West Virginia: the results
Posted: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 9:14 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
2008, Primaries
With 100% of precincts reporting, Clinton beat Obama last night, 67%-26%; Edwards, who left the race several months ago, got as much as 7% of the vote.
The front page of the Boston Globe: “Clinton crushes Obama in W.Va.” “While her win does not change the dynamics of the race, the margin -- Clinton led Obama 67 percent to 26 percent with 92 percent of precincts reporting last night - was striking given that much of the Democratic political establishment has already coalesced behind Obama as the party's nominee.
The New York Times says that “racial considerations emerged as an unusually salient factor” in last night’s primary. “The number of white Democratic voters who said race had influenced their choices on Tuesday was among the highest recorded in voter surveys in the nomination fight. Two in 10 white West Virginia voters said race was an important factor in their votes. More than 8 in 10 who said it factored in their votes backed Mrs. Clinton, according to exit polls.”
More: “According to the West Virginia surveys, 95 percent of the Democratic primary voters were white, 70 percent did not graduate from college, and 54 percent had household incomes less than $50,000.”
The AP’s analysis: “At Obama's Chicago headquarters, advisers said there was no reason to worry — West Virginia was demographically suited to Clinton and won't be part of their general election plans. It's also true that Clinton's win is unlikely to slow his march toward the nomination — Obama picked up 30 superdelegates this week, more than the 28 total pledged delegates up for grabs in West Virginia. But maybe the Obama camp should be more worried. The voters who went against Obama Tuesday night — white, rural, older, low-income and without college degrees — don't just live in West Virginia. They live everywhere in the country, in places Obama needs to win.”
The Los Angeles Times: “Clinton is no longer resting her candidacy on the delegate count. She hopes to persuade party leaders, who hold the balance of power, that she would be the more electable candidate against McCain, based on her support among white, blue-collar voters who have not embraced Obama's candidacy in the same way as black, more affluent and better-educated voters.”
The New York Post: “Mountain landslide for hope-less Hill.” The subhead: W.Va. win is meaningless.”
The New York Daily News’ cover is equally sardonic: “Hil Billy Win.” Subheadline: “Clinton’s ‘so what’ victory in W.Va. primary as campaign winds down.” The paper also writes, “[H]er ultimate defeat only loomed closer.”
