Everywhere I go, people want to know who will win the nomination. And I tell them, wait until the voters caucus in Iowa and start voting in New Hampshire. Though we have seen the polls fluctuate back and forth between the so called outsiders represented by businessman Donald Trump, former neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson and the GOP firebrand Senator Ted Cruz, anything can happen on the Republican side. It’s like a TV show—but the GOP has gone from “House of Cards” to “Game of Thrones.”

On a good day, the Democratic race is less volatile than the Republican, but then Mount Kilauea is less volatile than the Republican race. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has lead in many national polls, but Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders seems to catch every break there is in this season of volatility. Just last week, hours before the Democratic debate, he finally put out his “white paper” on a single payer healthcare system.

So who’s going to win? Well, the voters will decide and it’s hard for me to say for sure because this season is not as predictable as years before when voters usually settled on the candidate with the most experience in public office. You’re supposed to settle ON a nominee. I have a feeling the Republicans may end up settling FOR a nominee. And for now, we can’t say with certainty that we know which way the voters will turn.

Here, we are almost a year to the week when the 45th President of the United States will be inside the White House reviewing his or her to do list.  There’s no question that the next president will inherit some vestiges of our war with Isis. The President is likely going to have to resolve squabbles with Congress on the budget or taxes or presidential nominees still lingering in the pipelines. And yes, to paraphrase my colleague and good friend James Carville,  it’s still the economy stupid.

As voters, we are entitled to a robust debate. And with days before the first caucus, the closing arguments will come into sharp focus.  Both the Republicans and the Democrats will have one more opportunity to make their final arguments before voters head to their local precincts. Don’t expect the front runners to slow down or the insurgents to not show up. There’s too much at stake.

Bitterness is evident, especially among the Republican candidates — which is not to say there isn’t a good deal of testiness among the Democrats.  Let’s take a look at where we are and some projections about where we’ll be when the votes are in late into the night or next day.

By now, the voters in the Hawkeyes state are familiar with candidates.  Iowans really take their first in the nation seriously.  On the GOP side, they are frustrated because they want to pick an authentic conservative who can win.  Cruz has run a text book campaign in Iowa.  The campaign has organized the state.  There are over 6000 volunteers in Iowa alone.  And it appears that Cruz has bodily a campaign to go the distance.  They have raised over $46 M this year and they have the resources. But what Cruz don’t have is the support of Governor Terry Branstad or the former GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. He’s not with Cruz and she’s definitely with Trump.

Iowa’s Republican Governor said, ‘Anybody but Cruz,” and now Former Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole followed up on the heels of that, saying Cruz would cause Republicans “cataclysmic” losses, and Trump would do better against Clinton.  These announcements don’t happen in a vacuum; they’re nearly always coordinated. So it’s very likely that Trump is the Republican Establishment’s pick over Cruz, which as Arsenio Hall would say, “Makes you go ‘Hmmmmm.’”

What’s complicating Cruz campaign is Trump’s injection of the birther controversy . Public Polling, a Democratic polling firm, did an exhaustive report last week, concluding that “the ‘birther issue’ has the potential to really hurt Ted Cruz.”

While  36% of Iowa voters aren’t aware Cruz was born outside the U.S., when informed, 65% of that group said it made no difference in their vote. But, there are enough to whom his birth does matter that could make a difference in a tight race.

Cruz both addresses and dismisses the birther issue, counter-attacking that the Republican Establishment is backing Trump, which is the “kiss of death” in an election year where the leading candidates, including Trump, are anti-establishment.

Clearly, volatility exists.  Should  Trump win in Iowa and on to New Hampshire, the rapid unwinding of Cruz might begin to have a significant impact on the race  on the GOP side.

For Hillary Clinton, Sanders is closing in Iowa. She can withstand losses in both early states.  But, it will only get worse for her. Stefan Hankin, a Democratic pollster based in Washington, D.C., points out that the states that follow Iowa and New Hampshire are more diverse, which is where Hillary is stronger.  While Sanders is still playing catch up with minority voters, thus far his insurgent candidacy seems to have across-the-board appeal with progressive activists within the Democratic Party. Whatever the outcome in the first two primary states, Hillary Clinton remains the most formidable, toughest candidate of all running. But, it’s going to be a street fight won only by engaging voters precinct by precinct.

So, here’s to you voters. It’s now your turn. Good luck.