What the Democratic muddle in Iowa means for the SC primary

Hillary Clinton: Late Monday, Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders were neck-and-neck in Iowa. Iowa’s results leave the Democratic race in a muddle, heading into New Hampshire.

According to polls, Clinton is trailing badly in next Tuesday’s Granite State primary. But a loss in New Hampshire, which borders Sanders' home state of Vermont, will be easier for Clinton to discount as regional favoritism.

Clinton holds a strong advantage in South Carolina when the candidates head South Feb. 27 for their first real test among African-American voters, who will play a big role in deciding the nomination. The S.C. primary will give insight into how March contests in two dozen states, including eight in the South, will go.

Bernie Sanders: Sanders was hoping for a rout in Iowa to crack Clinton’s frontrunner aura of inevitability, leading S.C. Democratic voters to re-evaluate him.

Sanders needed an Iowa win to show S.C. voters that he is electable. While he tarnished Clinton’s veneer in Iowa, the self-styled democratic socialist's climb in the Palmetto State still is steep, where Sanders faces Clinton’s 30-percentage-point advantage.

Clinton's campaign also has entered steam-roller mode — opening get-out-the-vote campaign offices and sending surrogates, including former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea, to South Carolina.

Martin O’Malley: Suspended his campaign after failing to bent Iowa.

This story was originally published February 2, 2016 at 12:10 PM with the headline "What the Democratic muddle in Iowa means for the SC primary."