Romney’s Out!

Mitt Romney suspended his presidential campaign on Thursday, February 7, 2008. This goes a long way toward clinching Sen. John McCain as the GOP presidential nominee.

I must now stand aside, for our party and our country. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.

— Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney’s decision leaves McCain as the frontrunner in the GOP primary race, with Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul lagging far behind in the hunt for voter support, campaign contributions and delegates. Post Super Tuesday McCain led with 707 delegates, to 294 for Romney and 195 for Huckabee. It takes 1,191 to win the GOP nomination at this summer’s convention in St. Paul, Minn.

Tags: | | | |

Who Won NV?

The Nevada Primary is over and the press is proclaiming the results to the world at large. According to the media Clinton and Romney won their respective races. But is this actually the case? As with the previous NH primary, that depends on how you look at the primaries and caucuses.

The Democratic results from NV were: Clinton 5,355 (50.7%); Obama 4,773 (45.2%); Edwards 396 (03.8%). This shows that Sen. Clinton edged out Sen. Obama by at 5.5% margin, but did win the popular vote in the NV Primary. This is what the media is reporting about – though, unlike the earlier NH Primary, they’re also reporting on delegate counts as well this time.

Let us though once again look at the practical matter of the allotment of delegates, since it’s these delegates who will actually nominate the Democratic Party’s Presidential Candidate. It’s these men and women, plus 852 “superdelegates”, who will determine which candidate is nominated. Democratic primaries and caucuses award delegates on a proportional basis. Below is the break down of delegates for the 2008 NV Primary:

  • Hillary Clinton won 12 Nevada delegates
  • Barack Obama won 13 Nevada delegates

From the perspective of delegates the 2008 NV Democratic Primary Sen. Barack Obama achieved victory by a margin of 1 NV delegate. This is because many delegates are decided at the district level and Obama won the more heavily populated southern districts in Nevada.

On the Republican side of the 2008 Election race the results were more conclusive: Romney 22,649 (51.1%); Paul 6,087 (13.7%); McCain 5,651 (12.7%); Huckabee 3,616 (8.2%): Thompson 3,521 (7.9%); Giuliani 1,910 (4.3%). This shows Romney as a solid winner of the popular vote in the Republican primary.

As with the Democrats, let us once again look at the practical matter of the allotment of delegates, since it’s these delegates who will actually nominate the Republican Party’s Presidential Candidate.

  • Mitt Romney won 17 Nevada delegates
  • Ron Paul won 4 Nevada delegates
  • John McCain won 4 Nevada delegates
  • Mike Huckabee won 3 Nevada delegates
  • Fred D. Thompson won 2 Nevada delegates
  • Rudolph Giuliani won 1 Nevada delegates

Mitt Romney actually did score a very decisive win the 2008 NV Republican Primary in all practical ways, both by popular support and by delegate allotment.

Tags: | | | | | | | | |

Who won NH?

The New Hampshire Primary is over and the press is proclaiming the results to the world at large. According to the media Clinton and McCain won their respective races. But is this actually the case? That depends on how you look at the primaries and caucuses.

The Democratic results from NH were: Clinton 110,550 (39%); Obama: 102,883 (36%); Edwards: 47,803 (17%); Richardson: 12,987 (5%); Kucinich: 3,845 (1%). This shows that Sen. Clinton barely edged out Sen. Obama, but did win the popular vote in the NH Primary. This is what the media is reporting about.

Let us look at the practical matter of the allotment of delegates, since it’s these delegates who will actually nominate the Democratic Party’s Presidential Candidate. It’s these men and women, plus 852 “superdelegates”, who will determine which candidate is nominated. Democratic primaries and caucuses award delegates on a proportional basis. Below is the break down of delegates for the 2008 NH Primary:

  • Hillary Clinton won 9 New Hampshire delegates
  • Barack Obama won 9 New Hampshire delegates
  • John Edwards won 4 New Hampshire delegates

From the perspective of delegates the 2008 NH Democratic Primary was a tie between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

On the Republican side of the 2008 Election race the results were more conclusive: McCain 86,802 (37%); Romney 73,806 (32%); Huckabee 26,035 (11%); Giuliani 20,054 (9%); Paul 17,831 (8%); Thompson 2,808 (1%). This shows McCain as a solid winner of the popular vote in the Republican primary.

Let us once again look at the practical matter of the allotment of delegates, since it’s these delegates who will actually nominate the Republican Party’s Presidential Candidate.

  • John McCain won 7 New Hampshire delegates
  • Mitt Romney won 4 New Hampshire delegates
  • Mike Huckabee won 1 New Hampshire delegate

John McCain actually did win the 2008 NH Republican Primary in all practical ways.

Tags: | | | | | | | | |

Happy New Year!

Attention! Let the election frenzy begin in earnest!

Who’re you voting for, 2008?
Image courtesy of ZardozZ News & Satire

Tags: | | | | | | | | | |

Send Hillary To Mars!

Mike HuckabeeDuring the CNN/YouTube Republican Debate on November 28th, 2007, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee wittily responded to a question asking if he would endorse more money would be put into the nation’s space exploration program. The Republican presidential candidate outlined one very special plan he’d consider for NASA’s exploration of space.

(Sic)…Maybe Hillary can be on the first rocket to Mars,”

— Mike Huckabee,
CNN/YouTube Republican Debate, Question #29

This sounds like a very good idea to me, though the negative effects Hillary might have if Mars does turn out to have life on it worry me a bit. She’s a bit too much like Marvin the Martian and no where’s near enough like Thuvia or Dejah Thoris for my comfort or titulation.

All joking aside, Mr. Huckabee seemed sincere about advancing the space program and cited many of the practical advances in materials, technology and medicine that have resulted from our effort to date.

Source: CNN’s Adam P. Levy

Tags: | | | |