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Cover Story - Spanish Version

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The Race Is On

Spanish Translation

What do a war hero, a minister, an African-American Senator from Illinois and a woman Senator from New York have in common? They, and a few other candidates, all want to be the next U.S. President.

This month, the top candidates in the race for the White House cleared the first hurdles. Contests were held in Iowa and New Hampshire.

On January 8, Senator John McCain, a Vietnam War veteran, won the Republican party's primary election in New Hampshire. New York Senator Hillary Clinton won the Democratic vote. She hopes to be the first woman President.

Five days earlier, in Iowa, Republican Mike Huckabee, a former Governor of Arkansas and a Baptist minister, surged to victory. So did Illinois Senator Barack Obama. He hopes to be the nation's first African-American President.

A Long Process

Candidates face many more contests before they can claim their party's nomination. "Two races down, 48 states left to go," said former North Carolina Senator John Edwards after the New Hampshire vote. Edwards, a Democrat, came in second in Iowa and third in New Hampshire. Still, he has vowed to stay in the race.

The candidates hope to gain their party's nomination this summer. Democrats will officially name their candidate in August. The Republican nominee will be announced a few days later, in September. "Voters are not going to let any candidate take anything for granted," Obama said last week. "They want us to earn it."

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