Obama Scores Sweep: Wins Maryland, DC and Virginia Primaries

Posted by Adam Howard, AlterNet at 4:04 PM on February 12, 2008.

I thought this observation from Chris Bowers was worth re-posting in its entirety:

Update 4--Obama takes clear popular lead: I can now project that after tonight, Barack Obama will be ahead of Hillary Clinton in pledged delegates even with Florida and Michigan included, and even with Obama receiving zero delegates from Michigan. He will also probably pass Clinton even in the popular vote count most favorable to her. Obama is now clearly the new leader in the nomination campaign, but Wisconsin looms next week.

That is HUGE news.

DC (89% in) Obama 76% Clinton 24%
Maryland (10% in) Obama 62% Clinton 35%
Virginia (98% in) Obama 64% Clinton 36%

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MSNBC and CNN both project big victories for Obama and McCain in Maryland

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Via Open Left, Obama takes the lead in CNN's delegate count, 1,170 to 1,168. That lead will increase throughout the evening. Meanwhile, Hillary's deputy campaign manager Mike Henry (infamous for encouraging her to skip Iowa) has stepped down tonight.

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CNN reports that with 62% of the precincts in, McCain will edge out Huckabee in the GOP race. Right now it's 47% to 44%, much closer than the polls and pundits predicted. Looks like McCain is still meeting tremendous resistance for a presumptive nominee.

Meanwhile, with 63% precincts reporting in Virginia, Obama has maintained a commanding lead in his Virginia win, 62% to Hillarys 37%.

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With 0% reporting Obama wins DC according to MSNBC, looks to be another landslide. With 45% reporting in Virginia, Obama leads 61% to 38%.

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The latest info via GottaLaff:

Potomac Primaries picked a peck of pickled peppers. Oh, wait. No. Sorry. Consider this an open thread and a catch-all post for updates and primary results.

Tweety says John McCain is fighting for his life in Virginia... buyer's remorse. Oh dear. McPain is in trouble. "Conservative contempt"... tsk, tsk, tsk.

More updates coming...

UPDATE: Timmy Russert: Obama is broadening coalitions. He won the under $50,000 voters 59-40%. Independents 66-33%. Republicans, 70-26% (they made up 8% of voters). He's broken through, per Tim. "Obamicans" exist.

Also, Hillary will have to win the large states by bigger margins to make up the number of delegates that he's now accumulating. The headlines will hurt Hillary, as well, he says.

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UPDATE:

Maryland:

Dems... 55% white, 37% black.

54% Protestant, 22% Catholic, 3% Jewish.

Union: 27%, 73% not.

Change: 58% for it, 22% for experience, 10% electability, 8% cares about me.

Voting HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 9:30 PM IN MARYLAND due to bad weather.

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UPDATE: 2% reporting in Virginia, Obama 58% Clinton 41%

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With 0% reporting, MSNBC has called Virginia for Obama. Which suggests this might be another blowout on par with South Carolina, Nebraska, Louisiana and Maine. That's one to go for tonight, with Maryland and DC up next...that was quick.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama was projected to add to his string of recent victories with a substantial triumph over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Virginia’s Democratic presidential primary, NBC News reported Tuesday.

In the Republican primary, NBC said the race between Sen. John McCain and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was too close to call.

Virginia was expected to be the only one of today's three contests that could possibly have been competitive. Looks like Obama could be looking at eight straight victories in less than a week. More from MSNBC:

In polling place interviews, more than eight in 10 voters in Virginia and Maryland said the country is ready to elect either a black or a woman to the White House.

Blacks made up more than a third of the Democratic electorate in Maryland, slightly less in Virginia. Obama, hoping to become the first black president, has consistently polled over 80 percent among African-American voters in primaries this year.

The surveys were conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for NBC News, the other television networks and The Associated Press. No survey was conducted in the District of Columbia.

According to GottaLaff, Obama won the white male vote (his highest showing in the South so far) but lost the white vote overall to Hillary 51% to 48%. He also won 90% of the Black vote.

Tagged as: race, democrats, clinton, obama, mccain, dc, huckabee, maryland, virginia

Adam Howard is the editor of PEEK.