The Occidental Weekly

Voters in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., changed the dynamic of the race for the Democratic nomination and for the first time since Iowa Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton in delegate counts. Obama swept the Potomac primaries with a voter mandate of 60 percent in Maryland, 64 percent in Virginia and 75 percent in D.C., according to CNN. Since Super Tuesday, Obama has led Clinton in pledged delegates, those allocated by the state primaries and caucuses, but has lagged due to superdelegates. Superdelegates are all members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), all Democratic members of Congress, governors, former Presidents, former Speakers of the House, former House Minority Leaders, former leaders of the Senate and former chairs of the DNC. Initially, many superdelegates indicated early support for Clinton-due in part to the connections established by former President Bill Clinton-but because of their nature, superdelegates are not actually pledged to a candidate until the actual convention in August.

Both candidates have been actively pursuing superdelegates since all current indicators project that they may play the deciding role in choosing a presidential nominee. According to a Huffington Post article, "most mathematical projections now agree that it is virtually impossible for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to finish with [the amount of] delegates [required for nomination]." To capture the 2,025 total delegates required to win the nomination, Obama and Clinton will be relying on the 794 superdelegates. This perhaps explains why, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, Clinton and Obama donated almost $900,000 to superdelegate campaigns combined.

Superdelegates have also been making headline news with endorsements and predictions as to whom the nomination will go. James Carville, former chief strategist for Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton supporter, said, "The truth is that Sen. Clinton has to win Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania . . . If she wins those three, she's probably the nominee. If she loses one of those three, then Sen. Obama is probably going to be the nominee. That's a fact." Ohio and Texas are both part of the critical March 4 primary, which also includes Rhode Island and Vermont. Pennsylvania's primary will not take place until late April. Another former Clinton campaigner, 1992 campaign manager, ex-DNC chairman and superdelegate David Wilhelm recently announced his support for Obama, a blow to the Clinton campaign.

John Edwards remains the great white whale in the race for the democratic nomination, with both Clinton and Obama reportedly making recent trips to the former Senator's house in attempts to capture his endorsement. While Edwards only has 26 delegates pledged to his campaign from elections in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, he still carries clout within the party. Edwards remains highly popular as a populist, blue-collar worker advocate, and his support could be key in winning the upcoming primaries and caucuses.

The Republican side the race for the nomination is all but won by John McCain. McCain swept the Potomac primaries in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. and maintains a commanding lead with more than three times the delegates of Mike Huckabee. McCain also received the endorsement of Mitt Romney, who said, "[he is] capable of leading the country at a dangerous hour." This coincides well with the McCain campaign, which has thus far focused primarily on his ability to protect the country from terrorists as a strong military leader.

The Democrats, on the other hand, continue to focus primarily on domestic policies such as healthcare reform and revitalizing the economy which according to all indicators is near-if not in-a recession. Clinton's plan emphasizes mandatory coverage for everyone in America, Obama's instead makes healthcare available to everyone, but does not mandate that everyone have it. Both candidates also plan to cut costs by moving to an electronic medical system as well as cutting costs from other areas. The two also differ on their plans for withdrawing from Iraq, although both remain committed to strategically exiting the country.

Special thanks to the All Else Equal Media Watchdog.

Article Tools