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Race for President
 Remember when all the pundits were predicting the nomination race would be over in the month between Iowa and Super Tuesday?Yeah...right... The marathon that is the race for the Democrat nomination for President tonight passes through Kentucky and Oregon. Currently, Obama and Clinton sit poised to split the contests. But the measure of tonight's significance to the race is, once again, the margin of victory. There has only been one poll produced in Oregon showing Clinton with lead. And that was back at the end of January. The RCP average spots Obama a 12-point lead, though two recently produced polls (Suffolk and American Research Group) show Clinton within striking distance. Similarly, there hasn't been a poll produced in Kentucky that has show Clinton with any less than a 25 point lead. The RCP poll average paces her at at 58%-29% over Obama. Thusly, tonight we could see an inverted repeat of North Carolina/Indiana. Where Obama cleaned up NC and nearly surged to victory in IN, Clinton should win handily Kentucky. If she's able to make Oregon tight as Obama did in Indiana, it could - once again - turn this race on it's head. After all, Oregon should be Obama territory. It sure looks like it is. The question that lingers after last week's West Virginia primary is, "why are so many Democrats casting their vote for someone (Clinton) who is highly unlikely to be the party's nominee?" These last contests seem to manifest themselves as protest vote opportunities for the blue-collar core of support with which Hillary has played so well. But still the question remains. Why are so many Democrats casting their vote for someone other than the (almost) certain Democrat nominee? Obama will almost certainly clinch a majority of the pledged delegates after the books have closed on tonight's contests. And once again, tonight's story will be a tale of the numbers. Will Hillary be able to make Oregon as close as Obama made Indiana? Let us know your thoughts in our Reader Poll to your right... Here are the mainstream media previews of tonight: Five things to watch in Kentucky... - Politico ...and five things to watch in Oregon - Politico With Primaries in Two States, Obama Looks to End Race - New York Times Clinton, Obama compete in Oregon, Kentucky - Associated Press On Primary Day, Clinton Supporters Resist Calls to End Contest - Fox News Obama poised to gain delegate majority - CNN Democrats Vote in Kentucky, Oregon - Washington Post Barack Obama expects big day in Oregon and Kentucky primaries - Los Angeles Times Oregon, Kentucky Primaries Under Way - Wall Street Journal Tonight's results will be here: Kentucky Oregon Updates tonight as developments warrant... UPDATE: 4:45pm Another bullet point Clinton will be adding to her argument: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is entering the Kentucky and Oregon primaries on Tuesday with one of the most pugnacious political messages of her campaign: That she is ahead in the national popular vote when all votes are counted, including from the unsanctioned primaries in Michigan and Florida, and that party leaders who have a vote as super-delegates should reflect this level of appeal. UPDATE: 5:50pm 11% reporting in Kentucky: Clinton - 47,780 - 51% Obama - 43,113 - 46% UPDATE: 6:00pm Hillary Clinton is projected to win Kentucky. Exit polls project around 2-1 margin. UPDATE: 6:20pm 23% reporting: Clinton - 94,280 - 54% - 11 delegates Obama - 74,069 - 43% - 5 delegates Uncommitted - 3,163 - 2% UPDATE: 7:15pm 61% reporting: Clinton - 266,192 - 64% - 27 delegates Obama - 134,128 - 32% - 13 delegates Uncommitted - 9,429 - 2% UPDATE: 7:20pm Hillary just made the claim that she's leading the popular vote (with Michigan and Florida), and now she's making the "more electable" case, much to the delight of her gathered fans. UPDATE: 9:45pm All reporting in Kentucky: Clinton - 459,145 - 65% - 37 delegates Obama - 209,771 - 30% - 14 delegates Uncommitted - 18,029 - 3% UPDATE: 10:00pm Polls are "closed" in Oregon - as closed as they can be for an all mail-in election. It's too close to call. UPDATE: 10:20pm Barack Obama is projected to winner in Oregon UPDATE: 11:30pm 55% reporting: Obama - 258,115 - 58% - 18 delegates Clinton - 187,200 - 42% - 10 delegates For the record, only three primaries remain, offering a total of 86 delegates: Puerto Rico (55) - June 1st Montana (16) & South Dakota (15) - June 3rd Now we watch for where the currently undeclared superdelegates break over the next couple of weeks, and especially after June 3rd. Filed Under: Race for President E-mail this article to a friend | Printer friendly format |
Countdown to Election Day
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