For the Democrats: The Battle Continues

By Elizabeth Mishler
Special to the Chronicle

Just as it was predicted going in, the Democratic Primaries on Super Tuesday were very, very close. Sens. Hillary Clinton (N.Y) and Barack Obama (Ill.) split the total popular vote almost evenly, with more than 11 million Democrats voting Feb. 5, with 76 percent of total precincts reporting.

Since no candidate swept the day, the campaign continues and the battle for the Democratic nomination moves on.

But instead of the battle involving who won what states, the Democrats battled over delegates within Congressional districts, because the Democratic party nominates its delegates based on proportional vote totals. According to Associated Press estimates, Clinton leads Obama 656 to 558, including super-delegates, who are convention nominees not tied to a specific candidate.

The primary day was the closest to a National Primary election there has been in the modern primary era. Democrats voted in 23 contests, from Alaska to California, New York to Idaho. Because of proportional apportionment, a candidate can lose a state, but still win more delegates than the winner.

In the Democratic Party there are 4,049 delegates up for grabs. A candidate needs 2,025 delegates backing them in order to win the nomination.

At her election night campaign rally at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, Clinton said that she wanted to bring her voters “values and dreams” to the White House. “Tonight is your night. Tonight is our night,” she said.

Obama’s speech from his rally in Chicago emphasized his supporter's role in his campaign. “Ordinary people can still do ordinary extraordinary things,” he said. "We are the change that we seek."

The campaign for the Democratic nomination continues, with both campaigns claiming victory on a chaotic day.