Beginnings, and Endings

Iowa may not be fully representative of how the chips will ultimately fall in the presidential primaries, but the results were certainly dramatic, and surprising.

First, the endings. Two candidates, Democratic U.S. senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden, ended their campaigns after barely moving the needle in Iowa.

And for both the Democrats and Republicans, Iowa made New Hampshire's primary, this Tuesday, more interesting.

Whether issues or personality will play more into Tuesday's primary is hard to say, but true to form last night, the Democrats played up health care in their speeches.

Some surprising numbers and information on the cost and state of health care in the U.S. will be released Tuesday that will get full coverage here at WebMD, and no doubt in the press at large. So health care will be on voters' minds as they enter the booth, and probably on politicans' lips. And as the last blog entry here mentioned, health care and the economy are top concerns in this race.

In the meantime, you can find out what you need to know about health issues in this election at our special, "Health Matters in the 2008 Election." You can compare what the candidates plan for health care, what major thought and opinion leaders think about health care, and keep up with more of the latest election news from credible and respected news organizations around the country.

And please let us know what you think about the special, the election, or what you'd like to read more about, either here at this blog or on our election message board.

We'll keep you posted. Now it's on to the battle in New Hampshire. Despite the cold, the gloves are off, for sure.

Sean Swint
Executive Editor, WebMD