April 25, 2008
Posted: 09:00 AM ET
CNN

Watch those guys that were behind Obama.

(CNN) — The Internet has been abuzz since Sen. Barack Obama gave his concession speech Tuesday after losing the Pennsylvania Democratic primary to rival Sen. Hillary Clinton.  But, all  the talk hasn't been about anything said by Obama.  Instead, the attention has been focused on the three young men who were behind Obama wearing Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirts.

Watch John Roberts and Kyra Phillips interview "the Abercrombie guys" in this clip from American Morning.

Related video: Watch Jeanne Moos's Aber-Obama and Fitch

Filed under: American Morning • Barack Obama • Pennsylvania


Posted: 06:31 AM ET

From

(CNN) — The friction over fractions continued Friday, as staffers for Hillary Clinton and Barack grappled with the solution to some high-stakes campaign math: was her victory in Pennsylvania a double-digit win, or wasn't it?

This time, at least, it turns out: both. According to the final tally provided by the Associated Press, which gathers precise counts for the networks and other major news organizations, Hillary Clinton won 1,260,444 votes to Barack Obama’s 1,046,220, for a difference of 214,224 votes, or 9.2871 percent — which rounds down to 9. But calculated another, more traditional way: she captured 54.6435 percent of the vote — which rounds up to 55 — to his 45.3564, which rounds down to 45, for a difference of 10 points.

Why the demand for extra decimal places? Because every win is important, but some are more important than others. It had been widely predicted that a double-digit victory would give Clinton a key psychological edge heading into upcoming contests. Due to the vagaries of rounding, early coverage was split on whether she’d passed that bar.

Obama supporters protested, pointing out that the winning margin was below 9.5 percent – which, as any fifth-grader will tell you, rounds down to 9, not up to 10. Clinton supporters pointed out that if you rounded each candidate's total votes — not the margin of victory itself — those whole numbers gave you the critical extra digit.

Unfortunately: every vote counts, but some are counted more quickly than others. Some returns typically trickle in for days after the winner is known in virtually every election – usually under much less scrutiny. As the days passed and the difference in the tally hovered near the critical 9.5 percent mark, backers of both candidates kept their gaze fixed on the numbers.

They can put their calculators away for now. The final votes to come in were from the city of Philadelphia, which went for Obama, and the results will forever be safely rounded – if you dare – down to 9 percent, or up to 10. The winning margin, it seems, will remain in the eye of the beholder.

As for the only numbers that really count: it appears that Clinton will walk away from the state with a double-digit edge in pledged delegates — 83, to 73 for Obama.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • Pennsylvania


April 23, 2008
Posted: 10:30 AM ET

From
CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from the Best Political Team.

CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from the Best Political Team.

(CNN) – After six weeks of a hard-fought campaign, the voters in Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary have spoken.

In the latest episode of CNN=Politics Daily, the Best Political Team in News wraps up the Tuesday’s battle between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Suzanne Malveaux is on the campaign trail in Indiana with the Obama campaign. She explains what’s next for the Illinois senator after his loss to Clinton.

John Roberts speaks with Clinton, who shares her best argument to the Democratic Party’s undecided supderdelegates for choosing her as the nominee now that she’s won in Pennsylvania.

Finally, Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider takes a close look inside Clinton’s victory. Who did white men vote for? Who did late deciders pick? Who won over Pennsylvania’s newly registered Democrats? What were the top three issues for Pennsylvania Democrats? Schneider has all the answers to these questions, and explains what Pennsylvania exit polling data suggests about the Democratic rivals’ prospects in the remaining primaries.

Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.

Filed under: Barack Obama • CNN=Politics Daily • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton • John McCain • Pennsylvania


April 22, 2008
Posted: 11:40 PM ET

From
CNN

Watch Sen. Clinton's Pennsylvania victory speech.

(CNN) – Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed her Pennsylvania primary victory Tuesday night, telling Pennsylvanians that “you listened and today you chose.”

“It’s a long road to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and it runs right through the heart of Pennsylvania,” Clinton also told her supporters as they cheered.

Clinton also said Tuesday that the “stakes are high and the challenges are great” but “the possibilities are endless.” The audience responded by co-opting a trademark phrase of Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign; Clinton supporters shouted “Yes she can! Yes she can!”

Filed under: Hillary Clinton • Pennsylvania


Posted: 11:00 PM ET

From
CNN

Watch a clip of Sen. Obama's concession speech.

(CNN) – Sen. Barack Obama said rival Sen. Hillary Clinton “ran a terrific race” as he conceded defeat in Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary Tuesday night.

The Illinois senator also thanked the Pennsylvanians who supported him in his bid to win a state whose demographics favored Clinton. “Now, six weeks later, we closed the gap,” Obama said to an audience in Evansville, Indiana that had initially booed when he congratulated Clinton.

“We registered a record number of voters and it is those new voters who lead our party to victory in November,” Obama added.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Pennsylvania


Posted: 10:30 PM ET
CNN

Watch the Best Political Team in News on what may be next for Democrats.

(CNN) – Watch CNN’s political team – the Best Political Team on TV and Online – as they discuss the possible fallout for Democrats from the hotly-contested Pennsylvania primary. Polling suggests that the loyalties of the supporters of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have only hardened after a six-week campaign in Pennsylvania that became progressively more negative as Tuesday night’s vote approached.

Watch Campbell Brown, John King, David Gergen, Roland Martin, and Gloria Borger weigh in on what it all may mean for the Democratic Party as they prepare to face Sen. John McCain, the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Filed under: Pennsylvania


Posted: 09:30 PM ET
CNN

Watch John King at the magic wall.

(CNN) — Watch Chief National Correspondent John King provide a historical analysis of presidential primary results in Pennsylvania as he explains why the Clinton campaign may be trying to cast Sen. Barack Obama as another Michael Dukakis in the minds of the Democratic Party’s superdelegates.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Delegates • Hillary Clinton • Pennsylvania


Posted: 09:28 PM ET

From
College graduates supported Obama in Pennsylvania's primary Tuesday.
College graduates supported Obama in Pennsylvania's primary Tuesday.

(CNN) — While Clinton has won the state of Pennsylvania, it appears she won't win it by as wide a margin as she did Ohio.

One reason for this appears to be the fact that the Democratic electorate in Pennsylvania includes more college-educated voters — a voting bloc that has reliably supported Obama.

In Ohio, only 38 percent of Democratic voters had a college degree — in Pennsylvania, 46 percent did.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Bill Schneider • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton • Pennsylvania


Posted: 09:15 PM ET

From

(CNN) — Today's Democratic contest in Pennsylvania was a closed primary, open only to registered Democrats. Exit polls show 14 percent of today's voters were either registered as members of another party or simply unregistered back in January. Among this group, Barack Obama beats Hillary Clinton 59 percent to 39.

Five percent of today's voters were registered Republicans in January. They voted for Obama today, 52 percent to 44.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Bill Schneider • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton • Pennsylvania


Posted: 09:05 PM ET

Track county-by-county results here.

Filed under: Pennsylvania


Posted: 09:02 PM ET
Clinton supporters cheer as they await her victory speech.
Clinton supporters cheer as they await her victory speech.

(CNN)—Pennsylvania’s primary day turnout approached general election levels this year, state officials said Tuesday night.

The result comes on the heels of unprecedented Democratic voter registration in the months leading up to the presidential primary.

Voters in some counties participated at double and triple the level of the previous two presidential cycles – up to 60 percent in Clinton-supporting Allegheny County — although there is little basis for comparison, since the nomination had been essentially decided by the time the 2000 and 2004 primaries were held, so both were basically uncompetitive contests.

“This primary, at least to me, has felt almost like an expedited general election that came seven months earlier,” said Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State, Pedro A. Cortes. “That’s about the best way to describe it.”

Filed under: Pennsylvania


Posted: 08:58 PM ET

Track county-by-county results here.

Filed under: Pennsylvania


Posted: 08:39 PM ET

From

(CNN) – Was there any fallout from the so-called "bitter-gate?"

On the whole, no, the exit polls suggest.

Hillary Clinton seized on Barack Obama's now famous comments about small town Americans, characterizing them as elitist and suggesting the Illinois senator is out of touch with many small-town Americans.

But Pennsylvania Democrats said Tuesday night they don't view Obama any more out of touch than Clinton: 66 percent of Pennsylvania Democrats said Clinton is in touch with people like them, while 65 percent said the same for Obama.

Translation: The elitist charge on Obama, at least among Democrats, does not appear to have stuck.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Bill Schneider • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton • Pennsylvania


Posted: 08:02 PM ET

Track county-by-county results here.

Filed under: Pennsylvania


Posted: 07:33 PM ET

From
 A woman shows her support for Hillary Clinton during a campaign rally in Pittsburgh.
A woman shows her support for Hillary Clinton during a campaign rally in Pittsburgh.

(CNN) — Pennsylvania's Democratic electorate is remarkably similar to Ohio's — a state where Clinton won by 10 points on March 4.

But a look at the exit polls shows Pennsylvania voters are significantly older than those who voted in Ohio's primary — a fact that will likely give Clinton a boost.

Twenty-seven percent of voters in Pennsylvania were over the age of 65. In Ohio, those voters only made up 14 percent of the electorate.

Seniors have consistently supported Clinton overwhelmingly and Pennsylvania is no different — she's winning 61 percent of voters 65 and over. Clinton did even better among Ohio seniors, winning 72 percent of their vote.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Bill Schneider • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton • Ohio • Pennsylvania


Posted: 06:43 PM ET

From

(CNN) — As has been the case in past primary states, supporters of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama part ways when it comes to what qualities they most want in a president.

Among Clinton supporters in Pennsylvania, 47 percent say a candidate's experience matters most, compared to 27 percent who name a candidate's ability to bring about change. Fourteen percent say they want a candidate who "cares about people."

The numbers are essentially reversed when it comes to Obama supporters. Nearly 75 percent say they want a candidate who can bring about change, 14 percent want a candidate who cares about people. Only 3 percent of Obama supporters name a candidate's experience as most important to their vote.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Bill Schneider • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton • Pennsylvania


Posted: 06:05 PM ET

From
John McCain said it's up to the Democrats to decide their nominee.
John McCain said it's up to the Democrats to decide their nominee.

(CNN) – Campaigning across the border in Ohio, John McCain insists he’s neutral about what happens in Pennsylvania’s primary and Democratic contests beyond.

“I have never stated whether I wanted this election to stretch out or not. That is up to the Democratic Party voters and I have nothing to do with that,” said McCain.

The Republican nominee in waiting said he doesn’t know whether the Democratic race helps or hurts him, saying he’s heard arguments for both.

But privately some of McCain’s advisers tell CNN they do have an opinion. They’re secretly rooting for a big Pennsylvania win for Hillary Clinton, because they’ve concluded the longer Democrats bruise each other in battle, the better it is for McCain.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • John McCain • Pennsylvania


Posted: 05:27 PM ET

From
Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have establised bases according to exit polls.
Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have establised bases according to exit polls.

(CNN) – The Democratic race has been going on for four months. Is anything changing? The exit polls will tell us.

Each candidate has established a base. Hillary Clinton's includes women, seniors, blue-collar workers, Catholics, and Latinos.

Barack Obama's base includes African-Americans, young voters, affluent professionals, and Independents.

Tonight's exit polls will show whether either candidate is making inroads into the other candidate's base. If nobody's moving, we may be doomed to more weeks of trench warfare, with each side trying to rally higher turnout from its base.

How will we know things are changing?

If she wins Pennsylvania by more than 10 points, which was her margin in neighboring New Jersey and Ohio, we'll know the race is shifting in her favor.

If she wins by a very narrow margin, she's losing momentum.

And if Obama beats her in Pennsylvania? She will face powerful pressure to withdraw rather than further divide the party.

Filed under: Bill Schneider • Exit Polls • Pennsylvania


Posted: 05:08 PM ET

From ,
Hillary Clinton sends a warning to Iran Tuesday.
Hillary Clinton sends a warning to Iran Tuesday.

(CNN) – Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that her comments that the United States could “totally obliterate” Iran if it made a nuclear attack on Israel had been an attempt to return the United States to Cold War style deterrence.

Responding to accusations from Barack Obama's campaign that she was engaging in the sort of hypothetical thinking she had criticized him for, Clinton said the situations were not equivalent, since the threat from Iran was all too real. “I think in this particular instance of Iran it's a question not of what might be on or off the table concerning a tactical or strategic decision but an effort on my part to get back to what worked during the Cold War which was deterrence,” she told reporters in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

“…Iran is feeling quite powerful. They have been empowered by the actions of the last seven years and they must know there are lines that the world will not let them cross.”

Earlier Tuesday, Clinton told ABC’s Good Morning America that "I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran [if it attacked Israel].”"

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Pennsylvania


Posted: 03:04 PM ET

From

(CNN) – Shortly after Barack Obama’s campaign released a memo raising the bar on a Hillary Clinton win by saying her victory in Pennsylvania was a foregone conclusion, her campaign released their own memo accusing their opponents of “attempting to pre-spin” a loss in that state.

“[A]fter the Obama campaign’s ‘go-for-broke’ Pennsylvania strategy, after their avalanche of negative ads, negative mailers and negative attacks against Sen. Clinton, after their record-breaking spending in the state, a fundamental question must be asked: Why shouldn't Sen. OBAMA win?” they wrote in the memo sent to reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Repeating a longtime message, they wrote that a loss in Pennsylvania would raise serious questions about Obama’s ability to beat John McCain. Obama staffers were attempting to raise the bar on a Clinton win “because they know that the race is neck and neck and tonight's contest is a measure of where the campaign stands.”

“The press and the pundits have repeatedly counted Sen. Clinton out and she has repeatedly proved them wrong. The vote in the bellwether state of Pennsylvania is another head to head measure of the two candidates and of the coalition they will put together to compete and win in November.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Pennsylvania



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