2016 presidential elections polls show Trump leading

(Reuters)

The US presidential elections will officially kick off on Monday with the Iowa caucuses and Americans will finally know whether mogul Donald Trump commands as much Republican support as he claims he has and whether Bernie Sanders can pose a challenge to Hillary Clinton.

The Hindu site reported that Trump has a five-point lead over rival Ted Cruz while Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders' numbers are quite close.

The latest polls reportedly show that Trump has the support of 28 per cent of probable Iowa caucus-goers, Texas Senator Ted Cruz enjoys the support of 23 per cent while Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has 15 per cent. On the Democrats' side, 45 per cent support Clinton while 42 per cent support Sanders.

It should be pointed out that the poll was held between January 26 and 29, before Trump generated controversy by skipping the Republican's Iowa debate and holding his own event that raised funds for veterans.

As expected, all the candidates crisscrossed the state in a bid to drum up support and interest before the prelude to 2016 presidential elections kicks off. It was reported that there was the usual drama in Trump's campaign as he had security throw out a small group of protesters.

The Iowa caucus is the starting point in a long process that will eventually end with the two political groups finally picking their official nominee.

It's interesting to note that the future state of the nation, and the fate of Clinton, Trump et al, rest in the hands of the people of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina as they choose between the party's candidates.

This system has been in place for the past 40 years and is admittedly a source of pride for residents of Iowa. Tom Henderson, chairman of Polk County's Democratic Party, told Reuters that Iowans look at it "as a great privilege and a great gift" and said that the residents take the task very seriously.

The caucus is set to start on Monday, with the results expected to be out in 2 to 3 hours.

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