McCain wins Republican nomination

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) captures the Republican nomination by reaching the necessary delegate count, according to The Associated Press. (Video provided by MSNBC.com.)

By Michelle Westgate
Staff Writer

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) claimed victory Tuesday after reaching the necessary 1,191 delegates to guarantee the Republican Party nomination for president. In Texas, Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) formally stepped out of the race after losing all four states during tonight’s primaries.

Primary races in Vermont, Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas have earned McCain a total number of 208 delegates Tuesday. This, according to estimates by The Associated Press, will secure the 1191 delegates necessary to win the party nomination.

“The contest begins tonight,” McCain said in a victory speech given to a room full of cheering supporters. He vowed to fight for a capable, wise, brave, and decent government. “That is our responsibility and I will not let you down,” he said.

Huckabee acknowledged that McCain would receive the presidential nomination for the Republican Party. “I extended to him not only my congratulations, but my commitment to him,” he said.

Huckabee expressed the importance of bringing the party together, supporting the presidential candidate, and working to maintain the party principles.

“Until our country is all that we hope and pray it to be, we won’t be able to walk away completely,” Huckabee said.

McCain described a group of people who control the future and write history. “That is the essence of hope in America,” McCain said. “Hope built on courage, and faith in the values and principles that have made us great.”

President Bush will officially endorse McCain tomorrow afternoon at a press conference at the White House, according to a statement.

At the University tonight, students gathered in the Mack student center to watch the results of the primaries. Several students were not surprised by the McCain victory, but many did not believe they would support him in the upcoming presidential election.

“I’m not going to vote for a republican just because I am a Republican,” said Greg Evangelista, a senior political science major. “There are a lot of people who will do that,” he said.

Evangelista does not plan on supporting McCain in the upcoming November election.

Clinton wins Ohio, Rhode Island; Obama takes Vermont

Sen. Hillary Clinton "comes back" to win in Ohio and Rhode Island. (Video provided by MSNBC.com.)

By Mike Manzoni

Staff Writer

Looking toward a set of primaries outnumbered in pledged delegates and momentum, she aired an ad widely considered an attack on the national security credentials of her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)

And it may have worked.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY.) won the Ohio primary, surprising Obama in a race some thought would make him the party's presumptive nominee.

"For everyone in Ohio and America who has been counted out but refused to be knocked out…this one is for you," Clinton said, addressing a crowd of supporters in Columbus, Ohio.

"It's [Ohio] a state that knows how to pick a president," she said, "as Ohio goes, so goes the nation."

She added that no president in recent history has won the nomination without winning the Ohio primary.

Clinton also picked up a victory in Rhode Island. Obama won Vermont, and Texas, with 69 percent of precincts reporting, still was too close to call, according to The Associated Press.

"We are turning this page and we are ready to write the next great story in American history," Obama said at rally in San Antonio, Tex.

Congratulating Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for winning the Republican nomination Tuesday night, Obama, in the same sentence, contested his policies and welcomed a debate: "He has fallen in line behind the very same policies that have ill-served America."

The divisive night of primaries and caucuses followed a week of campaigning in which Clinton aired an ad – now known as the "3 a.m. ad" – which questioned viewers who they would want answering the White House phone at 3 a.m., should a problem arise immediately warranting presidential action.

The Clinton camp also questioned a memo obtained by The Associated Press that outlined a meeting between Obama's economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, and a representative of the Canadian government at the Canadian consulate in Chicago.

The memo detailed a meeting in which Goolsbee told the Canadian representative to take Obama's comments against free trade as "more of a political positioning than a clear articulation of policy plans."

Last week, Obama denied that the meeting ever took place, but early this week admitted he knew of the meeting, but insisted Goolsbee did not represent his views.

Nader enters the race

Ralph Nader, a longtime consumer advocate, announces he is running for president on a "third-party" ticket on "Meet The Press." (Video provided by MSNBC.com)

By Samuel Rubenfeld
News Editor

Ralph Nader announced he is running for President Sunday morning on NBC's "Meet the Press." He has run for president in the last five election cycles, dating back to 1992.

"Dissent is the mother of ascent," he said. " And in that context, I have decided to run for president."

Many Democrats blame Nader for spoiling their chances at the presidency in 2000, when then-Gov. George Bush beat Vice President Al Gore by only 537 votes in Florida. Nader ran in 2000 as the nominee for the Green Party, and he received nearly 98,000 votes in Florida, many of whom said they would have voted for Gore if Nader wasn't running, according to exit polls take in 2000.

In 2004, Nader ran as an Independent, but he also received the endorsement of the Reform Party. He received 0.3 percent of the vote nationally in 2004.

"He's going to ruin our chances for the president, and we're going to have another Republican in the White House," said Nicholas Bond, a junior and president of the College Democrats of Hofstra University. "I hate him."

The Democratic candidates were quick to condemn Nader's announcement. ""I remember when he ran before. It didn't turn out very well for anybody -- especially our country, " said Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.).

Sen. Barack Obama criticized Nader when asked about his possible candidacy earlier in the weekend. "My sense is that Mr. Nader is somebody who, if you don't listen and adopt all of his policies, thinks you're not substantive," Obama told reporters.

Nader, on "Meet the Press," called Obama a "person of substance" who has "run a very good tactical campaign." But Nader added: "His better instincts have been censored, I think, by himself."

Democrats duel in Austin

By Mike Manzoni
Staff Writer

Taking a break from recent verbal attacks on one another, Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) drew differences between their views on foreign policy and health care--as well as other issues--as they took part in a 90-minute debate at the University of Texas at Austin on Feb. 21.

Responding to the resignation of Cuban president Fidel Castro, Clinton, addressing the night's opening question, said it "gives Cuba a chance to change direction."

"If Cuba moves toward democracy and toward freedom for its people, the United States would welcome that," she said, after saying she would not meet immediately with Cuba's presumed new leader, Raul Castro, only after "it demonstrated" change in direction.

Obama disagreed, restating his position that he would be willing to meet without preconditions, adding, "I think it's important for the United States to not just talk to its friends, but its enemies."

"We've got to restore a sense of fairness and responsibility," Obama said of the economy as he was reminded by one of the moderators it was a primary concern of voters.

The debate also featured sharp disagreement and contention between the candidates. Regarding the charge the Clinton campaign made about Obama allegedly plagiarizing speeches, Clinton said: "Lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in, it's change you can Xerox."

Clinton was showered with boos, and Obama mumbled under his breath as she made the allegation.

The candidates largely agreed on many issues throughout the first half of the debate, including their approaches to immigration reform.

"We are a nation of laws," Obama said, "and we are a nation of immigration and we can reconcile those two things."

Clinton agreed to allow illegal immigrants to remain in the country as long as they paid fines, back taxes and learned English.

The Texas primaries, which occur the same day as contests in Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont, is on March 4.

Overnight, Obama picks up Hawaii

By Samuel Rubenfeld
News Editor

Stretching his winning streak to 10 states, Barack Obama picked up a victory on Tuesday in Hawaii, the state in which he was born.

Obama won by a margin of 3-1, beating Hillary Clinton 76 percent to 24 percent in the state's caucuses. The Associated Press called the victory at 3:44 a.m. Eastern Standard time.

The victories Tuesday night of the Wisconsin primary and Washington state's "beauty contest" by Obama gives him a significant lead in the delegate count. According to the Associated Press, which counts superdelegates as well as pledged delegates, Obama leads 1,319 to 1,245.

To reach a majority, a campaign must receive 2,025 delegates.

Analysts believe the race is becoming increasingly difficult for Clinton to win. "Suddenly, she needs 65 percent of these remaining states, of these delegates, just overturn that delegate lead that he has," said NBC News Political director Chuck Todd as the network covered the results Tuesday night.

"It moves that mountain that Hillary Clinton has to climb, when it comes to these delegates, a little bit higher. It's as if it keeps growing, it keeps growing, and she keeps taking steps back and it just keeps getting farther and farther out of reach," he said.

Clinton, at an event at New York's Hunter College Wednesday morning, sharpened her attacks on Obama over words versus deeds.

The next contests are on March 4, and they are primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Obama wins in Wisconsin, cements frontrunner status

Barack Obama delivers a nearly 45-minute long victory speech heavy on the specifics in Houston, Tex. (Video provided by MSNBC.com)

By Mike Manzoni
Staff Writer

Retaining the momentum he garnered after a host of victories earlier this month, Barack Obama (D-Ill.) won the Wisconsin primary Feb. 19, making it his ninth consecutive win in a race that now has fellow Democratic contender Hillary Clinton pressured for big wins in the Ohio and Texas primaries to take place March 4.

Although Wisconsin's blue-collar and lower-income population would appear to have benefited Sen. Clinton, the junior Illinois senator took 58 percent of the vote to Sen. Clinton's 41 percent, with 96 percent of precincts reporting.

Hawai'i also held its caucuses Tuesday, but the results do not come in until after the caucuses close at 1:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Also, Washington state held a primary that will award no delegates, but with 53 percent of precincts reporting, Obama held onto a 50 percent to 47 percent lead, with the Associated Press not declaring a winner.

"We can't just have speeches, we've got to have solutions," said Clinton, referring to Obama in her primary night speech from Youngstown, Ohio. "The best words in the world aren't enough unless you match them with action."

Clinton did not mention the results in Wisconsin in her speech. And she was pre-empted by all three cable-news channels (FOX, MSNBC and CNN) when Obama took the stage to declare victory in Houston, Tex.

"The problem that we face today in America today is not the lack of good ideas, it is that Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die," Obama said, after learning he had won the Wisconsin primary. He delivered an uncharacteristically long victory speech which lasted nearly 45 minutes, and it was heavy on policy specifics, including his views on education reform, health care and immigration.

"We're here because we still believe that change is possible," he said.

Washington awarded its delegates during caucuses held Feb. 9, which Obama won. The state legislature there decided to go ahead with what was being called a "beauty contest" even though the Democratic National Committee decided to allot their delegates after the caucuses. Nearly 500,000 voters had turned out with 53 percent of the precincts reporting.

Obama's ninth straight victory comes after New Mexico announced the winner of its caucus held on Super Tuesday. Clinton edged Obama out by 1,709 votes there, party officials announced last Thursday.

In the days before the two contests, the Clinton camp accused Obama of plagiarizing the words of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and using them as his own in his stump speeches.

The Clinton camp said it "calls into question the premise of his candidacy."

But when asked about allegations of plagiarism by Clinton herself which had been raised in press reports about Obama, senior Clinton campaign advisor Howard Wolfson said she "is not running on the strength of her rhetoric" in a conference call with reporters.

Obama rejected the charges of plagiarism and said that he often borrows the words of the Massachusetts governor – a person he campaigned for in his successful 2006 gubernatorial bid, and who has publicly defended him in response to the attacks.

In Texas, Obama was charging ahead. "The change we seek is still months and miles away, and we need the good people of Texas to help us get there," he said.

McCain wins Wisconsin, Washington state primaries

John McCain attacked Barack Obama in his victory speech after winning the Wisconsin primaries. Later in the night, he was also announced the winner of the Washington state primary. (Video provided by MSNBC.com)

By Michelle Westgate

Staff Writer

John McCain can add Wisconsin and Washington state to the list of states he has won this primary season.

With 92 percent of precincts reporting in Wisconsin, McCain has won 55 percent of the votes, while Mike Huckabee has received 37 percent of the votes. In Washington, where some of the delegates were already elected in caucuses held on Feb. 9, McCain won with 49 percent of the vote, with 53 percent of precincts reporting.

Huckabee only captured 21 percent of the vote there, with 23 percent of voters choosing "other."

“Even a superstitious naval aviator can claim with confidence and humility that I will be our party’s nominee for president of the United States,” McCain said at a rally tonight in Columbus, OH, as he thanked Wisconsin for this latest success.

In the speech, he also attacked Barack Obama. "I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change," he said.

The Washington state caucuses, which allocated the rest of the state's delegates, held on Feb. 9 are in legal limbo. McCain was declared victorious with only 87 percent of the votes counted, and Huckabee filed a lawsuit demanding a recount of the caucus results. McCain's margin of victory over Huckabee in the caucus was 2 percent, 26 percent to 24 percent.

McCain spent the last four days collecting key endorsements, including former candidate Mitt Romney, who announced that he was supporting McCain, and he encouraged his delegates to do the same.

“This is a man capable of leading our country at a dangerous hour,” Romney said.

In addition to the support of Romney, former President George H.W. Bush also endorsed McCain this week. Both Romney and Bush refer to McCain’s experience as a war hero when citing his ability to lead the nation.

“His character was forged in the crucible of war,” Bush said. “His commitment to America is beyond any doubt.”

Despite the recent endorsements, McCain still appears to be struggling to gain the support of the party’s more conservative members. In CNN exit polls tonight, 42 percent of GOP voters said McCain was not conservative enough. However, moderate voters and less conservative voters carried him to victory.

"Will the next President have the experience...and the strength of purpose to respond...in ways that strengthen our security?" McCain asked as he attacked Obama on foreign policy. "Or will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested invading our ally, Pakistan?

"I’m not the youngest candidate, but I am the most experienced,” he said.