Obama Wins!

Barack Obama trounced Hillary Rodham Clinton last night in Virginia's Democratic presidential primary, while John McCain eked out a surprisingly tight win over Mike Huckabee in the Republican contest. Obama and McCain also prevailed in Maryland and the District of Columbia to sweep the so-called Potomac primary. In Virginia, more than 1.3 million voters went to the polls on a rainy day. As has been the case throughout the primary season, Democrats turned out in far larger numbers than did Republicans. "Today, the change we seek swept through the Chesapeake and over the Potomac," Obama said last night in Madison, Wis., where he campaigned ahead of Tuesday's primary. "We won the state of Maryland, we won the commonwealth of Virginia and though we won in Washington, D.C. this campaign won't stop until there is change in Washington, D.C." McCain took the stage at his victory party at an Alexandria hotel, saying: "Thank you voters of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia for . . . a clean sweep of Chesapeake Tuesday." He added: "We are approaching the end of the first half of this election on quite an upswing." Eighty-five delegate votes were at stake in Virginia among the Democrats yesterday. It appeared that Obama would win about 50 of them. The Democrats apportion their delegates based on the popular vote. McCain gained all 60 delegates in the Republicans' winner-take-all primary. But the narrowness of the vote indicates a tough road ahead for McCain, who has had trouble connecting with conservative voters. Obama had such a commanding lead in Virginia's exit polls that several news organizations called him the winner before the voting ended. "Barack is the best candidate to unite our country and transform our politics in the cause of progress," said Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who was the first governor outside of Obama's home state of Illinois to endorse the Illinois senator. "Today, voters showed confidence in Barack's ability to unite this country and transcend divisive Washington politics as usual," he added. But John H. Hager, the state Republican Party chairman, signaled the coming debate, by calling Obama "America's most liberal U.S. senator." "Despite his rhetoric he offers only the same old liberal policies of higher taxes, bigger government and retreat on the war on terror," Hager said. There were indications that some Republicans, thinking McCain was a sure thing, crossed over into the Democratic primary and voted for Obama. One of those Republicans, Dave Smith of Studley, said he and his friends voted for Obama because they thought McCain, an Arizona senator, did not need their votes and they were scared of the Clinton machine. The early returns showed that Democrats doubled the Republican turnout. Projections placed the turnout at more than 910,000 people in the Democratic primary, while almost 450,000 voted in the Republican primary. The turnout on the Democratic side was a record. The Manchester Middle School precinct in heavily Republican Chesterfield County ran out of Democratic ballots, and people waiting in line were left to vote on paper. Obama received 20,000 votes in Chesterfield. Clinton did not mention the Virginia results last night as she campaigned in El Paso, Texas ahead of its March 4 primary. "I'm tested. I'm ready. Now let's make it happen," she said. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, vowed that he will press on until someone clinches the GOP nomination. "When we don't win, we're disappointed, but we're not knocked out," he said. Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-3rd, an Obama supporter, said Obama's big win shows that Democrats can win the presidential election in Virginia this fall. Democrats have not carried the state since 1964. "With Mark Warner on the ballot, we stand a good chance," Scott said. This fall Warner, a former governor, will be the Democratic candidate for the seat of retiring Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va. The two are not related. The presidential election is Nov. 4.
Mark Rozell, political commentator at George Mason University, said Obama achieved a "huge" victory last night. "Momentum is on his side," Rozell said, noting that Obama did well in Virginia among constituents, such as low-income people, who have been backing Clinton.
As for McCain's unexpectedly narrow win, Rozell said "he is limping across the finish line."
The elections climaxed a weeklong presidential campaign that initially wasn't supposed to happen in Virginia. Virginia's primary came a week after Super Tuesday. Most experts once thought its contests in 24 states would settle both parties' nominations.
But Clinton and Obama fought to a virtual draw, leaving Virginia and its delegate votes suddenly important.

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.
Neil H. Simon of Media General News Service contributed to this report.

Article from Richmond Times Dispatch - http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/politics.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-02-13-0187.html