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Thursday, Feb 07, 2008
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The numbers above represent the estimated delegate count for each of the five candidates at 11.45 p.m. (IST) WASHINGTON: Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama dug in on Wednesday for an extended battle for the Democratic presidential nomination after splitting wins in the biggest primary day in U.S. history, while Republican John McCain cemented his front runner status after a slew of big victories. Ms. Clinton won in eight key Super Tuesday races, including the most valuable, California and New York. She also maintains a lead in the all-important tally of delegates. But Mr. Obama is close behind with wins in at least 13 of the 22 States that held Democratic contests, and he has fresh momentum as the race moves into territory where he would seem to have an edge. Either Democrat will likely face a formidable opponent in Mr. McCain, whose cross-country victories on Tuesday seem to guarantee that he will be the Republican candidate in the November election. Mr. McCain’s independent streak has won him support across party lines and, more than most Republicans, allows him to distance himself from the unpopular presidency of George W. Bush. Mr. McCain’s victories in California, New York and other major States failed to knock his main rival, the former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, out of the race. But they nonetheless dealt the millionaire former businessman a crushing blow and capped a remarkable comeback for a campaign that nearly unravelled last year. “We’ve won some of the biggest States in the country,” Mr. McCain, a veteran senator and former Vietnam prisoner of war, told cheering supporters at a rally in Phoenix. An underdog for months, he proclaimed himself the front runner at last, and added. “I don’t really mind it one bit.” In the competition that counted the most, the Arizona senator had 613 delegates, more than half the 1,191 needed for the nomination — and far ahead of his rivals. Even so, Mr. Romney and Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas Governor, said they were staying in the race. Mr. Huckabee, a Baptist preacher, won contests in the south, his appeal to Christian conservatives there undermining Mr. Romney’s support. Mr. Romney had 269 delegates and Mr. Huckabee was on 190. In the Democratic race, Ms. Clinton had 845 delegates, to 765 for Mr. Obama, out of the 2,025 needed to secure victory at the party convention in August. Ms. Clinton’s advantage is partly due to her lead among the so-called superdelegates, members of Congress and other party leaders who are not selected in primaries and caucuses — and who are also free to change their minds. Neither Ms. Clinton nor Mr. Obama proclaimed victory as campaigns turned to the next rounds. On Saturday, Louisiana and Washington State hold two-party contests while Nebraska Democrats and Kansas Republicans make their picks. Then comes a larger series of two-party primaries in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia on Tuesday. Ms. Clinton plans to campaign in Virginia on Thursday, and Mr. Obama is expected to do well in largely black D.C. Ms. Clinton, who also won American Samoa, had long been the front-runner in the Democratic race. Her campaign has emphasised her experience as a senator and First Lady. She would be the country’s first woman President. Mr. Obama, a first-term senator who is vying to become the first black President, has offered a spirited challenge, carrying a message of change and hope after years of political gridlock in Washington. Exit polling indicated Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton were each getting support from almost half of white men, marking a big improvement for the Illinois Senator. The former Senator, John Edwards’ departure from the Democratic race last week may have helped Mr. Obama with white males, who made up more than a quarter of Tuesday’s Democratic voters from coast to coast. More than four in 10 women and about the same number of whites also were supporting Mr. Obama. Mr. McCain has campaigned on his national security experience. His reputation as a maverick has won him support from independent voters and moderate Republicans but alienated conservative Republicans who form the party’s core constituency. Mr. Romney won in Massachusetts, where he had served as Governor, and Utah, where fellow Mormons supported his candidacy. He also won in North Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado, Alaska and Montana. Mr. Huckabee, a Baptist preacher and another former Arkansas governor, had a surprisingly strong performance, using his support among southern Christians to win in Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee and his home State. — AP McCain vs Hillary?
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