Delegate update: Clinton-Obama, 2-2

Posted: Saturday, May 03, 2008 8:48 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
NBC News has allocated two delegates apiece for Clinton and Obama of Guam's four that were up for grabs. (Obama won the contest narrowly 50.1%-49.9%, or by seven caucus votes.)

The Day in Superdelegates: Obama 4, Clinton 1
Obama picked up three superdelegates today to Clinton’s one. Obama got the backing of New Mexico Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colon and two add-on superdelegates named today: former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening and former South Carolina Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum. Clinton picked up the other Maryland add-on: former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

(Obama is also expected to pick up the three Illinois add-on superdelegates by Monday.)

The Delegate Counts:
SUPERDELEGATES: CLINTON 274, OBAMA 254
PLEDGED: OBAMA 1,492, CLINTON 1,338
OVERALL: OBAMA 1,746, CLINTON 1,612

* There are 267 undeclared superdelegates.
* Since the Pennsylvania primary: It's Obama +17, Clinton +12
* Since Super Tuesday, Feb. 5: It's Obama +84, Clinton +14.
* Since Junior Super Tuesday, March 4: It's Obama +41, Clinton +21.

*** UPDATE *** The Obama campaign announced this morning (Sunday) the support of Guam superdelegate Jamie Paulino. (Numbers adjusted above.)

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Comments

I think your counter on Clinton for Junior Super Tuesday is wrong (the way I read it, she should have fewer than or equal to since 14 since Junior Super Tuesday since it is more recent).

Lisa, proud Obama supporter in New Britain, CT (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:01 PM)

Congratulations Senator Obama and thank you Brian Colon! Positively Presidential.

Taylor Denver (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:02 PM)

The super delegates have to realize just what a farce Hillary is. In order to get votes, she now is playing to the right wing. The right wing is going for it now because it causes havoc in the Democratic Party. If she were the nominee, does anyone really think Fox News and Richard Skythe (or whatever his name is) would be backing her. Hopefully, the true Democrats in Indiana and North Carolina will wake up in time.

tonybama, grahamsville, ny (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:02 PM)

A win is a win. Too bad the Clinton people tried to spoil the vote and throw out over 500 ballots. But you know what they say in the Clinton camp: "if you're not cheatin' you're not tryin'". Unless of course they're chanting the main mantra: "if you're not lyin' you're not tryin'".

BO Knows Guam (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:03 PM)

Why did Clinton bother to compete in Guam? I thought caucuses don't count, and that they aren't democratic.

Terry, IN (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:07 PM)

Why no mention of the two Guam SDs that were elected ? One is committed to Obama and the other one promised to go with the caucus winner.

Benjamin (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:12 PM)

Does your count include Guam's Jaime Paulino?

Brian (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:13 PM)

Way to go Big Brown!!

Hemi Fied (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:13 PM)

Hillspin:

Its not even a state.
7 votes is a statistical/virtual tie.
Guam is not a big state.
There are no electoral votes in Guam.
Caucuses are undemocratic.
We each get the same amount of delegates anyway.
Obama agreed to fight fair and let me cheat.
Big Brown tripped the filly at the derby.
Magna who? Oh that was GW's fault. No thanks I'm not thirsty.
I gotta go... McCain needs me to change his depends... I mean dependency... ummm independency... ahhhmmm cut the gas tax so we can bring home the troops from Iraq.

The Filly is Dead, Long Live Big Brown (Sent Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:13 PM)

There may be good reasons for Democratic superdelegates to hold off on making a decision between Senators Clinton and Obama, but the national popular vote is not one of them. Over fifty years ago Jean-Paul Sartre warned us about something he called "bad faith." We are in "bad faith" when we are free to make a decision but convince ourselves that there is something preventing us from making this decision. For example, those who seek advice can be in bad faith. They say that they cannot decide until they get some good advice, knowing in advance what the advice will be.

How does this relate to the so-called popular vote and the election? Well, if we can believe a lot of pollsters and journalists, the superdelegates really want to know what the national popular vote is going to be before they can make up their minds. Until they know, they cannot choose between Clinton and Obama. But for anyone who has seen some of the (often well intentioned) attempts to calculate the national popular vote, it should be obvious that no such total will be available.

For more, please see http://msa4.wordpress.com/

Mitchell Aboulafia (Sent Sunday, May 04, 2008 4:59 PM)

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