You don’t need to come here to find out how Obama did in the Potomac Primaries today, you’ve probably heard it elsewhere by now. However, since I shared my worry with you all yesterday I felt like I needed to share some of my (tentative) relief.
I wasn’t so surprised Obama won, but I suspect I’m not alone in my surprise of how he won. I don’t remember hearing that he was quite so far ahead in Virginia or Maryland, and I thought I’d heard a week or two ago that Clinton had been polling ahead in both places. I was scanning the news this evening for results and an excerpt from a McClatchy article caught my eye.
Obama also did well in places where Clinton was expected to be competitive.
In the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., which accounted for about one-third of the statewide Democratic vote, Obama beat Clinton by better than 3 to 2, and he rolled up similar margins in the Richmond area, as well as in eastern and southeastern Virginia.
Clinton’s only big majority came among white women, who make up about 35 percent of the state’s Democratic vote. They preferred her 58 percent to 42 percent. White men tilted to Obama by 55 percent to 43 percent.
I’m hoping he can pull the same trick in Wisconsin (where Clinton appears to have a slight lead) next week, and more importantly, Texas and Ohio on March 3rd. I’ll rest a lot easier if he can sew up the nomination with assigned delegates. Then there’s the so-called “Edwards Primary,” where only one vote counts. I don’t think party rules allow Edwards to give his delegates away, but I think the endorsement is still somewhat important.
Anyhoo, it looks like I’ve got two reasons to be happy about this evening. The new headache script did it’s job, and it looks like the people of the Potomac region have too.
I’m still at work, but a co-worker and I watched the Obama rally in Madison streaming via CNN. Clinton hasn’t even made an appearance yet. While the Obama rally was pretty canned, the fervor was there.
Afterwards, we switched over to the McCain stream. Not nearly the same energy level.
I just wish we could sit in closed, smoke filled rooms, and pick our candidates in the privacy of our own cabals. The money spent on the race for the race is just amazing. My co-worker received several text messages, a phone call and a couple of emails after the rally finished.
I have managed to stay off most of those lists…