The month of February has been extremely tumultuous in American politics. The establishment Republican candidates have been blown aside for Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. Sen. Bernie Sanders remains a threat for Hillary Clinton, even though his chances of winning the nomination have considerably lowered since Clinton won Nevada’s caucus. For the Democrats, Super Tuesday will be a wipeout for Sanders, likely losing him the nomination. Super Tuesday for the GOP is set to be a final showdown between the GOP establishment and Trump, though the former’s odds aren't good.

Feb. 1, the state of Iowa caucused for both Democratic and Republican nominees. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton barely edged out Sen. Sanders by .2 percent, lessening Sanders’ chances at the nomination. The Republicans seemed to rebuke Donald Trump in favor of Sen. Ted Cruz, who rallied many Evangelical Christians to his side. Marco Rubio planned on winning a strong second place in the New Hampshire primary before a series of gaffes in the debate prior to the election rendered him 5th place.

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders both made strong first place finishes in New Hampshire on Feb. 9, as Gov. John Kasich landed in second place on the GOP side. Sen. Sanders was making strong poll numbers in Nevada, which held its caucuses  Feb. 20, seemingly beating Clinton by one or two points. However, he lost by 5.3 points in a surprising Clinton victory due to the support she received from African-American groups and unions.

In South Carolina, also on the same day, the Republicans chose Donald Trump over Sen. Marco Rubio, as he gained momentum and support in the party. After a humiliating 4th place finish, Gov. Jeb Bush dropped out, having invested tens of millions into the state. The GOP Nevada caucuses were a landslide for Trump, who won 45 percent of the vote. Once again Sen. Rubio was relegated to second place. Later, on Feb. 27, Clinton destroyed Sanders in South Carolina by a 47 percent margin, cementing her place as the likely winner of the nomination.
Coming into Super Tuesday, March 1, with many states being southern, bodes good news for Trump and Clinton. The white working class voters predominant in the south feel attracted to his populist message, while Clinton has wide support among  the predominantly black members of the Democratic Party.

While the second placing candidates may achieve a few victories, such as Vermont, Massachusetts and Minnesota for Sen. Sanders, it is highly unlikely they could win a plurality or majority of states. On the Republican side, Sen. Ted Cruz could win Texas, while Sen. Rubio may win Minnesota. Overall, the nomination, barring unexpected surprises, is sewn up for Clinton and Trump.