patriotsblade
02-19-2008, 09:26 PM
http://us.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/19/feb19.contests/index.html
(CNN) -- Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain will win in Wisconsin, CNN projects.
The victory marks the ninth consecutive win for Obama over rival Hillary Clinton.
In the Republican race, Wisconsin gives McCain at least 13 more delegates; 24 more delegates are to be awarded to the winner of each congressional district.
The remaining three GOP delegates are unpledged Republican National Committee members.
"I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change," McCain told supporters -- in what appeared to be a dig at Obama.
McCain has increasingly targeted Obama as the Illinois senator has emerged as the front-runner in the Democratic race.
"Our purpose is to keep this blessed country free, safe, prosperous and proud," McCain said.
McCain is the presumptive nominee for his party, but he must pick up 1,191 delegates to seal the nomination.
While the Arizona senator leads by a wide margin in the delegate count, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has said he intends to stay in the race.
"We see the last stand only when somebody has 1,191 delegates," Huckabee said Tuesday.
"Other than that, we may go all the way to Minneapolis-St. Paul, to the convention.
"People are for the most part spoiled by the last three election cycles when it's sort of a done deal before we ever got to the convention," he said.
"It might boost enthusiasm for the party if we got to the convention, then decided who the nominee was going to be."
McCain was looking for big wins Tuesday to demonstrate he is starting to unify the Republican party behind his nomination, including conservatives upset by his positions on immigration, campaign finance and other issues.
The Democratic contenders, speaking in states that hold critical primaries March 4, were already looking ahead of the Democratic primary in Wisconsin -- the biggest of the three states up for grabs Tuesday.
Clinton told an audience in the Cleveland suburb of Parma, Ohio, that more needs to be done to aid cities. "I think we have to think more creatively. We can't just do the same things over and over again," the New York senator said.
In San Antonio, Texas, Obama said predatory lenders who are now in financial trouble spent millions lobbying Congress, and some contributed heavily to Bush's campaign. He called the situation "an outrage."
"It didn't have to be this way. For some time we'd been warned that the problems in the housing market could spill into other corners of the economy," Obama said in his opening remarks.
"And yet rather than stop it from happening, George Bush's Washington was an enabler, caving in to lobbyists and letting our economy go down a dangerous road."
Early voting began in Texas on Tuesday.
Clinton and Obama were running a tight race for the Democratic nomination, while on the Republican side, presumptive nominee McCain was hoping voters could help him finally knock his last major rival out of the race.View pictures from the polls and campaign trail »
In addition to Wisconsin, Washington state and Hawaii were holding contests Tuesday.
McCain and Obama have been targeting each other in campaign speeches recently, but Tuesday morning, their wives got into the fray.
As Cindy McCain introduced her husband at a campaign event, she told the crowd "I am proud of my country. I don't know about you, if you heard those words earlier -- I am very proud of my country."
The comment seemed to be a response to a remark from Michelle Obama the day before. On Monday, she told a Wisconsin audience that "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country, because it feels like hope is making a comeback.... not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change."
After Tuesday's event, the McCains were asked if the Arizona senator's wife had been responding to that comment. Cindy McCain did not directly answer the question, responding: "I just wanted to make the statement that I have and always will be proud of my country."
Meanwhile, as voters headed to the polls in Wisconsin Tuesday, they faced some fierce conditions.
I-Reporter Michael Stouffer of Wausau, Wisconsin, said the weather would not stop him from getting to the polls, though he did fear the snowfall could prevent the elderly from voting.
Stouffer said he was prepared to vote for Obama in the Democratic primary after voting Republican in the last election.
"I think Hillary has the experience, but it's time to take the tablecloth off and give it a shake," he said.
Whether Obama can convince more voters like Stouffer -- independents and Republicans -- to vote for him may be key to an Obama victory in Wisconsin.
Obama also was looking for a win in the Hawaii Democratic caucuses, the state where the Illinois senator was born and still has family.
Obama leads Clinton in the overall delegate count -- 1,263 to 1,212, according to CNN estimates. The estimate includes the support of superdelegates, the party officials and elected officials who are free to vote for any candidate at the party's national convention. Check out a list of the superdelegates »
Ninety-four Democratic delegates are at stake Tuesday.
Both candidates are short of the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination, and it is very likely the roughly 800 superdelegates will ultimately decide who will be chosen as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Recent polls show Clinton has a chance in Wisconsin at ending Obama's winning streak. According to an American Research Group poll conducted February 15 and 16, the two candidates are in a statistical tie, with Clinton at 49 percent and Obama at 43 percent. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. Watch the candidate stump in snowy Wisconsin »
Another poll of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters conducted by Research 2000 for Madison television station WISC also indicates the race is too close to call. The WISC poll had Obama at 47 percent and Clinton at 42 percent. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
In Wisconsin, Clinton is expected to do well in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and the the industrialized Fox River valley, which includes Appleton and Green Bay, in the northeastern portion of the state. Both areas have a high percentage of blue collar voters, a group Clinton has done well with in previous primaries.
Obama is expected to do well in the state's capital, Madison, which is known for its progressive politics. Obama, who has outperformed Clinton among younger voters, should also do well in the Madison area because of the large student body at the University of Wisconsin.
No polling is available for the Hawaii Democratic caucus. The Clinton campaign dispatched Chelsea Clinton, the candidate's daughter, to rally support. Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, has stumped for her brother. Watch the Democrats battle for Hawaii »
Democrats in Washington state were voting Tuesday, and election officials were opening ballots in the largely vote-by-mail state. The results will have no impact on how the state's delegates will be distributed because the delegate allocation was determined February 9 when Washington Democrats held caucuses. Obama beat Clinton, 68 percent to 31 percent.
The Republican candidates were competing for 19 delegates in Washington. Eighteen delegates were awarded earlier in the state's caucuses
(CNN) -- Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain will win in Wisconsin, CNN projects.
The victory marks the ninth consecutive win for Obama over rival Hillary Clinton.
In the Republican race, Wisconsin gives McCain at least 13 more delegates; 24 more delegates are to be awarded to the winner of each congressional district.
The remaining three GOP delegates are unpledged Republican National Committee members.
"I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change," McCain told supporters -- in what appeared to be a dig at Obama.
McCain has increasingly targeted Obama as the Illinois senator has emerged as the front-runner in the Democratic race.
"Our purpose is to keep this blessed country free, safe, prosperous and proud," McCain said.
McCain is the presumptive nominee for his party, but he must pick up 1,191 delegates to seal the nomination.
While the Arizona senator leads by a wide margin in the delegate count, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has said he intends to stay in the race.
"We see the last stand only when somebody has 1,191 delegates," Huckabee said Tuesday.
"Other than that, we may go all the way to Minneapolis-St. Paul, to the convention.
"People are for the most part spoiled by the last three election cycles when it's sort of a done deal before we ever got to the convention," he said.
"It might boost enthusiasm for the party if we got to the convention, then decided who the nominee was going to be."
McCain was looking for big wins Tuesday to demonstrate he is starting to unify the Republican party behind his nomination, including conservatives upset by his positions on immigration, campaign finance and other issues.
The Democratic contenders, speaking in states that hold critical primaries March 4, were already looking ahead of the Democratic primary in Wisconsin -- the biggest of the three states up for grabs Tuesday.
Clinton told an audience in the Cleveland suburb of Parma, Ohio, that more needs to be done to aid cities. "I think we have to think more creatively. We can't just do the same things over and over again," the New York senator said.
In San Antonio, Texas, Obama said predatory lenders who are now in financial trouble spent millions lobbying Congress, and some contributed heavily to Bush's campaign. He called the situation "an outrage."
"It didn't have to be this way. For some time we'd been warned that the problems in the housing market could spill into other corners of the economy," Obama said in his opening remarks.
"And yet rather than stop it from happening, George Bush's Washington was an enabler, caving in to lobbyists and letting our economy go down a dangerous road."
Early voting began in Texas on Tuesday.
Clinton and Obama were running a tight race for the Democratic nomination, while on the Republican side, presumptive nominee McCain was hoping voters could help him finally knock his last major rival out of the race.View pictures from the polls and campaign trail »
In addition to Wisconsin, Washington state and Hawaii were holding contests Tuesday.
McCain and Obama have been targeting each other in campaign speeches recently, but Tuesday morning, their wives got into the fray.
As Cindy McCain introduced her husband at a campaign event, she told the crowd "I am proud of my country. I don't know about you, if you heard those words earlier -- I am very proud of my country."
The comment seemed to be a response to a remark from Michelle Obama the day before. On Monday, she told a Wisconsin audience that "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country, because it feels like hope is making a comeback.... not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change."
After Tuesday's event, the McCains were asked if the Arizona senator's wife had been responding to that comment. Cindy McCain did not directly answer the question, responding: "I just wanted to make the statement that I have and always will be proud of my country."
Meanwhile, as voters headed to the polls in Wisconsin Tuesday, they faced some fierce conditions.
I-Reporter Michael Stouffer of Wausau, Wisconsin, said the weather would not stop him from getting to the polls, though he did fear the snowfall could prevent the elderly from voting.
Stouffer said he was prepared to vote for Obama in the Democratic primary after voting Republican in the last election.
"I think Hillary has the experience, but it's time to take the tablecloth off and give it a shake," he said.
Whether Obama can convince more voters like Stouffer -- independents and Republicans -- to vote for him may be key to an Obama victory in Wisconsin.
Obama also was looking for a win in the Hawaii Democratic caucuses, the state where the Illinois senator was born and still has family.
Obama leads Clinton in the overall delegate count -- 1,263 to 1,212, according to CNN estimates. The estimate includes the support of superdelegates, the party officials and elected officials who are free to vote for any candidate at the party's national convention. Check out a list of the superdelegates »
Ninety-four Democratic delegates are at stake Tuesday.
Both candidates are short of the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination, and it is very likely the roughly 800 superdelegates will ultimately decide who will be chosen as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Recent polls show Clinton has a chance in Wisconsin at ending Obama's winning streak. According to an American Research Group poll conducted February 15 and 16, the two candidates are in a statistical tie, with Clinton at 49 percent and Obama at 43 percent. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. Watch the candidate stump in snowy Wisconsin »
Another poll of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters conducted by Research 2000 for Madison television station WISC also indicates the race is too close to call. The WISC poll had Obama at 47 percent and Clinton at 42 percent. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
In Wisconsin, Clinton is expected to do well in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and the the industrialized Fox River valley, which includes Appleton and Green Bay, in the northeastern portion of the state. Both areas have a high percentage of blue collar voters, a group Clinton has done well with in previous primaries.
Obama is expected to do well in the state's capital, Madison, which is known for its progressive politics. Obama, who has outperformed Clinton among younger voters, should also do well in the Madison area because of the large student body at the University of Wisconsin.
No polling is available for the Hawaii Democratic caucus. The Clinton campaign dispatched Chelsea Clinton, the candidate's daughter, to rally support. Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, has stumped for her brother. Watch the Democrats battle for Hawaii »
Democrats in Washington state were voting Tuesday, and election officials were opening ballots in the largely vote-by-mail state. The results will have no impact on how the state's delegates will be distributed because the delegate allocation was determined February 9 when Washington Democrats held caucuses. Obama beat Clinton, 68 percent to 31 percent.
The Republican candidates were competing for 19 delegates in Washington. Eighteen delegates were awarded earlier in the state's caucuses