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The media declares they've won because the votes translate into delegates come time for the convention, and those delegates select the candidate. Therefore even if you only get 30% of the vote, but everyone else gets less, you've won the most delegates from that state. You will never seen over 50% vote for one guy this early in a campaign, there are too many candidates for that, but this is exactly what these early primaries are for as well, taking a state early can demonstrate your campaign has enough energy to attract votes.
Basically, if anyone is winning the Republican nomination race, its the guy who gets the most votes in primaries and therefore the most delegates. I think that's the literally definition of winning, winning states is like winning football games, it doesn't mean you've won the Superbowl, but you've still won that game and its gotten you closer to the ultimate prize.
Yes, I do understand that in states that do not hold primary run-offs AND are winner takes all states, a plurality wins. However, a 30% win in Iowa does not a national winner make. Nor does it ONLY indicate who has the most support unless you discount the greater down-the-road question of who has the most opposition by voters as the field thins out.
This is why particularly on the Republican side where the evangelicals overwhelming domination, the winner of Iowa often is particularly unacceptable to Republicans on average. I Republican win in Iowa actually could indicate greater problems to winning elsewhere.
Personally I believe anything other than secret ballot elections with enough of a voting time frame to allow everyone eligible to vote to vote - and that there should be a runoff between the top 2 if not a majority OR portioning out the delegates on percentage of votes received. This would be more democratic and representative of the overall political party - and mean all voters did have a say. I oppose "winner takes all" - particularly if short receiving at least 50% plus 1 more vote. Otherwise the most despised and hated candidate by the majority of voters can be the "winner."
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