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South Carolina Primary Results (Democrats)
2008-01-27 03:04:00
DEMOCRATIC PrimaryPrecincts reporting: 100%Barack Obama : 55%Hillary Clinton : 27%John Edwards : 18%Source
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Martinez and Crist Endorse John McCain
2008-01-27 02:07:00
Senator Mel Martinez and Governor Charlie Crist of Florida endorsed John McCain for President. This comes after both said they intend to remain neutral.Martinez:"I?ve decided the best person to lead our country under these uncertain times, the man that we should trust with the leadership of our nation as our commander and chief has to be John McCain ."These are big gets for McCain, though it may be a little late. Mitt Romney has flooded the airwaves and has taken the lead in several polls. Martinez and Crist remain popular figures in the state and could have a little influence on the outcome on Tuesday.
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Barack Obama Wins South Carolina!
2008-01-27 01:00:00
After losing the last three contests, Barack Obama win South Carolina by a substantial margin. The South Carolina race was highly contested with race playing a very large role in the campaign. This gives Obama a big boost going into Super Tuesday. What gave him the win? African-Americans.
More About: Democrats

Ron Paul Still In This
2008-01-26 23:36:00
For how long is the question. Paul has raised more money in the last three months than any Republican candidate and came in second in Nevada (granted is with not contested and a distant second), but it looks like Ron Paul is still going and intends to run all the way through February 5.In the last week, Ron Paul named two economic advisers to his campaign:Peter Schiff who is President of Euro Pacific Capital Inc:?We need a plan that stimulates savings and production not more of the reckless borrowing and consumption that got us into this mess in the first place. Ron Paul?s plan is the only one that amounts to a step in the right direction. If you want meaningful change - for the better that is - Ron Paul is the only candidate capable of delivering it. The others merely promise to continue the failed policies that are at the root of our current economic problems.?And Donald L. Luskin who is Chief Investment Officer for Trend Macrolytics LLC.?Ron Paul?s economic plan is the real th...

McCain Calls Out Romney on Iraq Withdrawal
2008-01-26 23:24:00
The economy has been at the forefront of the presidential campaign leaving the Iraq war at the back of people's minds, but today, John McCain accused Mitt Romney of "waving the white flag" on Iraq. Romney quickly responded saying "that's simply wrong and it's dishonest, and he should apologize."Did Romney advocate withdrawal? In a debate last year, Romney said he was comfortable with a private timetable.McCain:"Now, one of my opponents wanted to set a date for withdrawal that would have meant disaster.""If we surrender and wave a white flag, like Senator Clinton wants to do, and withdraw, as Governor Romney wanted to do, then there will be chaos, genocide, and the cost of American blood and treasure would be dramatically higher."Romney:"I know he's trying desperately to change the topic from the economy and trying to get back to Iraq, but to say something that's not accurate is simply wrong ? and he knows better."It's no surprise the economy has taken the lead as the number is...
More About: Republican , Calls

Higher Turnout Expected in SC
2008-01-26 22:49:00
Turnout is everything they say. Turnout worked to Obama's favor in Iowa and it worked to Clinton's favor in New Hampshire. Party officials are expecting record turnout in the Palmetto State with up to 350,000 people expected to vote in today's Democratic primary. That is up from 290,000 in 2004 when Edwards took the state.The big question is who does this benefit? The expectation is over half the voters will be African-American and the majority of African-Americans will be women. Over 60% of this key voting block is expected to vote for Obama. How does the white vote split between Clinton and Edwards?Take that for what it is.
More About: Democrats , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , John Edwards , Higher

Delegates vs. Votes
2008-01-26 22:34:00
From Howard Wolfson, Communications Director for the Clinton campaign.To: Interested PartiesFrom: Howard Wolfson, Communications DirectorRe: South Carolina, Florida, and February 5Date: January 26, 2008The Obama campaign has been so confident of winning South Carolina that six months ago they flatly predicted victory in the Palmetto State.Cornell Belcher, Senator Obama?s pollster, stated explicitly to the Politico on July 25, 2007, ?We are going to outright win South Carolina.?And today, Senator Obama leads by 12, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls taken in South Carolina over the last 10 days.Despite Senator Obama's large lead, Senator Clinton has campaigned across the Palmetto State, reaching out and asking for each and every vote. She has heard directly from South Carolinians about their concerns and their hopes for a stronger, more prosperous America.Regardless of today?s outcome, the race quickly shifts to Florida, where hundreds of thousands of Democrats wi...
More About: Hillary Clinton , Delegates , Votes

Polls Look Good for Clinton and McCain in February 5 States
2008-01-26 22:30:00
Lots of polls were released in the last two days, so here is a chart with the results.Democrats What a South Carolina win (depends on how big he wins) means for Obama in states like Alabama, Georgia, Virginia and Louisiana remains to be seen. Will an expected win in Florida for Clinton neutralize Obama's momentum?Republican sIt is now pretty clear Florida is a must win for Giuliani. A loss there means the end of his campaign judging by the numbers.Links to the polls: Rasmussen Missouri (Democrats, Republicans), Research 2000, Behavior Research Center, WSMV, PPIC, Rasmussen Alabama (Democrats, Republicans), Rasmussen Georgia, Survey USA (Democrats, Republicans)UPDATE:I missed one poll: Georgia for DemocratsClinton: 41%Obama: 35%Edwards: 13%
More About: Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , John Edwards

Obama Leads 3 to 20 Points Heading into South Carolina
2008-01-26 09:39:00
Zogby is out with its last poll showing Obama up to 41% against Clinton at 26% and Edwards at 19%.ARG is out with its last poll showing Obama at 39%, Clinton at 36% and Edwards up 11 points since January 15, to 22%.Here is how Survey USA put it.Last time 14 pollsters all told you that Barack Obama would win a Primary, all 14 were wrong. That was the day before New Hampshire, 18 days ago.History has an opportunity to repeat itself this weekend: 9 pollsters are working the South Carolina Democratic Primary, and all 9 have Barack Obama ahead.At this hour, subject to possible late releases by competing firms, here is the pollster line-up, ranked from largest Obama advantage to smallest: 1. Public Policy Polling has Obama ahead by 20. 2. Rasmussen has Obama ahead by 15. 3. SurveyUSA has Obama ahead by 13. 4. Zogby has Obama ahead by 13. 5. Insider Advantage has Obama ahead by 10. 6. Ron Lester & Associates has Obama ahead by 10. 7. Mason Dixon has Obama ahead by 8. 8. Cle...
More About: Democrats , Hillary Clinton , John Edwards , Leads

Florida Senator, Bill Nelson to Endorse Clinton
2008-01-26 03:17:00
Former astronaut and current Senator of Florida , Bill Nelson will endorse Hillary Clinton for President. Nelson will make a formal announcement before the Florida primary on Tuesday.Florida was stripped from all its delegates for disobeying the rules set out by the DNC. Nelson and others sued the DNC to return those delegates to Florida. Today, Clinton announced she has instructed her delegates to allow the Florida delegation to be seated at the convention.Personally, I believe both the Michigan and Florida delegation should be seated. A sanction of 50% should be levied as the RNC did with MI and FL.
More About: Democrats

Adding New Features
2008-01-26 02:42:00
Some of my visitors may remember I tried to add top menu navigational bars. That was unsuccessful. Well, I'm trying again, and this time, it will be done incrementally, because lets face it, I know nothing of this subject.In the mean time, you can visit the first new feature which is simply the results of the race so far.You can see it here. Soon, it will be available on a top menu navigational bar. Bare with me, I just started. Any advice and any help is welcomed. I would not mind redoing the entire look of the site.
More About: General , Features

Zogby Poll Show Tighter DEM SC Race
2008-01-25 09:15:00
Today's Zogby poll shows the South Carolina Democratic race tightening. Here is the breakdown:Barack Obama : 38% (down 5% from 1/22)Hillary Clinton : 25% (No change)John Edwards : 21% (up 6% from 1/22)What is intriguing is the numbers collected on Thursday for Zogby's three-day rolling average:Barack Obama: 36%Hillary Clinton: 31%John Edwards: 19%Obama's support from African-Americans is down to 55% compared to Clinton with 18% and Edwards who is up to 7%. Obama remains ahead with women, 34% to Clinton 28%. Obama lost 8 points among men, going from 50% to 42%, compared to Edward 24% and Clinton's 21%.Clinton has returned to the state. Will that make a difference? Can Edwards surpass her and take second place? We won't know until Saturday.
More About: Democrats , Show

New York Times Endorses Clinton and McCain
2008-01-25 04:03:00
The third largest newspaper and the newspaper of record in the United States have endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator John McCain in their respective primaries for President.You can read the Clinton editorial here.You can read the McCain editorial here.Here is a few snippets:Hillary ClintonIt is unfair, especially after seven years of Mr. Bush's inept leadership, but any Democrat will face tougher questioning about his or her fitness to be commander in chief. Mrs. Clinton has more than cleared that bar, using her years in the Senate well to immerse herself in national security issues, and has won the respect of world leaders and many in the American military. She would be a strong commander in chief.Domestically, Mrs. Clinton has tackled complex policy issues, sometimes failing. She has shown a willingness to learn and change. Her current proposals on health insurance reflect a clear shift from her first, famously disastrous foray into the issue. She has learned that power...
More About: Democrats , New York , Republican

South Carolina DEM Polls Show Movement
2008-01-25 01:53:00
A few new South Carolina polls were released for the Democratic race and it shows some movement. In a nutshell, Obama is down, Clinton is slightly down and Edwards is up.I'll point you to the Zogby poll which on the last day of polling (Wednesday) showed Edwards moving slightly ahead of Clinton to second place. The racial divide is very apparent with African-American moving heavily to Obama and White voters moving heavily to Edwards and Clinton. However, in the last three days Obama has lost nine points among African-Americans, 65% to 56%. Some of that support went to Edwards and Clinton. Edwards leads among White voters. Can Edwards pull off a second place finish? Maybe it is why Hillary Clinton returned to South Carolina one day ahead of schedule.
More About: Democrats , Barack Obama , John Edwards , Show

Dennis Kucinich Drops Out
2008-01-24 22:59:00
Congressman Dennis Kucinich drops out of the presidential race today, ending his second run for the White House. Kucinich started the campaign with long odds against three strong candidates and ended it less successful that his previous run in 2004.Kucinich faces a strong primary challenger for his House seat by Cleveland City Councilman, Jim Cimperman, who received the endorsement Cleveland City Mayor, a post Kucinich once held in the 70's.Kucinich has no intentions of endorsing any candidate.

Delegate Counts as of January 23
2008-01-24 01:24:00
I've been getting some criticisms about my delegate count. Most of them from people who are either biased to their candidate or simply do not understand the system (not referring to you, turner). Please understand, NO delegates have been awarded from Iowa, Wyoming or Nevada for either party. What ever delegate estimates provided by CNN or any other news source is wholly inaccurate and will not be included in my counts. So, to add even more integrity to the counts, I will be providing further breakdown of the delegate counts.% is the percent NEEDED to be nominated.
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Schwarzkopf Endorses McCain
2008-01-23 23:17:00
Retired Army General H. Norman Schwarzkopf endorsed John McCain today. Schwarzkopf was Commander of USCENTCOM during the Gulf War and a popular figure during and after the war."Senator John McCain has served our country with honor in war and in peace. He has demonstrated the type of courageous leadership our country sorely needs at this time. For that reason, he has my complete support."
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PA Governor Ed Rendell Endorses Clinton
2008-01-23 23:08:00
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell endorsed Hillary Clinton for President todayRendell's endorsement brings with it a political machine that can give Clinton the edge in the state.Rendell praised Clinton for her performance in the Senate and her Health Care plan.The Pennsylvania primary will be held in April. While it is a distant away, it could matter in the event the nominee has not been decided or a presumptive frontrunner has be anointed.
More About: Democrats , Linton

Obama Files Nevada Caucus Complaint
2008-01-23 21:55:00
The Obama campaign has filed a formal complaint to the Nevada Democratic Party concerning the Nevada caucus. The complaint brings attention to possible tactics used by the Clinton campaign to dampen turnout. Those tactics includes telling Obama supporters the caucus sites closed at 11:30 when in fact they closed at 12:00. Of course, you have to answer this question: Do Obama supporters turnout later than Clinton supporters??I am writing to request that the Nevada State Democratic Party conduct an inquiry into an apparent and disturbing pattern of incidents reported at precinct locations throughout the state during the January 19 Caucus," the Obama campaign?s general counsel, Bob Bauer, said in a letter to State Party Chairwoman Jill Derby.The complaint includes material Bauer claims was sent out by the Clinton campaign that includes the line: "It's not illegal unless they tell you so.""This certainly suggests that, for the Clinton campaign, the operative standard was, simply and on...
More About: Democrats , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton

Duncan Hunter Endorses Huckabee
2008-01-23 21:39:00
Mike Huckabee picks up an endorsement. This one from former candidate, Duncan Hunter .?I got to know Governor Huckabee well on the campaign trail,? Hunter said in a statement. ?Of the remaining candidates I feel that he is strongly committed to strengthening national defense, constructing the border fence and meeting the challenge of China?s emergence as a military superpower that is taking large portions of America?s industrial base."Along with these issues of national security, border enforcement and protecting the U.S. industrial base, I see another quality of Mike Huckabee?s candidacy that compels my endorsement," he added. "Mike Huckabee is a man of outstanding character and integrity. I saw that character over the last year of campaigning and was greatly impressed. The other Republican candidates have many strengths and I wish them all well."It's a nice pickup for Huckabee. Hunter is beloved in the Republican Party for his positions on immigration and experience on the House A...
More About: Duncan Hunter , Mike Huckabee

Delegate Count
2008-01-23 16:17:00
Should we count delegates from states whose party has voted to exclude them from the national convention? This is a question that has some bearing on the democratic race. Two states, Michigan and Florida, voted in their own organization to move their primaries up the calendar year without national party approval. In the ensuing battle , the party stripped both states of the right to send delegates. Although candidates were on both ballots (most candidates had deserted the Michigan ballot) no vote recorded will be allowed at the convention. Florida is a densely populated state. The GOP race will see the turning point of Guilianis strategy there, he has banked all of his strategy and race momentum on winning Florida. However, for the democratic party - their election results essentially do not count. Unlike Michigan - most of the Candidates allowed their names to be on the ballots. However the national party has made it clear that Florida's attempt to move itself up on the calendar...
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Clinton Gets Farmers Endorsement
2008-01-22 22:18:00
As the bickering on the campaign trail between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continued, Clinton banked another union endorsement, this one from the United Farm Workers.The union consists of 27,000 and is active in 10 states.Clinton has already proven her support among Hispanics, but this endorsement could solidify that support. Then again, union endorsements have a very poor track record as per the Culinary endorsement for Obama in Nevada.
More About: Democrats , Endorsement , Farmers

Edwards Get SC Union Endorsement
2008-01-22 22:08:00
John Edwards received the endorsement of the Communications Workers of America. The Union consists of 2,200 active members and 1,700 retired members in South Carolina.Edwards also had some comments on the economy."Our country is no longer on the brink of a recession. I think we're in one," Edwards said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, a day after a testy debate between the Democratic candidates...."There's a disconnect between Washington and the government paying attention to what's happening in real people's lives, as opposed to just paying attention to what's happening on Wall Street," he said."You watch what George Bush does he just waits and waits and waits and then by the time the water's coming in like a flood, he responds, which is exactly what he's done about the economy," Edwards said. "A month ago I said we had to do something about this and still be he waited and waited."
More About: Democrats , John Edwards , Endorsement

Clinton and Edwards Have Private Meeting After Debate
2008-01-22 20:41:00
After the debate, attention was brought to a private meeting between Hillary Clinton and John Edwards . No word on what the meeting was about, but the fact that Edwards and Clinton essentially tagged team Obama last night, it makes one wonder."They were catching up, as they tend to do at the events, and probably discussing the evenhanded media coverage of the race," quipped Edwards spokesman Eric Schultz.
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Clinton Memo on Debate
2008-01-22 20:39:00
Here is a Clinton campaign memo on last nights South Carolina debate.To: Interested PartiesFrom: The Clinton CampaignDate: Tuesday, January 22, 2008RE: About Last NightWhile much of this campaign has focused on Senator Obama's rhetoric, there has not been much attention paid to Senator Obama's record. Last night, that changed. With the fireworks now receding, it's time to focus on the substance.From questions about his commitment to fiscal responsibility to his relationship with a donor currently under indictment to his consistency on key issues, last night raised new issues that the Obama campaign must confront today. * Senator Obama, for example, was the only member of the Illinois State Senate to vote present on a bill that would have increased privacy protections for victims of sexual assault. Senator Obama claimed he sponsored that bill and only voted present because of "a legal provision in it that was problematic and needed to be fixed so that it wouldn't be struck...
More About: Democrats , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Debate

Fred Thompson Drops Out
2008-01-22 20:32:00
After briefly becoming the Republican frontrunner last year, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has dropped out of the race. Thompson placed a disappointing third place in the South Carolina primary which is a famous bellwether for deciding the Republican nominee. Thompson has not yet made an endorsement, however, speculation is he will endorse John McCain.Statement:"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States," Thompson said. "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

Delegate Count Update
2008-01-22 02:31:00
In the interest of accuracy, no primary/caucus race that does not allocate delegates to the National Convention will not be included in the delegate count. Only delegates awarded to the National Convention and superdelegates will be counted.So, as of January 20, here is where the delegate count stands today.DemocratsHillary Clinton: 183 (9.0%)Barack Obama: 94 (4.6%)John Edwards: 38 (1.9%)Dennis Kucinich: 1RepublicansMitt Romney: 37 (3.1%)John McCain: 28 (2.4%)Mike Huckabee: 10 (0.8%)Rudy Giuliani: 1 (0.1%)
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"The Agreement is Off"
2008-01-22 00:48:00
After a national ad, paid for by the Obama campaign, aired on Floridian televisions, word of violation of an agreement not to campaign in MI and FL spread like wildfire.It looks like the Clinton campaign is not at all happy.Howard Wolfson just walked out of a debate-prep session into the lobby of a local Hilton and was handed a phone. It was Representative Corrine Brown of Florida.The Congresswoman was apparently upset about the Obama campaign?s decision to air television ads in Florida?she was watching TV when one of the ads came on?despite a pledge signed by the Democratic candidates not to campaign there to punish the state for violating Democratic National Committee rules.?The ban is off?the agreement is off,? Wolfson said.He listened for a beat as the Congresswoman told him of her desire to invite Hillary for some last-minute appearances in Florida, and he said, ?Then you can say, ?I hope that Senator Clinton comes down here.??After Wolfson got off the phone, I asked him if Oba...
More About: Democrats , Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Agreement

Two New Polls Shows McCain Leading in New York
2008-01-21 22:09:00
Forget Florida. If Rudy Giuliani cannot win his home state of New York , how could he possibly win the nomination? Two new polls show surprising results.MaristDemocratsHillary Clinton: 48%Barack Obama: 32%John Edwards: 9%Dennis Kucinich: 3%RepublicansJohn McCain: 34%Rudy Giuliani: 19%Mitt Romney: 19%Mike Huckabee: 15%Fred Thompson: 6%SienaDemocratsHillary Clinton: 48%Barack Obama: 23%John Edwards: 10%RepublicansJohn McCain: 36%Rudy Giuliani: 24%Mitt Romney: 10%Mike Huckabee: 7%Fred Thompson: 6%
More About: Polls , Leading , New-York

More Explanation on Delegate Counts
2008-01-20 08:16:00
My first post on delegate counts was brief with a link to a site that provided very detailed information on the primary process and delegate info. Since I received a few comments on the system and the process, let me do my best to explain the system and the process.How are Delegates Allocated to Each State?Delegate allocation rules are decided by the Party. On the Democratic side, the delegate allocation is based on something called an allocation factor which is calculated based on the state's total Democratic vote for the three preceding presidential elections and the states electoral votes. Here is the math:Allocation Factor = ½ × ( ( State's Democratic Vote ÷ Total Democratic Vote ) + ( State's Electoral Vote ÷ 538 ) )Example for New York State:½ × ( ( 12,178,154 ÷ 157,430,363 ) + ( 31 ÷ 538 ) ) = 0.0674880.067488 is then multiplied by 3000 which give you 202 base delegates. Superdelegates, PLEO's and Bonuses (which are base on what date the state holds its primary) are then ...
More About: Democrats , Republican , Convention