It’s now less than a week before the Iowa caucuses, two weeks before the New Hampshire primary, and thus time for political aficionados to whip themselves into frenzy. People often become so preoccupied with the two contests that they lose sight of the larger picture. So take a deep breath, everyone: Neither party’s nomination is likely to be settled by the outcomes in Iowa or New Hampshire, or even the two combined. The Republican race is likely to be determined much closer to Memorial Day than New Year’s Day, and the Democratic nomination should be obvious by Easter, quite possibly much sooner, but not likely in February. Iowa should winnow the more conservative half of the GOP field, likely ending the campaigns of Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, and Rick Santorum and allowing Ted Cruz to consolidate the more strongly ideological wing of the party. Conversely, New Hampshire is likely to cull the herd of conventional Republican candidates—Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Marco Rubio. All are not likely to remain contenders after the Granite State votes. The only question
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