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.

The meaning of the New Hampshire primary is that Americans are in open revolt against the system, fear of the future and rage against economic inequality.

Senator Sanders' age and relative obscurity would in any case count against him, but the real disqualification, it is believed, is that he is a self-declared socialist, writes Bryan Gould.

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.

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.

No one expects 'The Donald' to be President, but his rivals might be better to go for him now before he spoils his party's chances.

The celebrity billionaire struggles to turn his political fling into a durable campaign.

How long can the Republicans treat Donald Trump as a sideshow before they and the party they seek to lead suffer the political effects of his excesses?

From the first moment of yesterday's Republican presidential debate, Donald Trump showed that he won't be playing by anybody's rules but his own.

Donald Trump is not in office, hasn't run for office and has not made any political decisions or mistakes- and that is why he's winning, writes Mike Hosking.

the mess the Republicans are making of their challenge has been illustrated yet again by Donald Trump's bumptious hijacking of the British Open women's golf championship.

If Donald Trump becomes the 45th President of the United States, what the heck would a Trump presidency be like?

Donald Trump, who has rocketed to the front of the Republican presidential race, flippantly belittled a Senator's war service, inviting a torrent of criticism.

Barack Obama's Charleston speech could come to rank with Martin Luther King's at the Lincoln Memorial as an inspiring moment of modern times, writes John Roughan.

Unlimited money and tech-savvy advisers ensure 2016 campaign will be a gamechanger, writes Peter Huck.

Hillary Clinton would be a good political partner for NZ if she became the US president, Prime Minister John Key says.

Given that so many hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers had more pressing concerns, perhaps that's why the election barely registered in New York City.