Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., meets 3-month-old Oliver Lomas, of Venice, Calif., during a rally at Bonanza High School, on Feb. 14, 2016, in Las Vegas.Evan Vucci—AP
A presidential election campaign is all about retail politics – shaking hands, taking selfies and kissing babies. But Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders didn’t expect one such baby to don his signature glasses and messy white hair, as our lead photo in this week’s selection of the best political photographs shows.
As the political theater comes to South Carolina and Nevada, new pairings are formed – from Marco Rubio and Donald Trump competing on stage to Jeb and George W. Bush campaigning together in a Hail Mary for the younger brother’s candidacy – and fun is had, as Sanders and Hillary Clinton clearly demonstrate. And it’s just the beginning!
—TIME’s selection of the Surprising Political Photographs of the Week is published every Thursday.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., meets 3-month-old Oliver Lomas, of Venice, Calif., during a rally at Bonanza High School, on Feb. 14, 2016, in Las Vegas. Evan Vucci—APDemocratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a campaign rally at Bonanza High School on Feb. 14, 2016 in Las Vegas.Ethan Miller—Getty ImagesDemocratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton defends a goal during a campaign stop at an indoor soccer center in Las Vegas on Feb. 13, 2016. David Becker—ReutersRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets people during a campaign rally at the University of South Florida Sun Dome on Feb. 12, 2016 in Tampa, Fla.Joe Raedle—Getty ImagesA young boy in camouflage clothing looks through a cloth backdrop to get a glimpse of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Walterboro, S.C. on Feb. 17, 2016. Jonathan Ernest—ReutersRepublican presidential candidate Jeb Bush walks past a security guard after a town hall meeting with employees at FN America gun manufacturers in Columbia, S.C. on Feb. 16, 2016. Jonathan Ernest—ReutersRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, speaks during a campaign stop on Feb. 17, 2016, in Walterboro, S.C. Matt Rourke—APSouth Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, left, formally endorses GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio, right, at a rally in Chapin, S.C. on Feb. 17, 2016.Miguel Juarez Lugo—Zuma PressThe bench of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is draped with black wool crepe in memoriam at the Supreme Court in Washington on Feb.16, 2016. Scalia died on Feb. 13, 2016.Carlos Barria—ReutersCardboard cutouts of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton , right, and President Barack Obama are positioned in a window in the LeDroit Park neighborhood in Washington on Feb. 15, 2016. Andrew Harnik—APRepublican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., shares a Tic-Tac mint with Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump during a Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center on Feb. 13, 2016, in Greenville, S.C. John Bazemore—APRepublican presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, center left, participates in a campaign event with his brother, former U.S. President George W. Bush in North Charleston, S.C. on Feb. 15, 2016. Former First Lady Laura Bush, right, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, left, appear on stage.Erik S. Lesser—EPASupporters for Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich wait for his arrival for a town hall meeting, on Feb. 16, 2016, in Livonia, Mich. Carlos Osorio—APRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump walks through the Spin Room after a Republican presidential debate at the Peace Center in Greenville, S.C. on Feb. 13, 2016.Erik S. Lesser—EPA
