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A Nail Biter for Clinton; A Big Win for Obama
Published by Pamela Gentry on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 10:57 am.
By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer
RALEIGH, N.C. (Posted May 7, 2008) – A nail-bitter into the morning hours ended with Sen. Barack Obama winning a decisive win in North Carolina and losing by the narrowest of margins to Sen. Hillary Clinton in Indiana.
Obama’s victory in the Tar Heel State was announced seconds after the polls closed. With 99 percent of the votes counted by midnight, the Illinois senator had defeated the New York senator 58 percent to 42 percent in North Carolina.
But Indiana was a different story. Tardy vote tallies from one of the largest counties in the state, Lake County, a suburb of Chicago with one of the largest populations in the state, was slow reporting.
The delay required Clinton to give remarks to supporters without a clear check in the win column. “Tonight we’ve come from behind. We’ve broken the tie and thanks to you, it’s full speed on to the White House,” Clinton told a rally in Indianapolis.
Mayor Rudy Clay, of Gary, Ind., told CNN that the reason for the delays was that the small election staff was dealing with 11,000 absentee and early ballots, and that they had been overwhelmed by the unprecedented number of voters who turned out during the day.
Obama addressed supporters gathered at North Carolina State in the field house after his victory and congratulated Clinton for “what appears to be her victory in the state of Indiana.”
Sticking to his message of change, Obama told a cheering crowd, “There were those who were saying that North Carolina would be a game-changer in this election, but today what North Carolina decided is that the only game that needs changing is the one in Washington, D.C.”
After tonight’s contest, only six primaries are left. Next Tuesday, West Virginia voters will go the polls, leaving Kentucky and Oregon (May 20), Puerto Rico (June 1) and Montana and South Dakota (June 3) as the last battles for elected delegates.
Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic Party, has said that super-delegates will be asked to meet following the final contest in June, in hopes of allowing the party time to mend fences before the August convention.
In Indiana, where Clinton won, the primary was open to Republicans and Independents – but not here in North Carolina. Only Democratic and Independents can vote in the primary.
This could have been a factor in how close the race was in Indiana; Obama usually fairs well among Independent voters.
North Carolina reported record turnout of primary voters Tuesday, and it wasn’t really surprising. This year the state registered 106,000 new Democrats leading up today’s contest.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections showed 471,006 early votes and 24,900 absentee ballots mailed before today’s vote.
“We know what’s coming. We’ve seen it already,” Obama said. “The attempts to play on our fears and exploit our differences to turn us against each other for pure political gain — to slice and dice this country into red states and blue states; blue-collar and white-collar; White and Black, and Brown.”
The theme of party unity was in Obama’s speech to supporters, and he avoided targeting his rival, saving those for the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
Clinton’s 51-percent victory, to Obama’s 49 percent, will not give her any significant delegate lead. These contests offered the largest remaining numbers of delegates.
Indiana had 72 delegates at stake, North Carolina 115.
Obama leads Clinton in total delegates, 1,745 to 1,608, according to The Associated Press.
It’s not possible for either candidate to reach the 2,025 delegate votes needed to secure the nomination, so they are relying on super-delegates to take them over the threshold.
This not a Big win to Obama & didn’t approve in anything. He was always projected to win in North Carolina. Obama is only in the lead because they won’t count Michigan & Florida & if they did she Hilary would win because she4 stomped him to death in those states. North Carolina is a Majority BLACK state, the majority of the states he won is BLACK states because he gets the black votes,a lot of black people( not me included because I’m black) would rather vote for him because the man is black & that’sjust stupid since we know how crazy we get when we get a little power because we aren’t used to any. Hilary( and i’m not saying that she is an angel)Gets the right states & thr “right Votes” which is white people. Ther are far more white people in America vs black which makes Obama not electable since he can’t pull the majority “white” vote & clinton can. She can pull all of the republican & democratic states. There was no victory here, because both of them need the super delagates to win which Clinton still leads. (And at the end of the day I’ll bet as a last strategy move the will add Florida & Michigan plus the superdelates to pick the nominee & with those key states & her SUPER delegate lead she will win( even if they didn’t count those states)
Well she has shown she is a lair now she wants to be known as a theift! She is single handly messing up the Clinto name,Drop out the race so we can unite our party and give Bush # the biz!
What is a lair? Do you mean liar?
Faith
Party rules are just that.If Florida and Mich. followed the rules those votes would have counted.That is why John Edwards and Sen. Obama did not get on the ballots of those two states.Now I’m reading that even is they counted those votes Obama would still be in the lead.
Faith, you need FAITH, LOVE & Knowledge.
You seem to bitter and angry. Where is all that hostility coming from. As a blk woman, so you say you show no pride.
God Bless Ombama ans Michelle! May the Guardian Angeles surround and protect them from All evil, and may the truth set us all free! Great Job OB,great job! We love and appreciate you!
we need a black man helping the country because every one else who had the job failed and itts time for the “right” man to do the job GO OBAMA BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HILARY
Wow. Faith has really been duped by the “Great White Hope” facade. They want us to believe North Carolina doesn’t count, because it is a BLACK state. This is far from true. African Americans make up 21 percent of North Carolina’s total population. As of April 28, they also represent 21 percent of the state’s registered voters and 38 percent of registered Democrats. Hardly a majority. Obama won 56% of the NC vote, so if white votes are the RIGHT votes Faith, he’s getting those too! So… to say he is unelectable is STUPID. He is WINNING!!!!
GO OBAMA!!! God Bless!!
The people have spoken.
Obama ‘08
peter f paul dot com
YES WE CAN!!!! GO OBAMA!!!!
I’m overjoyed & proud that America could look past the negative media & negative campaigning to vote for a man that can help heal the nation.
Faith – I must correct what you said in your post. NC is not a BLACK (as you put it) state. There are more whites in NC than blacks. 40% of the Democratic voters in NC are black…that’s not a majority.
I don’t believe everyone is voting based upon their race, that’s a media ploy to keep the raitings up. I am a 38 year old white woman who by all media accounts should be a Hillary supporter and I won’t even consider voting for her. I vote for substance and Hillary is a proven liar who will say anything to win. She has changed her personality/message with the wind and the polls. Barack continues to stay true to himself and tell the truth.
Please pay closer attention to the popular vote and delegate count. If Florida and Michigan are counted as is Hillary still isn’t ahead in either the popular vote or delegate count. She has a 14 super delegate lead which will probably be negated in the coming weeks as supers start to declare their support for Barack. Do your homework…there is no way, Florida and Michigan included, for Hillary to catch up.
You state that far more white people (”right votes” which I find offensive) will vote for Hillary, news flash – no Democratic nominee can win without the “black vote” and after all of the damage done by the Clinton’s I doubt they would get it. It’s time to rally around our nominee, heal the party, and hope we can beat McCain in November.
Okayyy, Melissa… Good job. Congrats Obama. Keep the FAITH and continue to renew your strength.
OBAMA RULES!!!!!
Could the reason why B.E.T. censors post is that the owner is Viacom ? They also own C.B.S. and CNN which seems too always support Hillary.
Melissa….if we had more Americans that stepped up to the plate and spoke truth and substance.
We would not need these types of conversations.
We can get along, we can stand for truth and rightgeousness, and I believe Obama is going to win because of his principals, and his integrity and the change we all believe he will bring.
Thank you for being an American that stands for the right we all want in the country. GOD BLess you and Obama.
Nicely put Melissa……Faith, please do your homework.
I am so sadden that my mother died and could not see a STRONG BLACK MAN running for president.
I hope for my people we could look at this man
and see we are not just KILLERS,PIMPS OR HOES.
We are something better. We are KINGS and QUEENS.
STAY STRONG!