May 9, 2008
Posted: 08:10 PM ET

From
Clinton holds a big lead in West Virginia.
Clinton holds a big lead in West Virginia.

(CNN) – Even as she faces pressure from some to call her White House bid quits, Hillary Clinton holds a commanding lead in West Virginia, according to a new poll released Friday.

Clinton has a 43-point advantage over Obama, 66 percent to 23 percent, according to a new survey from the American Research Group.

The poll was conducted entirely after Tuesday's primary results, and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll suggests Clinton’s white, working class base seems to be holding firm for her — at least in West Virginia, where that demographic makes up a substantial portion of the Democratic electorate.

West Virginia, one of the six contests left in the Democratic presidential race, votes next Tuesday.

Filed under: Hillary Clinton


Posted: 05:15 PM ET

From

(CNN) — Barack Obama picked up another three more superdelegates Friday afternoon.

Hawaii Rep. Mazie Hirono, South Carolina Democratic Party Vice Chair Wilber Lee Jeffcoat, and New Mexico add on delegate Laurie Weahkee all announced they are backing the Illinois senator.

CNN has also confirmed five new superdelegates for Clinton, though they all endorsed the New York senator before the primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. The latest announcements for Obama narrow Clinton's lead in superdelegates to four. At the year's start, she led by more than 100 superdelegates.

(Updates with New Mexico superdelegate)

Filed under: Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 12:19 PM ET

From

(CNN) — Barack Obama picked up another superdelegate Friday, narrowing Hillary Clinton's advantage to three.

Democratic National Committee Member Ed Espinoza formally endorsed Obama, saying he has "the character to lead our great nation."

“I am endorsing Barack Obama today because throughout this process I have seen him show a judgment and character that we need in our next president," he said in a statement released by the campaign. "From day one he opposed the Iraq war and has a plan to end the war in a responsible way and bring our sons and daughters home."

Espinoza is a former supporter of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's presidential bid.

Filed under: Hillary Clinton


Posted: 12:10 PM ET

From
The RNC launched a new Web site Friday.
The RNC launched a new Web site Friday.

(CNN) — The Republican National Committee is stepping up its efforts against Barack Obama, launching a new Web site Friday that solicits voters to question the Illinois senator on issues "he has failed to address or refused to answer."

The site is encouraging both text and video submissions via YouTube. It also features a Web video suggesting certain questions to ask, including, "Why, as an Illinois state Senator, did he vote 'present' over 130 times instead of 'yes' or 'no' on difficult issues like abortion, crime, and guns?" and "Why did he tell donors in San Francisco that the economy has driven small town voters to 'cling' to guns and religion?"

Filed under: Barack Obama


Posted: 09:15 AM ET

From
 Sharpton says it's time for Clinton to quit.
Sharpton says it's time for Clinton to quit.

(CNN) – The Rev. Al Sharpton has some blunt words for Hillary Clinton: "It's over."

Speaking on NY 1 Thursday night, Sharpton said it is now impossible for the New York senator to win the White House "without the total destruction of the Democratic Party.

Sharpton also likened Clinton to an entertainer that doesn't know when to exit the stage.

"The worst thing in the world is when an entertainer doesn’t know when the show is over," he said. "The audience is gone, the lights are down, you’re getting ready to cut the mics off and you are still on the stage singing.

"It’s over, it’s all right, it’s over," he said. "Come sing another day, but this show is over, Senator Clinton."

Filed under: Hillary Clinton


Posted: 07:00 AM ET

From ,
 Obama met with several undecided superdelegates on Capitol Hill Thursday.
Obama met with several undecided superdelegates on Capitol Hill Thursday.

(CNN) — Barack Obama won two more superdelegate endorsements Thursday, narrowing his deficit with Hillary Clinton to seven.

North Carolina Rep. Brad Miller and Washington Rep. Rick Larsen both announced they will cast their superdelegate votes for the Illinois senator.

"The decision was not easy," Miller, a two-term congressman, said in a statement. "Senator Clinton has run an impressive campaign, and has spoken eloquently to the concerns to working and middle class American families. She is one of the great leaders of this generation.

"Senator Obama understands that he has the chance not just to win the election this year, but to be a great president," he added.

Miller's district, which includes Raleigh, overwhelmingly voted for Obama Tuesday, 63 percent to 35 percent.

Larsen, a three-term congressman whose district lies in the northwest area of Washington state, praised Obama as the "best candidate to turn our country's hopes for a better future into reality."

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton


May 8, 2008
Posted: 12:03 PM ET

From
 Clinton campaigned in Washington Thursday.
Clinton campaigned in Washington Thursday.

(CNN) — In what appear to be the New York senator's most blunt comments to date regarding a racial division in the Democratic presidential race, Hillary Clinton suggested Wednesday that "White Americans" are increasingly turning away from Barack Obama’s candidacy.

"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," Clinton said in an interview with USA TODAY.

Clinton cited an Associated Press poll "that found how Senator Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."

"There's a pattern emerging here," she said.

Exit polls from Tuesday's primaries in Indiana and North Carolina show Clinton won about 60 percent of the white vote in both states. That percentage is down from the Ohio primary on March 4, in which Clinton won upwards of 65 percent of the white vote. Meanwhile, Clinton garnered 63 percent of the white vote in Pennsylvania on April 22.

Speaking with the paper, Clinton rejected the notion her comments were racially divisive in any way.

"These are the people you have to win if you're a Democrat in sufficient numbers to actually win the election," she said. "Everybody knows that."

Obama spokesman Bill Burton called Clinton's statements "not true and frankly disappointing."

Filed under: Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 08:00 AM ET

From
 Limbaugh now wants Obama to be the Democratic nominee.
Limbaugh now wants Obama to be the Democratic nominee.

(CNN) – He has publicly urged Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton to keep the divisive Democratic nomination fight alive, but talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said Wednesday it's Barack Obama who he really wants to be the party's nominee.

"I now believe he would be the weakest of the Democrat nominees," Limbaugh, among the most powerful voices in conservative radio, said on his program. "I now urge the Democrat supereldegates to make your mind up and publicly go for Obama."

"Barack Obama has shown he cannot get the votes Democrats need to win – blue-collar, working class people," Limbaugh also said. "He can get effete snobs, he can get wealthy academics, he can get the young, and he can get the black vote, but Democrats do not win with that."

For months, Limbaugh has urged his listeners in states with open primaries to cross party lines and support Clinton in an effort he has dubbed "Operation Chaos." The conservative talk show host has said the Republican Party will benefit from a protracted Democratic race that grows more bruising by the week.

Full story

Filed under: Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • Rush Limbaugh


May 6, 2008
Posted: 11:00 PM ET

From
McCain is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
McCain is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

(CNN) — The action is clearly on the Democratic side, but Republicans also held primaries in Indiana and North Carolina Tuesday.

Despite being his party's presumptive nominee for nearly three months, roughly a quarter of Republicans in North Carolina and Indiana showed up to vote against the Arizona senator.

With nearly all precincts reporting, McCain won 74 percent of the vote in North Carolina. Mike Huckabee, who dropped out of the race two months ago, scored 12 percent. Ron Paul, who never quite officially ended his White House bid, registered 7 percent, and Mitt Romney got 5 percents.

The story was only slightly better for McCain in Indiana. There he scored 77 percent of the vote, while Huckabee registered 12 percent, and Paul garnered 7 percent. Nearly 5 percent of North Carolina voters said they did not have a preference.

McCain faced similar results in the Pennsylvania primary two weeks ago — the first contest after Huckabee officially dropped out of the race. There the party's presumptive presidential nominee won only 73 percent of the vote.

Is this a troubling sign for McCain, who has long faced resistance from the conservative wing of his party?

Not likely.

Then-Gov. George W. Bush faced similar results, though slightly better, in these three states long after he was the clear nominee in 2000. In North Carolina, he won 78 percent of the vote, in Indiana he got 81 percent, and in Pennsylvania he won 73 percent of the vote.

Filed under: John McCain


Posted: 06:58 PM ET

From

(CNN) – It's been a negative campaign and only gotten more negative as the campaign drags on.

But do voters blame either candidate for being more negative than the other? The answer is yes.

Voters in both states were asked if they thought either candidate has attacked his or her opponent unfairly.

In Indiana, 63 percent of Democratic voters said Clinton attacked Obama unfairly. That compares 43 percent who said Obama attacked unfairly.

In North Carolina, two-thirds of Democrats say Clinton attacked unfairly while 40 percent of Obama did.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 06:41 PM ET

From
 Voters cast their ballots in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Voters cast their ballots in Wilmington, North Carolina.

(CNN) — The red/blue divide in the country is now dividing the Democratic Party, as Hillary Clinton adopts more populist cultural values and supports the gas tax suspension that Republican John McCain also supports.

According to the exit polls in North Carolina, the more liberal the voter, the better Obama does. Obama easily carries liberal democrats, while he carries moderate Democrats more narrowly. Meanwhile Clinton wins among those Democrats who identified themselves as conservative. The same trend holds in Indiana.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 06:24 PM ET

From
Hillary Clinton takes a picture with supporters in Indiana.
Hillary Clinton takes a picture with supporters in Indiana.

(CNN) — Just how badly is the Democratic Party divided?

According to the exit polls, half of Clinton's supporters in Indiana would not vote for Obama in a general election match up with John McCain. A third of Clinton voters said they would pick McCain over Obama, while 17 percent said they would not vote at all. Just 48 percent of Clinton supporters said they would back Obama in November.

Obama gets even less support from Clinton backers in North Carolina. There, only 45 percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for Obama over McCain. Thirty-eight percent said they would vote for McCain while 12 percent said they would not vote.

Obama voters appear to be more willing to support Clinton in November. In Indiana, 59 percent of Obama backers said they'd vote for Clinton, and 70 percent of Obama backers in North Carolina said they'd support the New York Democrat.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 06:13 PM ET

From
 Rev. Jeremiah Wright addressed the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
Rev. Jeremiah Wright addressed the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

(CNN) – The Rev. Jeremiah Wright's reemergence as a campaign issue appears to have played some effect on tonight's contests, the newly released exit polls show.

In Indiana, 48 percent of Democrats who voted in the primary said Wright was an important factor in their vote while 49 percent said it was not. Those voters who said Wright was an issue overwhelmingly voted for Clinton while those who did not supported Obama by large margins.

The same is true in North Carolina. There 48 percent of Democrats said Wright affect their vote while 50 percent did not.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 06:04 PM ET

From
Exit polls suggest Barack Obama is doing well in Indiana and North Carolina among African Americans.
Exit polls suggest Barack Obama is doing well in Indiana and North Carolina among African Americans.

(CNN) – Clinton's support among African-American voters appears to be dropping, according to new exit polls from both states.

In Indiana where African-Americans made up 14 percent of the voters, Obama won 92 percent of that demographic while Clinton only got 8 percent. That compares to 13 percent of the African-American vote Clinton won in Ohio and the 10 percent she received in Pennsylvania two weeks ago.

Clinton's African-American support was even less in North Carolina. There Obama received 91 percent while the New York senator only received 6 percent. (Related video: Clinton and the black vote)

Compared another southern state, the state of Georgia which voted on Super Tuesday, Clinton got 11 percent of the African American vote.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 05:51 PM ET

From
Voters in Indiana identified the economy as the number one issue.
Voters in Indiana identified the economy as the number one issue.

(CNN) — As in other states, the economy is the No. 1 issue in Indiana, just-released exit polls show.

Nearly two-thirds of voters say the economy is the most pressing issue. That compares to 19 percent that say Iraq is the top issue and just 13 percent who name healthcare as the most important.

And the economy is definitely affecting their vote.

Democratic voters who say the economy has affected them, Hillary Clinton leads, 53 percent to 46 percent. Among those democrats who say the economic woes have not affected them very much, Barack Obama leads 54 percent to 46 percent.

Filed under: Barack Obama • Exit Polls • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 03:51 PM ET

From
Gore's endorsement could shake up the presidential race.
Gore's endorsement could shake up the presidential race.

(CNN) — It's an endorsement that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would love to score, but Al Gore has remained firmly neutral — even as the Democratic presidential race drags on months longer than expected.

Many have speculated why Gore, one of the party's most popular figures, has decided to stay on the fence, but the former vice president said Tuesday the reason is really quite simple — and he still may yet come out for a candidate.

"My purpose in not endorsing a candidate is nothing elaborate," he told National Public Radio. “I’m simply watching and listening to the campaign. As a delegate to the convention I will cast my vote at the proper time. I haven’t ruled out making an endorsement prior to that time, but I haven’t been moved to do so.”

Gore added, "I have respect for both candidates, they both have strengths, and I’m simply listening and watching like a lot of people."

The party's 2000 presidential candidate is easily the most sought after remaining undecided superdelegate and his is perhaps one of the few remaining endorsements that could significantly alter the state of the race. But several political observers have suggested Gore is remaining neutral should he be called in to play the role of "party elder" and forge a compromise between the two candidates.

"I don't like that phrase party elder," Gore said of that suggestion. "I am not anxious to be playing that role. I just turned 60, which is the new 59. I am just a voter, and a recovering politician, and watching it carefully. (TIME.com: Is Al Gore the Answer?)

"I don't know if that role really exists," Gore added. “I think the odds are overwhelming that it will tip rather decisively in one direction or another before the convention even meets.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Al Gore • Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 12:40 PM ET

From
John and Elizabeth Edwards appear torn on the Democratic candidates.
John and Elizabeth Edwards appear torn on the Democratic candidates.

(CNN) — Need more evidence John and Elizabeth Edwards are torn on who to endorse in the Democratic presidential election?

In an interview with People Magazine, their first joint interview since John Edwards bowed out of the presidential race in January, the Democratic power couple sound off on what they like — and dislike — about both remaining Democratic hopefuls.

When it comes to Hillary Clinton, John Edwards praised the New York Democrat for her tenacity, saying she "shows a real strength that's inside of her." But the former North Carolina senator also said Clinton represents a "lot of the old politics."

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Edwards said she is a strong proponent of Clinton's healthcare plan, though is disappointed the New York senator accepts donations from lobbyists.

As for Barack Obama, John Edwards said he wants to "see more substance under the rhetoric." But he gave Obama praise for wanting to "bring about serious change and a different way of doing things."

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton


Posted: 10:05 AM ET

From
CNN

Watch clips from John McCain's speech Tuesday.

(CNN) – Sen. John McCain moved to shore up his support among conservatives by pledging Tuesday to nominate strict-constructionist judges to the federal bench.

"It will fall to the next president to nominate hundreds of qualified men and women to the federal courts, and the choices we make will reach far into the future," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said during a speech at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

"My two prospective opponents and I have very different ideas about the nature and proper exercise of judicial power," he said, referring to Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. "We would nominate judges of a different kind, a different caliber, a different understanding of judicial authority and its limits."

Many conservative members are suspect of McCain on the issue of judges because of his involvement in 2006 in the so-called Senate "gang of 14." That bipartisan group of senators sought to reach a consensus on President Bush's judicial appointees, blocking some of the president's most conservative nominations while promising to confirm others.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: John McCain


Posted: 08:22 AM ET

From
Republican Woody Jenkins lost a Louisiana House race considered a bellwether for November.
Republican Woody Jenkins lost a Louisiana House race considered a bellwether for November.

(CNN) – A Democratic victory in a special election for a conservative Louisiana district's congressional seat flew largely under the radar over the weekend as the party's protracted presidential race continued to dominate the headlines.

But for those charged with keeping the party's majority in the House, the victory was a powerful bellwether of what to expect six months from now when Republicans will be forced to defend 26 seats vacated by retiring members, along with a slew of other vulnerable seats.

State lawmaker Don Cazayoux defeated conservative Woody Jenkins 49 percent to 46 percent in the state's 6th Congressional District, which had been under Republican control since 1974.

Full story

Filed under: Congress


Posted: 06:32 AM ET

From
Clinton is out with a last-minute campaign ad in Indiana.
Clinton is out with a last-minute campaign ad in Indiana.

(CNN) – Hoping the proposal to suspend the gas tax will resonate with working class voters in Indiana and North Carolina, the Clinton campaign launched a last-minute ad in those states Monday that sharply attacks rival Barack Obama for not supporting the measure.

"What has happened to Barack Obama?" an announcer states in the new 30 second spot, among the campaign's most bruising to date.

"He is attacking Hillary’s plan to give you a break on gas prices because he doesn’t have one," the ad's announcer also says.

The ad comes on the heels of a weekend marked by heated back-and-forth between both campaigns over the issue. Obama's campaign launched an ad Sunday that called Clinton's proposal to suspend the gas tax a "classic Washington gimmick" and argues that oil companies will keep the extra proceeds from the suspension of the gas tax and will not pass the savings onto drivers.

The Clinton campaign countered that Obama is siding with the oil companies over hard working voters increasingly pinched by the price of gas.

UPDATE: Barack Obama's campaign released a response ad Monday afternoon that charges Clinton with offering "More of the same old negative politics."

“A war that should never have been waged. An economy in turmoil. Record prices at the pump. America held hostage to foreign oil," the ad's announcer states.

“Her hometown newspaper says she's taking the low road - her attacks do nothing but harm," the announcer also says. “The same old Washington politics won't fix our problems. We need honest answers… And a president we can trust."

Filed under: Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton



subscribe RSS Icon
About The Ticker

The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team, with campaign coverage, 24-7. Sign up for our twice daily Ticker emails. Got a news tip or feedback? For complete political coverage, bookmark CNNPolitics.com.

Categories
CNN Comment Policy: CNN encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. Please note that CNN makes reasonable efforts to review all comments prior to posting and CNN may edit comments for clarity or to keep out questionable or off-topic material. All comments should be relevant to the post and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNN the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying information via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNN Privacy Statement.
Home  |  World  |  U.S.  |  Politics  |  Entertainment  |  Health  |  Tech  |  Travel  |  Living  |  Business  |  Sports  |  Time.com
Podcasts  |  Blogs  |  CNN Mobile  |  Preferences |  Email Alerts  |  CNN Radio  |  CNN Shop  |  Site Map
© 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by WordPress.com