Democrats in Texas are holding county conventions Saturday including this one in Travis County.
(Photo credit: AP)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama scrambled to secure Texas' last remaining Democratic National Convention delegates Saturday as the state pushed to settle the outcome of the March 4 caucus.

Early results tallied by The Associated Press showed that Clinton had 301 delegates, or 60 percent, compared to Obama's 202 delegates, or 40 percent. That's out of about 7,300 delegates expected to be selected at about 280 county and senate district meetings across the state Saturday.

Those delegates will decide the final allocation of national convention delegates at a state convention in June.

Because of the huge Democratic turnout in Texas' primary and caucuses on March 4, just registering delegates at took hours at some state and senate district conventions Saturday. At large conventions in Houston, Dallas and Austin, arguments erupted and confusion set in as complaints were lodged about the legitimacy of some delegates.

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Obama won more delegates in Texas than Clinton.

(CNN) — Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has won the Texas Democratic caucuses and will get more delegates out of the state than his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, who won the state's primary, according to CNN estimates.

Under the Texas Democratic Party's complex delegate selection plan, Texas voters participated in both a primary and caucuses on March 4. Two-thirds of the state's 193 delegates were at stake at the primary, while the remaining third were decided by the caucuses.

An additional 35 superdelegates were not tied to either contest. Clinton, of New York, defeated Obama in the primary by a 51-47 percent margin. But results of the caucuses were up in the air on election night and for several days afterward, due to state party rules that did not require local caucus officials to report their results to a centralized location.

Partial caucus results, representing 41 percent of all caucus precincts, showed Obama last week with 56 percent of the county-level delegates chosen at the caucuses to 44 percent for Clinton. The state party says it will not be able to provide a further breakdown of the caucus results from March 4.

After a comprehensive review of these results, CNN estimates that Obama won more support from Texas caucus-goers than Clinton. Based on the state party's tally, Obama's caucus victory translates into 38 national convention delegates, compared to 29 for Clinton.

And though Clinton won more delegates than Obama in the primary, 65 to 61, Obama's wider delegate margin in the caucuses gives him the overall statewide delegate lead, 99 to 94 — or once superdelegate endorsements are factored in, 109 to 106.

CNN's estimate is based on a statistical review, which combined the county-level results provided by the state party with data from the U.S. Census, exit polls and telephone surveys.

That analysis showed that the counties that reported data to the state party last week appear to be a representative cross-section of the Texas population. The analysis also indicates that areas that were won by Obama reported results at essentially the same rate as areas that were won by Clinton.

Every procedure used to statistically model the outcome of the caucuses indicated that Obama had more support than Clinton.

The next step in the delegate-selection process will occur on March 29, when the county-level delegates chosen at the March 4 caucuses will meet in county conventions held across the state. CNN will closely monitor those events and will adjust its delegate estimate for Obama and Clinton, if necessary, based on those results at that time.

– CNN's Robert Yoon

(CNN) — At last report, with 40 percent of precincts counted, Barack Obama led Hillary Clinton 56 percent to 44 percent in the Texas Democratic caucuses. Counting continues today.

Clinton beat Obama to win the Texas Democratic primary 51 to 48 percent.

Related video: CNN's Ed Lavandera examines the chaos of the Texas caucuses

CNN is not ready to project a winner in the Texas caucuses.

(CNN) — Following a Clinton campaign call alleging irregularities in the Texas Democratic caucuses, a state party representative told CNN that voters had been registering similar complaints with the party Tuesday evening.

“It is important to understand when you see a turnout in these numbers you are going to witness some problems, and the Texas Democratic Party has taken all the steps it can to make sure the process is run as smoothly as possible,” said Hector Nieto, the state party’s communications director. “We understand that there are voters across the state that have concerns, and we urge them to contact the call center.”

Nieto said the Texas Democratic Party had established a call center with 200 phone lines that was staffed by lawyers to “address any concerns.”

Nieto was unable to provide a time when the results of the caucuses would be made public. At stake in Tuesday evening’s party-run caucuses were 67 delegates. Earlier in the day, 126 delegates were on the line in the state-run primary.

– CNN's Mark Preston and Rebecca Sinderbrand

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Barack Obama’s campaign lawyer Bob Bauer crashed a conference call convened by Hillary Clinton’s campaign Tuesday evening, sparring with Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson in an exchange that lasted several minutes.

Bauer dialed into the call that was intended to update the media on alleged irregularities in Texas caucus voting and identified himself to Wolfson’s surprise.

“Nice of you to call. How are you?” said a startled Wolfson when Bauer introduced himself.

The two men then proceeded to battle over the Clinton campaign’s complaints over caucus voting in Nevada and in Texas, with Bauer directly asking the Clinton campaign to “Stop attacking the caucus process.”

Wolfson responded by challenging Bauer to work closely with the Clinton campaign to ensure there were no irregularities in the Texas caucuses.

“I would ask you to join with us this evening in ensuring that the serious problems that are ongoing as we speak in Texas are addressed,” Wolfson said, adding that they did not hold Bauer "personally responsible.”

Bauer returned to his original charge, saying that the Clinton campaign had attempted to interfere with the process in both Iowa and Nevada, adding: “How is this (complaint) any different than the series of complaints registered against every caucus that you lose?"

After several minutes, Wolfson ended the conversation, telling Bauer he looked forward to "asking our own questions on subsequent calls of yours."

A senior citizen casts her vote in Bloomdale, Ohio.

(CNN) — One of the statistics in the exit polls I wanted to watch out for was the senior vote — Clinton needs to win big among this group to stay competitive with Obama, and tonight's exit polls show she is doing just that.

The New York senator only won two age groups in Texas and Ohio (50-64 and 65+) — but together those age groups make up roughly 45 percent of the electorate in both states.

In Ohio, she's winning the 50-64 bloc by 20 points and the 65+ vote by 40 points. In Texas, her margins of victory in those blocs are 11 points and 30 points respectively. It's imperative Clinton's support among these groups hold to counterbalance Obama's overwhelming popularity among young voters and his edge with those who are middle-aged.

–CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

(CNN) – It’s interesting to take a look at the white vote in both Texas and Ohio. Clinton only holds a 1 point lead among these voters in Texas, but in Ohio her advantage is much stronger — she's beating Obama among whites there by 23 points, 61 percent to 38 percent.

Why the disparity? I suspect it has to do with the economy. It’s a larger issue for Ohio voters than those in Texas, and Clinton has a stronger advantage among those worried about the economy in Ohio than those in Texas. Her closing ads in Ohio largely focused on her ability to deal with the economy, and she sharply criticized Obama for an advisor's comment to a Canadian official about NAFTA — a key issue among many of the state's working class whites.

Related: CNN Political Researcher Alan Silverleib analyzes Ohio exit polls

–CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

The victory technically gives the Arizona senator more than the required number of delegates to claim the GOP presidential nomination.

The Democratic races in Rhode Island and Texas remain competitive.

Residents sign in to vote in Chillicothe, Ohio.

NEW YORK (CNN) – The economy was an overwhelming concern for Republican primary voters in both Ohio and Texas Tuesday, according to an early CNN exit poll.

In Ohio, 43 percent of GOP primary voters said the economy was the most important issue this election, while 22 percent cited Iraq, 19 percent ranked illegal immigration, and 15 percent said terrorism.

In Texas, 26 percent of Republican primary voters said the economy was the top concern, followed by 23 percent who cited terrorism, 21 percent who noted Iraq, and 16 percent who said illegal immigration.

Related: Mike Huckabee shares a moment with rival supporters

– CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

Voters cast their ballots in Bowling Green, Ohio.

NEW YORK (CNN) – The economy ranked as the most important issue on the minds of Texans and Ohioans Tuesday, but Democratic voters in these two critical presidential primary states differed when it came to the issue of U.S. trade with other countries.

Eighty-one percent of Ohio Democratic voters said U.S. trade led to the loss of jobs, while 58 percent of Texans held the same view.

Iraq and healthcare also ranked as top issues for Democratic voters in each state. Nineteen percent of Ohio Democrats ranked healthcare as the most important issue, while 18 percent thought that Iraq was the top issue. In Texas, 26 percent of Democratic voters said Iraq was the top issue, followed by 22 percent who thought health care was the number one issue.

Related: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux reports on the Democratic fight for Texas

– CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

Clinton, Obama split votes in Texas

NEW YORK (CNN) – Hillary Clinton holds a two-to-one advantage over Barack Obama with Hispanic voters in Texas, while blacks are overwhelmingly supporting him in Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary, according to CNN’s exit poll.

These early surveys provide a snapshot of the race, but are not conclusive on who will win this critical contest. Eighty three percent of blacks voted for Obama, while 16 percent supported Clinton, according to the exit poll. Meanwhile, 64 percent of Hispanics backed Clinton, while 32 percent went for Obama.

– CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

NEW YORK (CNN) — It's certain to be long night, but here are some early indicators I'll be keeping my eye on as the first wave of exit polls roll into the CNN Election Center.

The gender gap:
The bigger it is, the more it helps Hillary Clinton. She needs to do well with women voters tonight in order to carry Ohio and Texas. In nine Super Tuesday primary states Clinton won, men were split, but nearly 60 percent of women voters supported the New York senator. In seven states Obama won that night, the Illinois senator beat Clinton among both men and women.

Young voters
Much attention has been focused on Obama's ability to rally young voters. The number of these voters that showed up to vote and the proportion that break for Obama will be key to his chances of winning tonight. Senior voters have always been a backbone of support for Clinton, and will likely continue to be so today. In many of the states Obama has won, the youth vote has been heavy and has broken for him better than 2 to 1.

Minority turnout
Minority turnout will be crucial, but which minority? African-American voters have solidly aligned themselves behind Obama, and Latinos have usually supported Clinton. This means Obama has had the edge in states where African-American voters make up a significant proportion of the electorate while Clinton has had the advantage in states where Latinos do so. But Texas has both a heavy African-American population and a heavy Latino population. Whichever group has a higher turnout could be key to who wins the state.

Union workers
Whichever candidate wins among union voters in Ohio could very well carry the state. Even though several major unions in Ohio — like the Teamsters and the Service Workers and the Food and Commercial Workers — have endorsed Obama, the Nevada caucuses proved that union voters don't necessarily vote the way their leaders tell them to. Clinton is banking on strong support from this demographic to help her win tonight.

Independents
How much of a role will they play? Independent voters are allowed to vote in all four states today. In the past, these voters have strongly favored Obama. Will their turnout be high enough to tip the scales toward the Illinois senator tonight?

Republicans
Republicans are allowed to vote in the Democratic primary in Texas. Some conservative commentators, like Rush Limbaugh, are urging them to vote for Hillary Clinton just to keep the Democratic race going. The idea that large numbers of Republicans will vote for Clinton just to make trouble for the Democrats seems unlikely. But lots of unlikely things have happened this year.

Watch Bill Schneider break down the demographics of the March 4 primaries

Related: CNN's Ed Lavandera reports on early Texas voting

–CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) — The scene of the Clinton press corps' less than ideal filing center in the Berger Activity Center men's locker room. (Photo Credit: Sasha Johnson/CNN)

Updated 8:53 p.m. with a statement from Sen. Clinton's campaign: "These accommodations should in no way be taken as a commentary on the quality of our media coverage," said Clinton spokesman Doug Hattaway.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Justice Department announced Monday it has sent federal observers to four Texas counties to ensure the voting rights of citizens participating in Tuesday's presidential primary, including Spanish-speaking voters.

The Civil Rights Division, which enforces federal voting rights, said it will send monitors to Brazos, Fort Bend, Galveston and Waller counties.

"Brazos, Fort Bend and Galveston counties are obligated to provide all election information, ballots and voting assistance information in Spanish as well as in English according to the Voting Rights Act," the Justice Department said.

Past complaints had led to a 2006 federal court order in Brazos County.

Officials said they will monitor polling-place activities in Waller County to deal with unspecified issues.

Although elections are handled by state officials, voting rights of minorities falls under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which sent nearly 1,000 observers and nearly 600 monitors to watch potential trouble spots in 24 states during the 2006 election.

– From Justice Producer Terry Frieden

(CNN) – A major ice storm is forecast for the northern half of Ohio as voters go to the polls to vote in a primary there that may determine Sen. Hillary Clinton’s fate and seal the GOP nomination for Sen. John McCain.

Dayton and Columbus will likely see some wintry weather but be spared the worst of the ice and sleet forecast for Toledo, Mansfield, Cleveland, Akron, and Canton.

The storm is projected to begin before polls open at 6:30 a.m. ET Tuesday morning and last much of the day, and there is a potential for widespread power outages in the region.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are also possible in the southern part of the state, where flood watches are in effect.

Another state is expected to experience a primary day storm Tuesday: much of Vermont is likely to see winter weather Tuesday, with the heaviest snow, sleet, or ice expected in the afternoon.

After a stormy Monday in Texas, the Tuesday forecast calls for calm skies.

–CNN’s Dave Hennen and Martina Stewart

Clinton is launching new ads in Texas and Ohio Monday.

(CNN) – Hillary Clinton hit Texas and Ohio airwaves Monday with two new television spots, including one that goes after Barack Obama for not holding any oversight hearings since becoming chairman of a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee.

"Barack Obama says he has the judgment to be president, but as chairman of an oversight committee charged with the force of fighting al Qaeda in Afghanistan, he was too busy running for president to hold even one hearing," an announcer says in a 30-second Texas ad called "True."

"Hillary Clinton will never be too busy to defend our national security, bringing our troops home from Iraq and pursuing Al Qaeda in Afghanistan," the announcer also says.

Clinton first criticized Obama over his chairmanship of a subcommittee on Europe at last week's MSNBC debate.

'"It has jurisdiction over NATO. NATO is critical to our mission in Afghanistan," she said then. "He's held not one substantive hearing to do oversight, to figure out what we can do to actually have a stronger presence with NATO in Afghanistan."

Obama responded that he became chairman of that committee in January 2007, just as his presidential campaign was launching.

Clinton also went up with a new 30-second ad in Ohio on Monday called "Partner," in which she highlights the state's economic downturn and says she will fight for working families.

"The wealthy and the well-connected have had a president. It's time the middle class had a president who will stand up for you," Clinton says in that ad.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Clinton and Obama are locked in tight races in Ohio and Texas.

(CNN) – Barack Obama holds a slight edge in Texas while Hillary Clinton is on top in Ohio, according to a CNN average of several recent polls out of two crucial March 4 primary states.

An average of five recent surveys out of Texas show Obama edging Clinton by 2 percentage points there, 47 to 45 percent. The so called “poll of polls” also shows 8 percent of likely Texas Democrats remain unsure of who to vote for.

Clinton is 5 points ahead of Obama in Ohio, according to CNN's average of six recent polls there, 48-43 percent. Nine percent of likely Ohio Democrats remain unsure.

Voters in Texas and Ohio will be joined by those in Vermont and Rhode Island Tuesday in what Clinton supporters admit is a critical test of strength for the New York Democrat following Obama's 11 straight wins.

The Texas average consists of surveys from Reuters/C-SPAN/Houston Chronicle/Zogby (Feb 29-March 2), Belo/Public Strategies (Feb 27-March 1), American Research Group (Feb 29-March 1), MSNBC/McClatchy/Ft. Worth Star-Telegram/Mason-Dixon (Feb 27-29), and Fox News/Opinion Dynamics (Feb 26-28).

The Ohio average consists of surveys from Reuters/CSPAN/Houston Chronicle/Zogby (Feb 29-March 2), Quinnipiac (Feb 27-March 2), University of Cincinnati "Ohio Poll" (Feb 28-March 2), American Research Group (Feb 29-March 1), Cleveland Plain Dealer/Mason-Dixon (Feb 27-29), and Fox News/Opinion Dynamics (Feb 26-28).

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Sen. Clinton recently released an ad trumpeting her ability to handle a 3 a.m. phone call if elected to the Oval Office.

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (CNN) — In a high school gym just north of Columbus on Sunday, Hillary Clinton elaborated on just what kind of phone call she is prepared to take at three in the morning.

In tandem with a new campaign ad, Clinton has warned over the last three days that a president needs the right kind of experience to deal with such a phone call, and to make a split-second decision without advisers at her side.

“When those calls come in at 3 a.m. it might be a national security crisis,” she said in a hushed voice. “You know, it could be an economic crisis. The economy is facing some really troubled waters.”

Clinton linked a hypothetical middle-of-the-night economic crisis to terrorism or political upheaval abroad.

“Think about what could happen if there were unrest in Nigeria, or a terrorist act in Saudi Arabia,” she continued. “Oil would shoot to 150 dollars a barrel.”

The crowd applauded as she then criticized the Bush administration for wanting to “hold hands with the Saudis” rather than stand up to them.

In recent days, Clinton has demurred when asked to name a crucial 3 a.m. decision from her own experience.

Related: Dems battle in Texas

– CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

A Texas newspaper has picked Mike Huckabee over John McCain.

(CNN) — Two days before the Texas primary, the Dallas Morning News published Sunday an editorial emphasizing its endorsement for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, despite acknowledging that he has no chance of capturing the Republican presidential nomination.

Though Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the presumed nominee and "it is mathematically impossible" for Huckabee to pull ahead in delegates, Huckabee "remains our choice for the GOP nomination," the newspaper's editorial board wrote.

This is not the first time the paper has endorsed Huckabee. Last month, it called him a "a progressive conservative with a pastor's heart."

And in December, it called him "decent, principled and empathetic to the views and concerns of others — an antidote to the power-mad partisanship that has led U.S. politics to a dispiriting standstill."

The Dallas Morning News also endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Full story
 
Updated 1:34 p.m. to note original endorsement occurred in December 2007.