Super Tuesday was marked with win after win from Gabbard. Gabbard won in Florida with a large 81%, Illinois with 65%, Missouri with 55%, North Carolina with 66%, and Ohio with 53%. In Florida and North Carolina, see Mississippi for why he won. In Illinois, De Blasio was seen as a far left extremist, and in Missouri and Ohio, he earned support from working class voters.
March 22 to April 9:Wins for De Blasio Mostly[]
Between March 22 and April 9, De Blasio had won Idaho with 61%, Utah with 54%, Washington with 60%, Wyoming with 52%, and Wisconsin with 58%, while Gabbard won Arizona with 57%.
April 19:Gabbard wins De Blasio's Home State[]
April 19 was the primary in New York, and whoever New York voted for was going to win the nomination. De Blasio appeared to be the favorite, but Gabbard won the state with 58% of the vote due to the popularity of his economically populist views. This was seen as the nail in the coffin for De Blasio, although he still ran until he was eliminated in the convention.
April 26:Third Super Tuesday[]
Another Super Tuesday came with another Gabbard victory. Gabbard won in Connecticut with 56%, Delaware with 62%, Maryland with 57%, and Pennsylvania with 61%, while De Blasio won 59% in Rhode Island.
May:The Countdown to the Finish Line[]
Over May, De Blasio scored a win in Indiana with 53%, West Virginia with 58%, and Oregon with 74%. However, Gabard scored a win in Kentucky with 59%.
June 7: Last Primaries[]
Gabbard, once again, scored huge victories in California with 60%, New Jersey with 57%, New Mexico with 53%, and South Dakota with 55%, while De Blasio won in Montana with 58% and North Dakota with 52%.
Convention[]
The convention was held on July 25-28, 2016, with Mike Gabbard being named the Democratic nominee, and De Blasio was eliminated in the convention. Gabbard later chose Don Siegelman, a House member from Alabama, to be his running mate.