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Obama Holds Off Clinton in Wisconsin
By JACKIE CALMES
February 20, 2008 12:32 p.m.
Barack Obama held off Hillary Clinton's belated attempt to brake his momentum in Wisconsin's Democratic primary and Hawaii's caucuses, winning his 10th-straight presidential-nominating contest as the two get closer to the showdown Sen. Clinton has promised in Ohio and Texas two weeks away.
In Wisconsin's Republican primary and Washington state caucuses, Arizona Sen. John McCain prevailed as expected over his main remaining challenger, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The senator drew closer to the 1,191 delegates that would make official his current status as the party's presumptive nominee, though a sizable number of social conservatives continued to register their unhappiness by voting for his rival.
In his victory speech last night, Sen. McCain left no doubt which Democrat he expects to run against -- Sen. Obama. Without naming the 46-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, the 71-year-old fourth-term Sen. McCain clearly had his younger rival in mind in drawing a blistering contrast between his own national-security experience and "an eloquent but empty call for change."
Barack Obama chalked up another democratic primary win over Hillary Clinton, while Wisconsin also had some good news for John McCain. Fox's Doug Luzader reports. (Feb. 20)
Further previewing a potential anti-Obama campaign -- while ignoring Sen. Clinton -- Sen. McCain asked whether the next president will have the experience to counter the world's threats, or "will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate, who once suggested bombing our ally Pakistan and suggested sitting down without preconditions or clear purpose with enemies who support terrorists and are intent on destabilizing the world by acquiring nuclear weapons?"
Sen. Obama, already campaigning in Texas last night, used his Wisconsin valedictory speech not only to re-emphasize his message of political inclusiveness and an end to partisan gridlock, but to answer both his Democratic and potential Republican rivals.
Even as Sen. McCain was poised for his attack on Sen. Obama from the Republican side last night, in the Democratic arena Sen. Clinton had mounted a new offensive against Sen. Obama in Youngstown, Ohio, contending that only she is "ready on day one to be commander in chief."
[Chart]
But Sen. Obama told a cheering rally of thousands in Houston, "As your commander in chief my job will be to keep you safe...and I will not hesitate to strike against any who would do us harm."
He called Sen. McCain "a genuine American hero," then added, "but when he embraces George Bush's failed economic policies, when he says that he is willing to send our troops into another 100 years of war in Iraq, then he represents the politics of yesterday, and we want to be the party of tomorrow. And I'm looking forward to having that debate with John McCain."
Also yesterday, Sen. Obama easily won the Democratic caucuses in the state where he spent much of his youth, Hawaii. With 100% of precincts reporting, Sen. Obama took 76% of the votes compared with 24% for Sen. Clinton.
Despite Sen. Obama's hot streak since he roughly split with Sen. Clinton the results of the 22-state "Super Tuesday" contests early this month, the two remain close in convention delegates won in the 38 contests so far. Before yesterday, Sen. Obama had a 63-delegate lead according to an Associated Press tally -- with 1,281 delegates to Sen. Clinton's 1,218. Wisconsin had 74 delegates at stake, and Hawaii, 20.
Scramble for Commitments
[Click for more photos]
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama spoke at their rallies Tuesday.
Neither senator is expected to be able to reach the 2,025 majority needed for nomination in the remaining contests to June, given Democratic Party rules that delegates be divided in line with each candidate's vote. That has spawned a separate scramble for commitments from 795 super-delegates, the party's top officers and states' elected officials who are free to vote for the candidate of their choice.
Sen. McCain was expected to get the bulk of Wisconsin Republicans' 40 delegates, which the state awards according to the winner of each congressional district. He had 908 going into the primary, or about three-quarters of the total needed, to 245 for Mr. Huckabee and 14 for libertarian Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, by the AP's count.
For the Democrats, Wisconsin became something of a warm-up for the March 4 contest in Ohio -- another economically distressed Midwestern state with a mix of blue-collar and rural voters receptive to candidates promising change. Both senators ratcheted up their populist economic rhetoric, pledging relief to middle-class voters struggling with mortgage and health-care costs and emphasizing the downsides of free trade for displaced workers.
Sen. Clinton initially seemed to cede the Badger State to Sen. Obama -- much as she had the eight other contests since Super Tuesday -- in her focus on Ohio and Texas, and their combined 334 Democratic delegates. But Sen. Obama's bigger-than-expected mid-February victories -- and thus, his fatter delegate hauls -- forced a change of strategy.
Late last week, the Clinton campaign decided to make a stand in Wisconsin, to at least hold down Sen. Obama's margin of victory, if not upset him. The state's Democratic electorate seemed potentially receptive, mostly white and female, with many older and blue-collar voters.
But exit polls of voters for the AP and television networks showed Sen. Obama doing well among most subgroups of voters, including some that have favored Sen. Clinton in previous state contests. The New York senator led as usual among women, and among the oldest and the poorest Democratic voters, but Sen. Obama was splitting the votes or narrowly leading among voters without college degrees, and moderate and conservative Democrats.
The exit polls suggested another big gender gap for Sen. Clinton, with Sen. Obama significantly winning among male voters, even as he improved on some of his past showings among women. As usual, he was the clear choice of liberals, the college-educated and independents. With Wisconsin's Democratic primary open to all voters, independents made up about a quarter of the turnout, according to exit polls, and Sen. Obama was their choice by nearly 30 percentage points over Sen. Clinton. Among Democratic voters, the two were about even.
Economic angst was the backdrop for voters' decision-making; as in earlier states, Democrats were most discouraged. They split only over whether the economy was in bad shape, or poor, according to exit polls. More Republican primary voters were sanguine about the economy, yet a majority agreed it is in bad or poor shape.
Wisconsin Democrats' responses on international trade illustrated why both Sens. Obama and Clinton emphasized heightened skepticism of free trade, with Sen. Obama in particular emphasizing that he would review the North American Free Trade Agreement that Sen. Clinton's husband, President Bill Clinton, concluded with Canada and Mexico in 1993. Seven in 10 Democrats said foreign trade costs jobs in Wisconsin, while fewer than two in 10 said it creates more jobs; one in 10 said trade has no impact on jobs.
As in other states, turnout was higher in the Democrats' primary than in the Republicans' contest, reflecting Democrats' greater enthusiasm for recapturing the White House this year and Republicans' demoralization as President Bush and the Iraq war remain widely unpopular. But in these later contests, Republican turnout may be depressed further by a sense that the race is over.
While the Republicans are coming closer to choosing their nominee, the Democratic race is becoming increasingly negative as the delegate count remains close. (Feb. 19)
Yet Mr. Huckabee heads to Texas today, fighting on for conservatives' votes, to the chagrin of some party leaders who want Sen. McCain freed to focus on uniting the party and turning to the general-election campaign against a Democrat. In Wisconsin, Mr. Huckabee emphasized that he -- not Sen. McCain -- supports constitutional amendments against abortion and same-sex marriage, and a so-called "fair tax" national sales tax to replace the federal income-tax code.
Both Ohio and Texas are must-win states for Sen. Clinton, Democratic strategists agree, given her declaration that those are her firewall to stop the Obama offensive.
Ace Smith, Sen. Clinton's Texas state director, told reporters in a conference call, "We're comfortable we're going to have a ground operation we haven't seen in the state in a long time."
With early voting beginning yesterday in Texas, and continuing through Feb. 29, both campaigns were mobilized to get voters to cast ballots without waiting for March 4. A CNN poll out Monday gave Sen. Clinton a narrow 50% to 48% lead against Sen. Obama -- a statistical tie. A separate USASurvey poll gave Clinton a slighter larger 50% to 45% edge.
Clinton Fund Raising
The Clinton aides, seeking to dismiss recent reports of financial woes, boasted that the campaign had raised about $15 million online in February's first 15 days -- a $1 million-a-day pace that roughly matched Sen. Obama's unprecedented January haul.
They also sought to allay concerns among supporters about Sen. Obama's momentum coming into the Lone Star and Buckeye states. "Texas is one of those great independent-thinking states," said Mr. Smith, the Clinton state director. Robby Mook, Clinton's Ohio state director, agreed. "I don't think Ohio voters are concerned about the horse race," he said. "We have two weeks, two debates, there's a lot of time for voters here to really get to know Sen. Clinton." The debates are tomorrow in Austin, and next Tuesday in Cleveland.
Write to Jackie Calmes at jackie.calmes@wsj.com
Obama Holds Off Clinton in Wisconsin
By JACKIE CALMES
February 20, 2008 12:32 p.m.
Barack Obama held off Hillary Clinton's belated attempt to brake his momentum in Wisconsin's Democratic primary and Hawaii's caucuses, winning his 10th-straight presidential-nominating contest as the two get closer to the showdown Sen. Clinton has promised in Ohio and Texas two weeks away.
In Wisconsin's Republican primary and Washington state caucuses, Arizona Sen. John McCain prevailed as expected over his main remaining challenger, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The senator drew closer to the 1,191 delegates that would make official his current status as the party's presumptive nominee, though a sizable number of social conservatives continued to register their unhappiness by voting for his rival.
In his victory speech last night, Sen. McCain left no doubt which Democrat he expects to run against -- Sen. Obama. Without naming the 46-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, the 71-year-old fourth-term Sen. McCain clearly had his younger rival in mind in drawing a blistering contrast between his own national-security experience and "an eloquent but empty call for change."
Barack Obama chalked up another democratic primary win over Hillary Clinton, while Wisconsin also had some good news for John McCain. Fox's Doug Luzader reports. (Feb. 20)
Further previewing a potential anti-Obama campaign -- while ignoring Sen. Clinton -- Sen. McCain asked whether the next president will have the experience to counter the world's threats, or "will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate, who once suggested bombing our ally Pakistan and suggested sitting down without preconditions or clear purpose with enemies who support terrorists and are intent on destabilizing the world by acquiring nuclear weapons?"
Sen. Obama, already campaigning in Texas last night, used his Wisconsin valedictory speech not only to re-emphasize his message of political inclusiveness and an end to partisan gridlock, but to answer both his Democratic and potential Republican rivals.
Even as Sen. McCain was poised for his attack on Sen. Obama from the Republican side last night, in the Democratic arena Sen. Clinton had mounted a new offensive against Sen. Obama in Youngstown, Ohio, contending that only she is "ready on day one to be commander in chief."
[Chart]
But Sen. Obama told a cheering rally of thousands in Houston, "As your commander in chief my job will be to keep you safe...and I will not hesitate to strike against any who would do us harm."
He called Sen. McCain "a genuine American hero," then added, "but when he embraces George Bush's failed economic policies, when he says that he is willing to send our troops into another 100 years of war in Iraq, then he represents the politics of yesterday, and we want to be the party of tomorrow. And I'm looking forward to having that debate with John McCain."
Also yesterday, Sen. Obama easily won the Democratic caucuses in the state where he spent much of his youth, Hawaii. With 100% of precincts reporting, Sen. Obama took 76% of the votes compared with 24% for Sen. Clinton.
Despite Sen. Obama's hot streak since he roughly split with Sen. Clinton the results of the 22-state "Super Tuesday" contests early this month, the two remain close in convention delegates won in the 38 contests so far. Before yesterday, Sen. Obama had a 63-delegate lead according to an Associated Press tally -- with 1,281 delegates to Sen. Clinton's 1,218. Wisconsin had 74 delegates at stake, and Hawaii, 20.
Scramble for Commitments
[Click for more photos]
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama spoke at their rallies Tuesday.
Neither senator is expected to be able to reach the 2,025 majority needed for nomination in the remaining contests to June, given Democratic Party rules that delegates be divided in line with each candidate's vote. That has spawned a separate scramble for commitments from 795 super-delegates, the party's top officers and states' elected officials who are free to vote for the candidate of their choice.
Sen. McCain was expected to get the bulk of Wisconsin Republicans' 40 delegates, which the state awards according to the winner of each congressional district. He had 908 going into the primary, or about three-quarters of the total needed, to 245 for Mr. Huckabee and 14 for libertarian Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, by the AP's count.
For the Democrats, Wisconsin became something of a warm-up for the March 4 contest in Ohio -- another economically distressed Midwestern state with a mix of blue-collar and rural voters receptive to candidates promising change. Both senators ratcheted up their populist economic rhetoric, pledging relief to middle-class voters struggling with mortgage and health-care costs and emphasizing the downsides of free trade for displaced workers.
Sen. Clinton initially seemed to cede the Badger State to Sen. Obama -- much as she had the eight other contests since Super Tuesday -- in her focus on Ohio and Texas, and their combined 334 Democratic delegates. But Sen. Obama's bigger-than-expected mid-February victories -- and thus, his fatter delegate hauls -- forced a change of strategy.
Late last week, the Clinton campaign decided to make a stand in Wisconsin, to at least hold down Sen. Obama's margin of victory, if not upset him. The state's Democratic electorate seemed potentially receptive, mostly white and female, with many older and blue-collar voters.
But exit polls of voters for the AP and television networks showed Sen. Obama doing well among most subgroups of voters, including some that have favored Sen. Clinton in previous state contests. The New York senator led as usual among women, and among the oldest and the poorest Democratic voters, but Sen. Obama was splitting the votes or narrowly leading among voters without college degrees, and moderate and conservative Democrats.
The exit polls suggested another big gender gap for Sen. Clinton, with Sen. Obama significantly winning among male voters, even as he improved on some of his past showings among women. As usual, he was the clear choice of liberals, the college-educated and independents. With Wisconsin's Democratic primary open to all voters, independents made up about a quarter of the turnout, according to exit polls, and Sen. Obama was their choice by nearly 30 percentage points over Sen. Clinton. Among Democratic voters, the two were about even.
Economic angst was the backdrop for voters' decision-making; as in earlier states, Democrats were most discouraged. They split only over whether the economy was in bad shape, or poor, according to exit polls. More Republican primary voters were sanguine about the economy, yet a majority agreed it is in bad or poor shape.
Wisconsin Democrats' responses on international trade illustrated why both Sens. Obama and Clinton emphasized heightened skepticism of free trade, with Sen. Obama in particular emphasizing that he would review the North American Free Trade Agreement that Sen. Clinton's husband, President Bill Clinton, concluded with Canada and Mexico in 1993. Seven in 10 Democrats said foreign trade costs jobs in Wisconsin, while fewer than two in 10 said it creates more jobs; one in 10 said trade has no impact on jobs.
As in other states, turnout was higher in the Democrats' primary than in the Republicans' contest, reflecting Democrats' greater enthusiasm for recapturing the White House this year and Republicans' demoralization as President Bush and the Iraq war remain widely unpopular. But in these later contests, Republican turnout may be depressed further by a sense that the race is over.
While the Republicans are coming closer to choosing their nominee, the Democratic race is becoming increasingly negative as the delegate count remains close. (Feb. 19)
Yet Mr. Huckabee heads to Texas today, fighting on for conservatives' votes, to the chagrin of some party leaders who want Sen. McCain freed to focus on uniting the party and turning to the general-election campaign against a Democrat. In Wisconsin, Mr. Huckabee emphasized that he -- not Sen. McCain -- supports constitutional amendments against abortion and same-sex marriage, and a so-called "fair tax" national sales tax to replace the federal income-tax code.
Both Ohio and Texas are must-win states for Sen. Clinton, Democratic strategists agree, given her declaration that those are her firewall to stop the Obama offensive.
Ace Smith, Sen. Clinton's Texas state director, told reporters in a conference call, "We're comfortable we're going to have a ground operation we haven't seen in the state in a long time."
With early voting beginning yesterday in Texas, and continuing through Feb. 29, both campaigns were mobilized to get voters to cast ballots without waiting for March 4. A CNN poll out Monday gave Sen. Clinton a narrow 50% to 48% lead against Sen. Obama -- a statistical tie. A separate USASurvey poll gave Clinton a slighter larger 50% to 45% edge.
Clinton Fund Raising
The Clinton aides, seeking to dismiss recent reports of financial woes, boasted that the campaign had raised about $15 million online in February's first 15 days -- a $1 million-a-day pace that roughly matched Sen. Obama's unprecedented January haul.
They also sought to allay concerns among supporters about Sen. Obama's momentum coming into the Lone Star and Buckeye states. "Texas is one of those great independent-thinking states," said Mr. Smith, the Clinton state director. Robby Mook, Clinton's Ohio state director, agreed. "I don't think Ohio voters are concerned about the horse race," he said. "We have two weeks, two debates, there's a lot of time for voters here to really get to know Sen. Clinton." The debates are tomorrow in Austin, and next Tuesday in Cleveland.
Write to Jackie Calmes at jackie.calmes@wsj.com