Eyes glued to cable news, the congressional staffers and strategists propping up a bar near Washington's imposing Capitol ensure that the quadrennial political tradition of "Super Tuesday" is an evening of beer, fried snacks and complex election mathematics.
A mock voting booth with a red and white curtain redolent of Old Glory itself provides a discrete corner where customers of the Union Pub can "vote" for their favorite menu items in private.
Tuesday's delights: totcho -- that's "tater tot nacho" -- platters reduced by USD 2, potato croquettes, and two-for-one cocktails after 5:00pm.
Sitting in front of the giant screen on the terrace on a mild winter evening, public affairs consultants Maggie Kiney and Libby King wait impatiently for the first projections to come in.
Super Tuesday, one of the most consequential milestones in the Democratic primary, is the day when the most US states hold votes for the party's eventual nominee to run for president.
"Super Tuesday is a fascinating occasion to see the democratic process in action," says King, 26, as she drains the pitcher of beer they are sharing.
Kiney, 33, envisages an evening where they will "drink, eat and sit on Twitter."
"The Democratic Party is at a crossroads. The stakes are very high," she tells AFP, although she is not committing to staying put until the final results are announced in California, which is three hours behind Washington.
"We have to be at work tomorrow morning," she muses.
Opened in 1995 just a stone's throw from the Capitol building, the seat of the US Congress, the Union Pub quickly became a temple at which political junkies of all stripes pay their respects.
The bar's managers are marking the pub's 25th anniversary with a series of nights themed around the presidential campaign.
Festivities began in early February for the first Democratic primary vote in Iowa -- with corn dogs and deep-fried Oreos keeping the barstool pundits happy -- and will continue until the summer conventions of the two major parties.
Under the approving gaze of Honest Abe Lincoln, depicted on a wall with a beer in his hand, the bar offers patrons a spin on "Super Tuesday" it calls "Super Totcho Tuesday Boozeday."
"The phone has been ringing all day, people want to know if we're showing Super Tuesday," enthuses a barman in between orders as a large group of drinkers arrives.
"It's a unique place, where you can meet a lot of different people," says a 26-year-old congressional intern in a sharp suit, who prefers to keep his name to himself.
"What's happening today is a launch pad for next few months, with an impact not only for America, but for the entire world."
Liz Amber, 21, had been leaning towards Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old Democratic wunderkind who shone in the early stages of the campaign.
But after failing to make his mark in South Carolina, the former Indiana mayor dropped out, leaving Amber to line up behind Joe Biden, the establishment candidate best placed to beat frontrunning leftist Bernie Sanders.
"I'm not very excited about it. Biden is kind of okay. Sanders is too far left and divisive, he's a revolutionary," she deadpans.
The drinkers of the Union Pub are drip-fed results from 14 states across the country, before the evening ends with a politically-themed pub trivia quiz.
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