Primary race heats up

By Mary Daly

Published Feb. 12, 2008

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., both suffered defeats in this weekend’s primaries and caucuses.

Just as McCain was gearing up for the Republican presidential nomination, he was reminded that he still lacks the support of a unified Republican Party.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee triumphed over McCain in the Kansas caucuses and Louisiana primary on Feb. 9. These are the first Republican contests without former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who suspended his campaign last Thursday.

In Kansas, Huckabee won 60 percent of the vote to McCain’s 24 percent and received all of the state’s 36 delegates. Huckabee crept past McCain in the Louisiana primary, winning by one percent of the vote.

McCain fought back in the Washington caucus, defeating Huckabee 26 to 24 percent. McCain still has a secure lead in the race with 723 delegates compared to Huckabee’s 217 delegates.

According to CNN.com, a senior advisor to McCain’s campaign confessed that McCain would probably lose future caucuses, but it wouldn’t be a big deal. His campaign is concentrating on making the change from front-runner to presidential nominee.

Despite McCain’s substantial lead, Huckabee has no intentions to drop out of the race.

“I know the pundits, and I know what they say” Huckabee said Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. “Well, I didn’t major in math. I majored in miracles, and I still believe in those.”

These results suggest a shift among conservatives, Huckabee told CNN after seeing the first of Saturday’s results come in.

“People across America are gravitating toward our campaign and realizing there is still a choice,” Huckabee said. “And that’s what we’ve said all along — that this race is far from being over.”

The Democratic race is still close, with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., further narrowing the gap between himself and Clinton. Obama swept Clinton in all of the primaries and caucuses that were held this weekend.

On Saturday, Obama was awarded 33 of Louisiana’s delegates, whereas Clinton received 22.

On the same day, Obama received 16 delegates from Nebraska to Clinton’s eight, 35 delegates from Washington to Clinton’s 15 and won in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Obama was successful in the Maine caucus on Sunday, winning 59 percent of the vote and 15 delegates. Clinton had 40 percent and nine delegates.

“We won north, we won south, we won in-between,” Obama said in a speech in Richmond, Va., on Saturday night. “And I believe that we can win in Virginia on Tuesday if you’re ready to stand for a change.”

Clinton also addressed the crowd in Richmond on Saturday night.

“If I’m your nominee, you will never have to worry that I will be knocked out of the ring because I do have the strength and experience to lead this country,” Clinton said. “And I am ready to go toe to toe with Sen. McCain whenever and wherever he desires.”

Obama also alluded to Republican frontrunner McCain, calling him a good man and a genuine American hero. He said McCain’s downfall in the election would be because he has chosen to support Bush’s failed policies.

“The stakes are too high and the challenges are too great to play the same old Washington game with the same old Washington players and expect a different result,” Obama told the Richmond crowd. “People want to turn the page. They want to write a new chapter in American history.”

Clinton began a new chapter in her campaign on Sunday when she replaced her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, with Maggie Williams.

Clinton will change her focus to the March primary and caucus states, the Clinton campaign stated in a news release on Sunday.

Today, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will all hold their primaries.