Top 10 Gazette stories of the year: #2 Donald Trump wins Iowa, election

In a stunning reversal of political pollsters' predictions, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump rode a thoroughly unconventional campaign to victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 general election, including a 10-point win in Iowa.

Trump's victory signaled a new era in American presidential politics. But it also upset many voters, Democrats and Republicans alike, who decried Trump's comments saying they conveyed hate, misogyny and racism.

Trump finished second in the Iowa caucuses in January, trailing caucus winner Ted Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas, by 4 percent and essentially finishing in a dead heat for the runner-up spot with Marco Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida. However, Trump persevered through his early struggles and focused on a pro-labor platform that stressed keeping jobs in the U.S. and sanctioning companies who decided to move their operations offshore.

Trump won the election handily in the Electoral College vote, but Clinton received nearly three million more popular votes than the president-elect, renewing calls to abolish the Electoral College as an outdated system.

Feb. 1 -- Cruz beats Trump in Iowa caucuses; Rubio takes third

Oct. 27 -- Trump, Clinton tied in Iowa, 44-44 percent

Nov. 8 -- Trump clinches in Iowa en route to presidency

Nov. 9 -- Trump triumphs over Clinton in White House upset

Dec. 8 -- Trump thanks Iowa for election victory