Trump has put KKK back in spotlight but group has been trying to influence elections for a long time.

COMMENT: Every day it is less surprising that Trump does best in the areas of the country with the most racist Google searches.

Yessir, I was wrong. It's reasonable to consider Trump the favourite to win the Republican nomination for US President, writes Jack Tame.

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio has received boosts in his drive to become the mainstream Republican alternative to Donald Trump.

Hillary Clinton badly needed to win the Nevada caucuses. And she won them.

After months of jabbing at each other, Cruz and Rubio shape up for knockout fight.

Jeb Bush's failure demonstrated money is not everything, and that, this time, solid, innovative policy is not a ticket to the nomination.

NBC and the Wall Street Journal casually tossed a bombshell into the political world with a poll showing Ted Cruz with a slight lead in Republican polling.

South Carolina and Nevada are but a few days away. I have never been so immersed in the American presidential race, writes Mike Hosking.

"I continue to have faith in the American people. And I think they realise that being president of the United States is a serious job. It’s not hosting a talk show," Obama said at a news conference in Rancho Mirage, California.

The unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia has left it deeply divided along ideological lines, much as the US is, writes Karen Tumulty.

Sanders beat up Hillary Clinton rather badly, but Clinton still walked away with more delegates to take to the Democratic national convention, writes Larry Williams. Tell me that's not a little dodgy.

Much fun has been had at the expense of the US Republican Party candidates for the presidential nomination over the fact they're all bonkers.

The fallout from the Iowa contest in the United States presidential race was swift.

Mark Triffitt asks, how can a political and policy freak show like Donald Trump become a serious contender for the job America touts as "leader of the free world"?

Donald Trump does not herald some frightening new dawn of neo-fascism set to dominate US politics, writes Phil Quin. His extreme anti-Muslim and anti-immigration platform is not noticeably gaining ground.

Many people will agree with the old saying that "all's fair in love and war". Others would add "and politics" - a view that certainly seems to be taken by some politicians.

It's a given that plenty of politicians play fast and loose with the truth, especially on the campaign trail, writes Paul Thomas. Trump isn't hyping his policies or exaggerating his opponents' shortcomings, he's slandering an entire community.

I certainly share the goal of never having to bail out the big banks again, but I prefer the path of tackling the most dangerous risks in a different way, writes Hillary Clinton.

He is really rich. That, according to Donald Trump, is one of the primary reasons people should vote for him.

Obama's possible successor picks up the challenge of US love-affair with weapons.

Jeb Bush is entering a critical phase of his Republican presidential campaign, with top donors warning that the former Florida Governor needs to demonstrate growth.

The American political parties are urging wealthy backers to give them 10 times more money than was allowed in the last presidential election.