The audience erupted in laughter as ten clowns squeezed themselves into the tiny clown car.

The circus widened the parking area to fit dozens of clown cars after the final act.

The pundits dismissed last year's clown-car primaries as chaotic and unserious, but they still shaped the final ticket.

Reporters joked that the open-seat contest had become a clown-car primary, with half a dozen credible contenders dividing the vote.