Clinton, Romney Win Nevada Caucuses
Hillary Clinton cheers with hotel workers during a campaign stop at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on caucus day in Las Vegas Saturday. (AP Photo)
Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney took home wins in the Nevada caucuses Saturday, both racking up a greater number of votes than their opponents combined.
With 98 percent of Democratic precincts reporting, Clinton had 51 percent and Obama had 45 percent. John Edwards had 4 percent.
On the Republican side, with 100 percent of caucus sites reporting, Romney had 51 percent followed by Ron Paul, who made his strongest showing yet with 14 percent. John McCain took in 13 percent, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson took in 8 percent, Rudy Giuliani took in 4 percent and Duncan Hunter took in 2 percent.
It was not immediately clear what impact the Nevada win would have on Romney’s campaign. Interest was low among the GOP candidates, but Romney made a last-minute push in the state, and in a race with no clear front-runner he’s defended his against-the-grain strategy, saying he could stomach a loss in South Carolina, which voted on the same day. He came in fourth in the first-in-the-South primary.
Romney cast his campaign as a quest for convention delegates, a race that he is currently winning and which relied in part on grabbing a good portion of Nevada’s delegates. He took 17 of the 31 available delegates there, The Associated Press projected.
The former Massachusetts governor was one of the few Republicans with any campaign presence in the state. Paul also aired television ads in Nevada. Romney heard about his victory while on a plane to Florida.
“I’m not looking just to get a couple high-profile victories; I want to get delegates and I want to win this nomination,” he said.
Democrats focused on Nevada much more heavily.
FOX News exit polls showed Clinton won with big leads among female, senior, Hispanic voters and union members in the state. Polls showed 52 percent of women, 61 percent of seniors and 64 percent of Hispanics voted for the New York senator, whose victory in New Hampshire was achieved on the backs of some of the same voting groups.
“We had a great campaign here,” Clinton said after winning Nevada. “And I am particularly gratified that the people of Nevada have given us such a positive send-off. This is one step on a long journey throughout the country …”
Clinton captured the popular vote overall, but Obama appeared to edge her out for national convention delegates at stake, taking 13 to her 12. The state’s Democratic Party released a statement later saying those delegate counts could change as national convention delegates have not yet been directly awarded.
“Just like in Iowa what was awarded today were delegates to the County Convention. No national convention delegates were awarded. The calculations of national convention delegates being circulated are based upon an assumption that delegate preferences will remain the same between now and April 2008. We look forward to our county and state conventions where we will choose the delegates for the nominee that Nevadans support,” said party chairwoman Jill Derby.
Obama won the lead-off Iowa caucuses Jan. 3, and Clinton followed that with a victory on Jan. 8 in New Hampshire. The Democratic candidates next face off in South Carolina, where polls show Obama has an edge ahead of the state’s Jan. 26 primary.
Seeing a tight race, the Democratic Nevada campaign had heated up in recent days. Accusations of dirty tricks flew on all sides, and Obama’s rivals stepped up criticism of him for questionable tactics allegedly being carried out by his union supporters.
Bill Clinton repeated charges Saturday that Obama’s supporters — which include the powerful Culinary Workers Union — were using voter intimidation to rack up pledges for the Illinois senator.
Clinton told FOX News that eight caucus-goers he knows of on The Strip were told they could only register for Obama. He said only when he intervened were they allowed to caucus for Hillary Clinton.
“I think all the votes should count the same,” the former president said, decrying the caucus rules that were in place Saturday.
A recent federal court decision permitted nine at-large caucus sites for hotel and casino workers on the Las Vegas Strip — immediately following the decision a union supporting Obama began running a Spanish-language radio ad blasting Clinton’s supporters for backing the lawsuit that tried to block the caucus sites. The Clinton campaign hammered Obama for not denouncing the radio ads. Edwards did the same.
The Clinton campaign issued a lengthy statement Saturday afternoon saying it “won a huge victory by overcoming institutional hurdles and one of the worst negative ads in recent memory … our campaign also received numerous reports of strong-arm tactics designed to discourage our voters from caucusing.”
The Obama campaign circulated a memo ahead of the Nevada returns saying a win there would be a “significant upset,” and claiming the allegations of voter suppression were “outrageous.”
“The conduct of the Clinton campaign in recent weeks essentially makes the case for why we need Barack Obama — it’s the same old-style say anything or do anything to win, divisive attacks that have prevented progress in this country for so long,” the memo said.
Obama’s camp also said its backers were receiving telephone calls that made repeated reference to “Barack Hussein Obama.” And the campaign claimed more than 200 separate incidents of “trouble” at caucus sites, where allegedly doors were closed up to 30 minutes early and registration forms ran out so that people were turned away. More than 114,000 voters were estimated to have caucused to choose the roughly 10,000 delegates to the state convention.
Having finished a distant third, Edwards pledged to stay in the race.
“This is one of those times that I hope the old saying ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ turns out to be true. We’ll find out,” he said in Greenville, S.C. “”I am not finished with this fight. I am dead in it.”
Republican caucus-goers were much fewer, with roughly 35,000 voters meeting. Many of the voters said they were most concerned about the economy. Much as he did in Michigan, which he also won, Romney campaigned on the economy in Nevada. A day after President Bush called for a stimulus package worth up to $150 billion, Romney issued a plan of his own calling for $230 billion in tax cuts — it included a reduction in the lowest income tax bracket, tax cuts for working seniors and tax-free savings for the middle class.
The campaign released a statement Saturday claiming the Nevada win helps solidify his status as a change candidate.
“Today, the people of Nevada voted for change in Washington. For far too long, our leaders have promised to take the action necessary to build a stronger America, and still the people of Nevada and all across this country are waiting. Whether it is reforming health care, making America energy independent or securing the border, the American people have been promised much and are now ready for change,” he said.
Though earlier polls showed Romney had only a moderate lead going into Nevada, exit polls showed Mormons also contributed to Romney’s landslide.
Romney is a Mormon, and about one-quarter of Nevada voters share his faith. Exit polls showed nearly all Mormons voted for Romney in Saturday’s caucuses.
Campaigning in Columbia, S.C., Thompson teased Romney when he heard the news of his Nevada victory.
“Imagine that! Glad he could pull one out,” Thompson said.
FOX News’ Steve Brown, Aaron Bruns and Shushannah Walshe and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
As a Jewess in the US, I TOTALLY support Ron Paul!
RON PAUL VS. BARACK OBAMA - The only thing that would convince me that American held a free and fair election.
Thank you for blacking out the honorable Congressman Dr. Ron Paul from your news coverage even though he came in second in the state of Nevada and actually has more support than Hillary Clinton in that state. It has inspired me to send money to his campaign as well as work for him and encourage others to do the same.
Democrats and independents who want to vote for Hillary Clinton take heed. EVEN KARL ROVE IS SUPPORTING HILLARY CLINTON and why? The Republicans believe defeating Hillary Clinton will be easy. More than half the country already despises her and now she has managed to divide the Democratic Party with her “leadership skills” to the point of being so divisive that half the Democratic Party will not vote for her if she tragically becomes the nominee. You may as well select a Republican because a vote for Hillary Clinton will ensure a Republican victory.
its simply amazing how they are leaving Ron Paul out of the media, how could the American people even consider trading a small stimulus package that will be temporary and only affect a few people for eliminating the IRS and putting more than a trillion back into all of our pockets, you can see very clear that those puppets are just blowing smoke up your tail end.
Look at the economy, no really, look at our economy, do you really think all we need are stimulants.we need total change.and thats Ron Paul
Remember Whitwater, shady investments returning impossibly profits, Fostergate, travel gate, lost documents, improper use of the FBI for personal reasons, illegal campaign contributors, illegal lobbying contributions by foreigners (especially the Bank Lippo family from Indonesia), and etc.? Do we want a return of the cronyism, coercion, lies, corruption, and shady personal deals that Hillary was involved in during the years that her husband held the presidency? Do we want change so badly that we accept the phony credentials of someone whose changes consist primarily of radically changing their policy position from day to day? Do we want a president that could break down in tears if things didn’t go her way when dealing with our adversaries?
Common sense screams, VOTE FOR ANYBODY BUT HILLARY
Obama got more delegates than Hillary. How can Hillary clain victory? Dishonesty is her trademark.
I think that we are in for some real trouble if we let Hillary and the socialist democrats get control of the country. I am a loyal American and I stand with the beliefs and moral convictions that made this nation great. We are one nation united under God, not one nation without God divided by diversity celebrating extreme social decadence and depravity. Mrs Clinton has such a shady political past with more scandals and questionable decisions than almost anyone. The thought of the Clintons in the white house again is sickening, not to mention the tax dollars to refurnish the white house after they leave again. Mitt Romney is the man with his act together. We need to get behind him and be decisive. He is the only one to be married to one wife, with no known history of moral indescretion. He is one of the rare candidates who will give you a straight answer and say what his plan actually is. With him there is no run around and well what do you want to hear sort of answers. Yes there is the question that he has changed his mind on key conservative issues. I think that is ok with me. He has seen the light so to speak in my mind, and I believe his reasons for change are genuine. He has a plan to get this country back into a strong economy, protect it’s borders, and get our jobs back in the US. Lets make this country great again.
On Crime and Punishment!
The pacifistic view is the vegetarian way of life, do no harm. No discipline and no consequences.
Grow free with no restrictions and no consequences. Indeed there are alternatives to the youth and gang’s in Briton and the U.S. There should be and are severe consequences in the USA for Murder and other Violent Crime Offenders.
I don’t know how the justice system works in the U.K.
but it is probably more convoluted than our system!
From, what history I can judge it by. In the USA!
But the Justice system On this Side of the Pond,
Is broken. By the ACLU and their Communistic Value system.
They Started their Existence as THE COMMUNIST WORKERS PARTY. Then changed their Name after the Black listing in, Hollowood. And, the McCarthyism in the Fifties.
The Manchurian candidate for the mole in the white house was just a Movie?
Today I do believe it is a Real and Present Danger!
The former President of the USA was a anti-war Protester in Russia in during the Viet Nam War!
So were many of the Congressmen and women in the Senate today were also anti-war protesters.
I am talking about Real and present Members of the US administration Today, Who Are running for the Office?
Who was a former holder of that Office?
Hillary and Bill Clinton!
Now we are supposed to be impressed?
With all the Anti-War rhetoric?
And the Public has no real choice? Nor, Voice due to the media and G. Soros, Propaganda machine, not to mention the Chicago Style Political Machinations, That went on in Nevada with the UNIONS?
IT”S Time to Wake Up and Smell the Foul odour, coming out of this presidential candidate and the former Prez. Too!
With No Plan for the Security of the Borders and No plan for the success of the War on Terror, except, To, RE-BURY our heads in the Sand!
Then maybe they will all go away?
Appeasement, at any price is too much I say!
The Cost in Real treasure, of this Country isn’t the Monetary cost!
But The Lives and Security of the Armed Services and those in harms way for the Defense of this Nation! They, Are being held Hostage by this Congress and, the Democratic Party Leader in congress for Purely, Partisan Reasons.
If there is a Hope for the Unity and the continued safety of our combined values in the US and UK and the rest of the Western Free Nations Coalition can be Held in High Esteam! Really and not held in constant Contempt by this type of complacency, and complicity! We can send a message to the youth and the nations, and will win the war on terror!
And the criminal elements that terrorise our cities, and countries and hold our nations in contempt for trying to defend ourselves?
Is there a CHOICE out there that cares for the Safety and security of this country?
Over the Political Ex-Presidents second chance to occupy the White House?
Or the, this: and Everything is All Bush’s Fault Lobby and Crybaby Congress and Senate?
I sincerely Hope for this Nations Sake there is One Presidential Candidate Out there that does care. I believe that one is: Fred Thompson.
For the sake of the national honour and sanity in the White House, He stays in the Presidential Race.
THE GREEN MOUNTAIN BOY’S FROM:
THE LOST STATE OF FRANKLIN SUPPORT YOU AND OUR TROOPS!
RUN THE RACE FRED. THE MEDIA DOES NOT CONTROL THE VOTE!
THEY DON WANT YOU THERE BECAUSE YOU WILL DO THE JOB THAT IS REQUIRED, NOT PACIFY THE CONGRESS WITH MORE PORK AND SMOKE AND MIRRORS TO HIDE THEIR CULPABILITY AND FOR THEIR ACTIONS!
Throw the Carpetbaggers Out! Get some Clarity in the White House!
GOP, GO!………………………………………………………..FRED, GO!
Time to Make a Stand! Time to re-take back the Land!
It’s Not O’pra till the Fat Lady shut’s UP!
I worship in a Baptist church, but the only person, in my estimation, to run this country is Mitt Romney. When everyone else talked about fixing health care, Romney did something about it in Massachusetts; when others talked about cutting taxes, Romney did it in a State controlled by Democrats; when Romney realized his position on abortion was wrong, he admitted it and fought off every attempt to expand on it; when others asked their state regulators to issue drivers licenses to illegals, Romney turned down the attempts—-and the list goes on. We need a person with business success and his background in business far surpasses any other candidate. He will not talk about sealing the Borders, he will actually use the law passed to build the fence before the Democratic controlled Congress ’steals’ the allocation of funds for other purposes. Yes, this 76 year old Air Force Veteran voted for Mitt Romney.