The primaries of February 12 have left Barack Obama in a strong position. He swept to victory with a large majority in Washington D.C, Virginia and Maryland.
McCain also had an impressive victory on the Republican side, gaining 68 percent of the vote in Washington alone, according to The New York Times.
The biggest surprise of the day was the scale of Obama’s lead in Virginia. He picked up 64 percent of the vote while Clinton struggled a little more, only receiving 35 percent of the vote.
Virginia voters do not register by party therefore voters were free to choose a candidate from either party. This could have been one factor that led to Obama’s lead as this system appeals to independent voters.
Obama had a lead in every demographic except white women. Clinton held her lead in this category by 10 points in Virginia and 13 points in Maryland, and Obama won 90 percent of the black vote in Virginia.
It seems that Obama’s thorough campaigning in these states paid off on the day. His grassroots approach was evident in Washington, with almost 1,000 volunteers turning out on the day to encourage voters to go to the polls.
In addition, another 150 students from Howard University were out supporting him. TV Ads were also run in Washington for a week before any of Clinton’s TV Ad campaigning began, according to the washington Post.com.
Half of the voters in Maryland and Virginia listed the economy as their top concern. This highlights where candidates need to concern their focus in order to gain further support.
Mike Huckabee, who failed to win any states, has said he has no intention of dropping out the race. “The nomination is not secured until somebody has 1,191 delegates” Huckabee said, according to cnn.com.
Tuesday’s primaries in Washington, Virginia and Maryland have made it clear that neither Democrat can win the 2,025 nominations without the backing of the superdelegates. This fact has begun to shift the focus of both candidates according to the washingtonpost.com.
Tuesday’s election have put anticipation towards the March 14 Primaries in Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont. Until then, the political spin will continue.
McCain also had an impressive victory on the Republican side, gaining 68 percent of the vote in Washington alone, according to The New York Times.
The biggest surprise of the day was the scale of Obama’s lead in Virginia. He picked up 64 percent of the vote while Clinton struggled a little more, only receiving 35 percent of the vote.
Virginia voters do not register by party therefore voters were free to choose a candidate from either party. This could have been one factor that led to Obama’s lead as this system appeals to independent voters.
Obama had a lead in every demographic except white women. Clinton held her lead in this category by 10 points in Virginia and 13 points in Maryland, and Obama won 90 percent of the black vote in Virginia.
It seems that Obama’s thorough campaigning in these states paid off on the day. His grassroots approach was evident in Washington, with almost 1,000 volunteers turning out on the day to encourage voters to go to the polls.
In addition, another 150 students from Howard University were out supporting him. TV Ads were also run in Washington for a week before any of Clinton’s TV Ad campaigning began, according to the washington Post.com.
Half of the voters in Maryland and Virginia listed the economy as their top concern. This highlights where candidates need to concern their focus in order to gain further support.
Mike Huckabee, who failed to win any states, has said he has no intention of dropping out the race. “The nomination is not secured until somebody has 1,191 delegates” Huckabee said, according to cnn.com.
Tuesday’s primaries in Washington, Virginia and Maryland have made it clear that neither Democrat can win the 2,025 nominations without the backing of the superdelegates. This fact has begun to shift the focus of both candidates according to the washingtonpost.com.
Tuesday’s election have put anticipation towards the March 14 Primaries in Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont. Until then, the political spin will continue.
(Three news sources for this article: New York Times, Washington Post, CNN)
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