Finally the results of the biggest primary of the year have arrived. Super Tuesday, as most call it, occurred on March 1, and simply put is a compilation of 12 state primaries happening all at once. Some candidates’ chances have been staggered, while the front-runners have maintained their lead throughout this pivotal election. However, the race is not over yet, as the second place candidates from each party show no signs of giving up their efforts to win their respective primaries.

On the Republican side of the ballot, those who mocked Donald Trump’s decision to run for president are now eating humble pie. The bombastic businessman swept through the Super Tuesday election in a whirlwind of success, winning 7 states, far more than his competitors. Initially, Trump seemed like an inept candidate, but with each politically incorrect statement more and more voters swarm to the polls in support of his cause.

His status as a lightning rod for the media allows him to gain more press coverage than any other candidate. Perhaps this has contributed to his success more than anything, giving him a leg up against his more conventional opponents, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Trump’s unexpected string of victories is a cause for worry for Republican voters, as it seems unlikely that he will be able to triumph against the Democratic leader, Hillary Clinton.

However, winning states isn’t the full picture when it comes to Super Tuesday. Each delegate who votes counts separately towards party nominations, and in terms of delegates, Trump’s lead looks a little less daunting. Trump received 247 delegates compared to Cruz’s 214 on Tuesday. These numbers reveal the true neck-to-neck nature of the race for the political nomination.

With four candidates left for the Republicans, the voting pool is being split up. If we thought of the overall primary rankings in terms of two candidates, Trump and not Trump, not Trump would have more votes. Therefore, if a few of the candidates who are clearly losing dropped out, more and more support would pile up with the remaining nominee. The numbers show that the most likely candidate for the job of taking on Trump is Ted Cruz. However, this scenario hinges on the other Republicans dropping out of the race, and until that happens, Trump will continue to dominate.

As this critical year passes, it is time for students of a voting age to prepare to cast their lot to either Clinton or Trump, and make themselves familiar with the implications that each situation would bring to their future. What shape the next four years take could depend on the decisions high school age voters stepping up and making the adult decision of who they want running our country. — Andrew Moore

The Democratic ballot presented one-sided results, with front-runner Hillary Clinton stomping on competitor Bernie Sanders. Beating Clinton never was going to be a walk in the park for Sanders, but now the feat almost seems insurmountable. On Tuesday she claimed 7 out of 11 states in a major step towards victory for her campaign. In terms of delegates, Clinton took 513 votes home compared to Sanders with 343.

Much of her appeal in the primarily southern Super Tuesday election comes from her appeal to the African- American population, a large demographic that Sanders has seemingly failed to interest at all. This pattern holds serious implications for Sanders as he continues campaigning, as a inability to target a large pool of voters could lead to the end of his candidacy.

However, Sanders summed up his chances well in his statement following the events of Tuesday night. He noted that 15 states will have voted at the end of Tuesday, and 35 remain. So in those terms, his candidacy is very much still alive. However, political projections show Clinton winning many of the remaining states, so Sanders will need to push to gain the momentum he needs to win the democratic nomination. Some catalyst to reenergize his campaign must emerge for the trailing candidate to give himself a fighting chance in a difficult political battle such as this.

Sanders must wait patiently for a hole in Clinton’s armor to attack through. With the importance of Clinton’s email scandal slowly fading, his list of weapons against her is shrinking. Furthermore, Clinton has adopted some of Sander’s language of social reform, with talk of further regulating Wall Street’s wealthy millionaires. This steals some of Sander’s thunder and further reduces his chances of a comeback victory. Bernie’s famed appeal to America’s youth has not proved to be enough to take on Hillary’s wider audience of established voters.

As the primary season rolls onwards with the landmark event of Super Tuesday completed, the likely candidates for each party are becoming clearer and clearer. Many important states will cast their votes in the months to come, possibly clinching the two leading candidates’ nominations.

As this critical year passes, it is time for students of a voting age to prepare to cast their lot to either Clinton or Trump, and make themselves familiar with the implications that each situation would bring to their future. What shape the next four years take could depend on the decisions high school age voters stepping up and making the adult decision of who they want running our country.

Information for this article found at The Washington Post, CNBC, and nj.com

This author can be reached via Twitter: @Andrew_Mooooore and via email: Andrew Moore.