Hillary wins three of four
Posted: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 9:05 AM by Mark Murray
With 99% of precincts reporting, Clinton won Ohio, 54%-44%.
With 99% of precincts reporting, she won Texas, 51%-47%
With 98% of precincts reporting, she won Rhode Island, 58%-40%
And with 86% of precincts reporting, Obama won Vermont, 60%-38%.
USA Today’s Page writes that Clinton “rejuvenated her flagging campaign and broke rival Barack Obama's long winning streak Tuesday with victories in the Ohio and Texas primaries. The results mean that their nomination battle will continue at least to the next big primary in Pennsylvania next month - and perhaps longer.”
AP's Fouhy: "A primary season notable for its prediction-defying twists and turns lurched into new territory yet again, with Ohio and Texas testing Obama's momentum and organizational muscle against Clinton's gamble that Democrats were not yet ready to dismiss her pioneering candidacy."
The Boston Globe: "Clinton breathed new life into her presidential bid last night with key victories in the Ohio and Texas primaries, ending Barack Obama's month-long run of momentum and adding yet another twist to the historic contest for the Democratic nomination."
The New York Times’ Nagourney writes, “[Clinton’s] victory in Texas was razor thin and came early Wednesday morning after most Americans had gone to bed. But by winning decisively in Ohio earlier in the night, Mrs. Clinton was able to deliver a televised victory speech in time for the late-night news. And the result there allowed her to cast Tuesday as the beginning of a comeback even though she stood a good chance of gaining no ground against Mr. Obama in the hunt for delegates.”
The Times’ Pat Healy adds: “For Mrs. Clinton, the battle ahead is not so much against Mr. Obama as it is against a Democratic Party establishment that had once been ready to coalesce behind her but has been drifting toward Mr. Obama. The party wants a standard-bearer now to wage the war against the newly minted leader of the Republicans, Senator John McCain, who enjoys a head start with every day that the Democrats lack a nominee of their own.”
The LA Times: “In winning New Hampshire a few weeks ago, Hillary Rodham Clinton declared, ‘I found my own voice.’ But it was a much different voice in the closing days before Tuesday's voting that carried her to victory in Ohio and Texas… Gone was the misty-eyed Clinton who scored points showing her human side. Gone was the gracious Clinton who, just two weeks ago, drew thunderous applause for expressing her pride in running against Barack Obama. The new voice was angrier, sharper and far more negative toward Obama -- a voice that at one point bellowed at her rival, ‘Shame on you,’ as she pushed back against what she said was an unfair attack.”
The Washington Post: “Clinton still faces daunting odds in her bid for the nomination. Obama began the day with a lead in pledged delegates that will be hard for her to overcome in the 12 primaries and caucus remaining, despite the results from the four states voting yesterday. But her advisers said that the big win in Ohio alone would force a serious look at both candidates and that the race was far from over.”
The New York Post dubs Clinton "Comeback Queen."
The New York Daily News calls her "The Comeback Gal." "Clinton's victories snapped Obama's winning streak and assured her a healthy share of the day's delegates, although Obama was expected to remain ahead in the delegate race."
The Boston Globe's Canellos says Obama "ended the day with two stubborn opponents: Hillary Clinton -- vowing to continue her campaign after big victories in Rhode Island and Ohio -- and a long-delayed but growing media backlash against his candidacy. The second one may be more threatening than the first."
Per NBC’s Sarah Demarest, Clinton told NBC's TODAY that she would continue on to Pennsylvania and go all the way, citing that in recent history no nominee has won the presidency without winning the bellwether of Ohio.
How much did race and gender factor in Ohio? The AP: "One-fifth of white Ohio voters said race was an important issue to their vote, and those who did voted three in four for Clinton. That compares with the one in five Democrats in Ohio who said gender was important to their vote, and they voted six in 10 for Clinton."
The Politico’s Ben Smith looks ahead. “The campaigns bring their well-known strengths and weaknesses to Pennsylvania: Obama will likely have the momentum of two friendly, smaller contests this month in Wyoming and Mississippi, and a formidable lead among the pledged delegates chosen in primaries and caucuses, one that even a defeat in Pennsylvania won't erase. He will also arrive with solid support from African-American, well-educated, and younger voters. But Clinton will bring a proven resilience, the support of the local political establishment, and a message that played well in the industrial Midwest of Ohio - a state parts of Pennsylvania closely resemble.”
