2008 Woodie Awards
State primary a chance to make a difference
Brian Olson
Issue date:
2/13/08
Section:
News
Super Tuesday and the Washington state caucuses may be in the past, but Olympic College students still have the opportunity to be part of an historical election by voting in the presidential primaries on Feb. 19 for the Republican candidate.
On Feb. 5, known as Super Tuesday, Sen. John McCain of Arizona took a commanding lead in the Republican contest, while Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois continued their close battle for the Democratic nomination.
After winning far more delegates than his closest opponents on Super Tuesday, McCain was vaulted into the lead among Republicans. Two days later, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, McCain's toughest rival, dropped out of the race, leaving former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Rep. Ron Paul, as his only challengers. However, with both Huckabee and Paul leagues behind, McCain's nomination is all but assured.
On the Democratic side, the race is much closer. Clinton won 26 more delegates than Obama on Super Tuesday, bringing her total to 1,045, just 85 delegates ahead of her opponent. With Obama expected to do well in the remaining February primaries, and strong support for Clinton in March's votes in Ohio and Texas, it is unlikely that either candidate will reach the mark of 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination anytime soon.
McCain has taken the lead in his party by garnering support mostly from moderate Republicans and independents. Romney and Huckabee have been more successful in their bids for votes from the traditional, conservative side of the Republican Party, which sees McCain as being a poor reflector of its core values.
Olympic College political science professor Val Torrens thinks that despite McCain's trouble with the old guard of GOP staunches, much of his success in recent months is due to the fact that he is finally being himself.
Last summer, the McCain campaign was nearly dead in the water. Most pundits did not think he had a shot at the Republican nomination.
On Feb. 5, known as Super Tuesday, Sen. John McCain of Arizona took a commanding lead in the Republican contest, while Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois continued their close battle for the Democratic nomination.
After winning far more delegates than his closest opponents on Super Tuesday, McCain was vaulted into the lead among Republicans. Two days later, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, McCain's toughest rival, dropped out of the race, leaving former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Rep. Ron Paul, as his only challengers. However, with both Huckabee and Paul leagues behind, McCain's nomination is all but assured.
On the Democratic side, the race is much closer. Clinton won 26 more delegates than Obama on Super Tuesday, bringing her total to 1,045, just 85 delegates ahead of her opponent. With Obama expected to do well in the remaining February primaries, and strong support for Clinton in March's votes in Ohio and Texas, it is unlikely that either candidate will reach the mark of 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination anytime soon.
McCain has taken the lead in his party by garnering support mostly from moderate Republicans and independents. Romney and Huckabee have been more successful in their bids for votes from the traditional, conservative side of the Republican Party, which sees McCain as being a poor reflector of its core values.
Olympic College political science professor Val Torrens thinks that despite McCain's trouble with the old guard of GOP staunches, much of his success in recent months is due to the fact that he is finally being himself.
Last summer, the McCain campaign was nearly dead in the water. Most pundits did not think he had a shot at the Republican nomination.
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