
By Josh Mitchell
Corinth Today News Editor
Leaders of the Alcorn County Republican and Democratic parties this morning shared their views with Corinth Today on the results of Monday’s Iowa presidential caucus.
“This entire election is almost a revolutionary election . . .,” said Alcorn County Republican Party Chairman Mike Stewart.
Democrats and Republicans “are tired of old politics as usual, and they want something new,” Stewart added.

While the chairmen of the Alcorn County Democratic and Republican parties likely don’t agree on much politically, both said they were somewhat surprised by the results of the Iowa Caucus.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, won on the Republican side, and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton narrowly defeated U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, on the Democratic side.
“I really thought Trump was going to win,” Stewart said.
But he said, “Cruz had a great ground game.”
Alcorn County Democratic Party Chairman Tom Sweat said he thought Sanders or Clinton would “rise to the front” more in the caucus. He was surprised at how close it was and does not have a feeling in terms of whether Clinton or Sanders will win in Alcorn County.
“I don’t have a good handle on it right now,” Sweat said.
They both also agree that the March 8 presidential primary in Mississippi will be a big day.
“That’s going to be a good turnout that day,” Stewart said. “I think probably the highest presidential primary turnout we’ve ever had in Alcorn County for the Republican Party will be that day.”
Based on the closeness of the Iowa Caucus, it is unknown who will will end up winning the Democratic nomination nationally, said Sweat.
No matter who ends up winning the Republican nomination, voters need to get behind that candidate, Stewart said.
“I’m going to ask everybody to support the winner no matter who it is,” Stewart said. “It doesn’t matter who the winner is. If your guy wins, then I’m going to vote for him. If my guy wins, I’m going to ask you to vote for him. We cannot allow Hillary or Bernie to win.”
Sweat said he thought Clinton and Sanders were so close because Clinton had a good organization and Sanders had a lot of youthful support from the under 30 age group.
He described the Clinton and Sanders race as a contest between the “new guy on the block” versus the more established politician.
Sweat was also a little surprised that Cruz won on the Republican side but said Cruz apparently had a good organization in Iowa and that legwork must have paid off.
Stewart said he thinks Cruz, Rubio and Trump are going to be the final three candidates for the Republican side. However, he said Ben Carson still has some support. All of them would be a “thousand times better than Hillary or Bernie,” Stewart said.
Stewart said he thinks the Iowa Caucus is important because it allows the presidential election process to start at a grassroots level.
“It gives the little guy a chance to be heard; otherwise the little guys are all overpowered by the big cities,” Stewart said.
The March 8 primary in Alcorn county should be “interesting,” said Sweat.
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