Complex sentence: The election is a heavily contested state, being the first primary located in the south, all three candidates have strong ties to the state, and that last major primary before 22 states host their primaries/caucuses on February 5.
Split into simpler sentences: The election is a heavily contested state, being the first primary located in the south. All three candidates have strong ties to the state, and it's the last major primary before 22 states host their primaries/caucuses on February 5.