Leading presidential candidate to clinch nomination Tuesday
April 3rd, 2012
05:00 PM ET
11 years ago

Leading presidential candidate to clinch nomination Tuesday

Washington (CNN) - As the four remaining Republican presidential candidates battle for delegates in Tuesday night's primaries, the man they hope to unseat in November – President Barack Obama – will quietly clinch his party's nomination for a second term as the polls close in Maryland and the District of Columbia at 8:00 p.m.

Like his Republican counterparts, President Obama has been competing in primaries and caucuses this year and picking up delegates along the way. Unlike the Republicans, Obama faces no serious opposition in his quest for renomination.

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According to CNN's delegate estimate, the president has 2,735 of the 2,778 delegates needed to secure his party's nod. He is expected to win most or all of the 119 delegates at stake in Maryland and D.C., as well as the 100 delegates at stake in Wisconsin later in the evening.

The milestone comes just shy of the one year anniversary of the president's re-election announcement on April 4, 2011. The last incumbent president running for re-election, Republican George W. Bush, clinched the 2004 GOP nomination on March 9 in a nomination season that was more heavily front-loaded than in 2012.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney is expected to reach a campaign milestone of his own. If he wins just one delegate in any of Tuesday's contests, he will reach the half-way mark in the GOP race for delegates. The former Massachusetts governor currently has 571 of the 1,144 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination.

- CNN's Adam Levy and Dan Merica contributed to this report.

Also see:

Romney smiles at Obama's 'judicial activism' charge

Spring forward: Santorum looks to May, not April

Obama campaign takes out new ad, attacks Romney

Obama cuts Republicans 'some slack,' defends health care law


Filed under: 2012 • President Obama
soundoff (19 Responses)
  1. Obama Doubling down on Socialism

    A very weak candidate indeed. Hillary should have challenged him but she messed up by getting sucked into this failed administration.

    April 3, 2012 05:04 pm at 5:04 pm |
  2. Tyrell Aagard

    It's ridiculous, exaggerated, and pious headlines like this that turns me away from CNN. What's so hard about reporting something as simple as "Obama to clinch Democratic Nomination?" Instead, we get this overblown crap that's designed to draw in page views rather than actually share worthwhile news.

    April 3, 2012 05:09 pm at 5:09 pm |
  3. Dave

    I have been putting 1 & 1 toghether fo quite a long tim with Gov O Malley & Mr Pez. Gov Malley will endorse MR Prez in a few days. I always known that my great Gov of the state of Md has EVERYTHING that it takes to hold the highest Office in this great land. If Secretary of Stae Clinton does run I am 100 % sure that it will be Gov O Malley by her side. If she doesnt I am 100 % sure Gov O Malley will be the Nominee. He is sharp, patient, diplomatic, tempermental, Bold, Honest, Blue Collar background, & been in the Game of Politics for a long time, by the way, thats not a bad thing when it comes to Him & knowing how to deal with the other side. These guys Martin & The Prez are true friends. Very much 100 % the oppisite of doom & gloom R & R team.

    April 3, 2012 05:20 pm at 5:20 pm |
  4. Dave

    PREZ Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, Go Mr PREZ against this SEVERLY MARVELOUS man!!

    April 3, 2012 05:28 pm at 5:28 pm |
  5. Wire Palladin, S. F.

    I swear that right wingnuts will complain about our president no matter what.

    April 3, 2012 05:28 pm at 5:28 pm |
  6. Myviewis

    Seriously, the Democrats are not going to permit anyone else to run for president. Obama has always had the delegates needed to secure himself as candidate, to me this is just a show the Democrats put on to satisfy the people. This whole thing was already worked out behind close doors. Who do they think they are fooling? And this think with Hilary Clinton is just to distract and satisfy those that were upset at Clinton when she gave up her run for president. It's all a show. The way I see it is Democrat people are controlled by other democrats, more like bullied. What is sad is that so many Democrats buy into this show, unlike Republicans and Independants who question everything, argue among each other, fight and will go somewhere else if not satisfied.

    April 3, 2012 05:31 pm at 5:31 pm |
  7. The REAL TRUTH...

    @Myviewis – "The way I see it is Democrat people are controlled by other democrats, more like bullied. What is sad is that so many Democrats buy into this show, unlike Republicans and Independants who question everything, argue among each other, fight and will go somewhere else if not satisfied."
    ---------------------------------–
    The way I see it is Republican people are controlled by other republicans, more like bullied. What is sad is that so many Republicans buy into this show, unlike Democrats and Independants who question everything, argue among each other, fight and will go somewhere else if not satisfied.
    Got a nice ring to it, doesn't it. If the cap fits... ?

    April 3, 2012 05:36 pm at 5:36 pm |
  8. Obama Doubling down on Socialism

    Obama faces no serious opposition in his quest for renomination.
    =====================================================
    Isn't this true of all socialist/leftist dictators???

    April 3, 2012 05:39 pm at 5:39 pm |
  9. kayla

    YOU GO MR. PRESIDENT
    OBAMA 2012

    April 3, 2012 05:48 pm at 5:48 pm |
  10. Myviewis

    @The Real Truth – Grow up, who are you fooling? Everyone knows Republicans and Indepedents fight like dogs, don't get intimidated or bullied. Please, having you learned this by now after watching Romney, Santorum, Gingrich going at it and the Republican people telling them off, yelling, arguing, questioning everything, researching everything. Come on, Republicans and Independents fear not to tell each other off. Democrats are followers not fighters among themselves and are always creating excuses for their party members, always blaming someone else, stick together like glue, no independent thinking, more like a collective.

    April 3, 2012 05:57 pm at 5:57 pm |
  11. The REAL TRUTH...

    @Obama Doubling down on Socialism – "Isn't this true of all socialist/leftist dictators???"
    ------------------------------
    You are good for a laugh.. hilarious.
    So who was it that ran against Bush 43 right before his 2nd term? I don't quite recall.
    Oh right, no contenders, so he quietly accepted the GOP nomination.
    Yawn, this is so spoutrageous!

    April 3, 2012 06:00 pm at 6:00 pm |
  12. 60's survivor

    Obama/Biden 2012. All those rattling the socialist crap. Please get a life'

    April 3, 2012 06:14 pm at 6:14 pm |
  13. Larry in Houston

    yep – Hillary messed up, alright – that's why she's not campaigning for him, same way w/ Oprah – she's not campaigning either, but she is voting for him, same as hillary is. Hillary should run in 2016 – Obama gets tips & advice from Biden – why can't Hillary get tips & advice from her husband, who had an excellent record, such as we had a "Surplus" when he got out, and when Bush ran this country into the ground. I'm sure people will remember that forever. ( can't blame them, to be perfectly honest)

    April 3, 2012 06:18 pm at 6:18 pm |
  14. Obama Doubling down on Socialism

    Larry in Houston - yep – Hillary messed up, alright – that's why she's not campaigning for him, same way w/ Oprah – she's not campaigning either, but she is voting for him, same as hillary is
    ====================================================================================================
    Yeah, I think Hillary and Oprah are busy doing laundry the next 8 months! Yeah, that's the ticket busy walking the dog. Not so sublte messages that say "I got taken last time but not this time."

    And as for voting, nobody else is there in the voting booth so you have NO idea who they will vote for. But if they are voting for a prosperous USA, they will be voting for Romney. Four more years of Obama and even Oprah will be declaring bankruptcy!

    April 3, 2012 06:34 pm at 6:34 pm |
  15. Another Day in the Idiot Mines

    "Please, having you learned this by now after watching Romney, Santorum, Gingrich going at it and the Republican people telling them off, yelling, arguing, questioning everything, researching everything."

    Huh? What alternate reality are you living in? What kind of "research" are your claiming the cult members are doing? And yelling is not a sign of anything positive, it's just the GOBP's default method of communication. As for your flaccid field of clown car candidates, there has been no debate on policy, only personal attacks on each other and the President. If the GOBP was serious about being an open tent, why hasn't a single candidate supported the three quarters of voters who want a millionaire tax? In the past, there were Republicans who understood and acknowledged such voters. Now, not so much.

    April 3, 2012 06:35 pm at 6:35 pm |
  16. Another Day in the Idiot Mines

    "unlike Republicans and Independants who question everything, argue among each other, fight and will go somewhere else if not satisfied."

    Really? It sure would be nice if you had any evidence to support that remarkable claim. The only folks we so going "somewhere else" are all the non-rich white male and the non-racists the GOBP has alienated. And the primary right now is four flaccid clown car candidates who march in lockstep to worship Ayn Rand's failed cult policies while the party elites tell the rank and file voters to shut up as they ram Rmoney down their throats. Yeah, that's a real bunch of rebels ya got there on the right.

    April 3, 2012 06:36 pm at 6:36 pm |
  17. VA VERY Ex Republican

    @The Truth:

    I sincerely appreciate your civilized response to my comment earlier. I guess I misspoke (What can you do, an old republican habit I cannot seem to be able to get rid of). What I wanted to say is even though I as a right wingnut DO support any and every action taken by the This POTUS (Not the former idiot) against terrorism. It is OK to be a right wingnut on things that you truly believe in way deep in your heart like social and fiscal issues and if that makes me a right wingnut then so be it. At the end of the day, we all have to agree that it is OK to be a right wing as long as you use your brain and act and vote based on what’s in the best interest of the country and not what’s in the best interest of the party. That’s why I am against the GOP, and will never be one again. Those guys could careless about the country, or us the people, or our safety when we travel overseas because of the hate and the irresponsible speeches they give and the lies the spread and the ignorance of some people they grossly take advantage of. I respect your comments and I thought to clarify mine.

    Respectfully

    April 3, 2012 06:46 pm at 6:46 pm |
  18. Holla

    GOPTP the game isn't turning on their side. This's too bad for them.

    April 3, 2012 07:16 pm at 7:16 pm |
  19. WashBeezy

    Really? They aren't embarrassed of him yet? They are really going to give him another chance? I figured everyone who voted for him in 08 would be ashamed of themselves and not do it again. But I guess there are still some Americans who believe his lies.

    April 3, 2012 08:29 pm at 8:29 pm |