Washington

How to Watch This Weekend’s Nominating Contests

Voters in five states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico get to have their say in the Democratic and Republican presidential nominating contest this weekend, when another 134 Democratic and 163 Republican delegates are up for grabs.

Here’s a look at the states voting this weekend, when to expect results and just what those results might be:

Kansas
Type of contest: Caucus
Democratic delegates available: 33
Republican delegates available: 37

Republicans in Kansas begin caucusing at 11 a.m. Eastern on Saturday. Democrats hold their caucuses at 4 p.m. EasternĀ — the same time the Kansas Jayhawks tip off against the Iowa State Cyclones, a point of contention on campus.

Kansas’ caucuses are dominated by hardcore partisans on both sides. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) won 51 percent of the vote here in 2012, beating Mitt Romney by 30 points; then-Sen. Barack Obama bested Hillary Clinton by a nearly three-to-one margin in 2008.

Louisiana
Type of contest: Primary
Democratic delegates available: 51
Republican delegates available: 43

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, though thousands of Louisiana voters have already cast their ballots early. The state seems tailor-made for Donald Trump; Pat Buchanan won the Republican primary here in 1996, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won in 2008 and Santorum beat Romney by 22 points in 2012. Trump drew about 10,000 people to a rally at LSU last month.

But don’t count Texas Sen. Ted Cruz out; 49 percent of Republican voters in 2012 described themselves as very conservative.

On the Democratic side, Obama won in 2008, and this year it should be fertile ground for Clinton. The plurality of Louisiana Democrats are African American, the constituency among whom Clinton has done best this year.

Kentucky
Type of contest: Caucus (Republican only)
Republican delegates available: 43

This was supposed to be Sen. Rand Paul’s race to win. Paul convinced Kentucky party leaders to hold a caucus separate from their primary in order to allow him to run for both president and re-election to the Senate. But Paul is gone, leaving the 1.3 million registered Kentucky Republicans up for grabs.

Those voters can turn out to their caucus sites any time between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to cast a ballot, so it’s not a real caucus in the traditional sense. They can choose from any of eleven candidates on the ballot, including Paul and six others who have dropped out. But don’t expect immediate results: The Kentucky Republican Party says it won’t release any numbers until at least 7 p.m. Eastern.

Nebraska
Type of contest: Caucus (Democratic only)
Democratic delegates available: 25

Nebraska Democrats are caucusing for the second time in their history, after voting for Obama by a two-to-one margin in 2008. Meeting times vary by county, but the last caucuses should end by 9 p.m. Eastern.

Maine
Type of contest: Caucus
Democratic delegates available: 25
Republican delegates available: 20

Republicans in Maine will meet at 22 locations across the state on Saturday to cast paper ballots. Voting times vary, but the final sites will close their doors at 7 p.m. Eastern. Romney narrowly won the contest in 2008, though supporters of then-Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) secured the majority of Maine’s delegates in later conventions.

Democrats get their chance to caucus on Sunday between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern. They can vote by absentee, too. Obama beat Clinton here in 2008 by a 20-point margin, and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, from nearby Vermont, has visited the state several times to try to shore up support.

Puerto Rico
Type of contest: Primary (Republican only)
Republican delegates available: 20

Polls are open for Republican voters between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. None of the Republican candidates have actually made it down to Puerto Rico this year, unlike in 2008, when both Clinton and Obama stumped around the island.

Four years ago, Romney won all 20 of Puerto Rico’s delegates, beating Santorum with a whopping 82 percent of the vote. Puerto Rico Democrats have to wait until June 5 to vote, and even then they only have one choice: Only Clinton is on the ballot.

Who’s Spending On TV

The candidates have spent just $1.6 million on television and radio ads in states that vote this weekend. Here’s who has spent, and where:

Candidate     KS    LA    NE    ME
Rubio        $103k  $98k
Clinton      $169k $104k $407k $104k
Clinton PAC         $78k
Sanders      $180k       $355k
Total        $452k $280k $762k $104k

None of the candidates ran any advertising in Kentucky or Puerto Rico.

Morning Consult