And while the race was something of a blowout — Team Cuomo defeated Team Bloomberg by 18 seconds — Mr. Bloomberg said he planned a little death-defying contest of his own.
Late with its verdict and with copious delegates, California found a starring role among nearly two dozen other states with nominating contests, defying predictions in ways that sometimes spotlighted political dynamics around the state.
The contest keeps defying precedents.
So far, the contest keeps defying precedents.
He was defying the sway of the contest the way that Portsmouth is defying the gravity of its situation.
However, in a topsy-turvy Republican contest that has defied all expectations, these contests could yet be decisive.
By some important measures, voting analysts say, turnout is down in the Republican nominating contests compared with 2008, defying the widespread assumption that Republicans would line up in huge numbers for a chance to evict President Obama from the White House.
The fourth and fifth games of the third set were the heart and soul of the contest, each player having three break points, each defying the odds in a monumental battle of wills.
This is a contest that defies ideological categories, pitting most of the political class against the public.
Logic suggested their chances had gone when the Swede trudged off, but this was a contest that defied belief.
