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Obama Surges, Hillary Tears Up As Super Tuesday Looms
Monday, February 4, 2008
A surging Barack Obama revved up for the historic "Super Tuesday" national
nominating showdown by wiping out White House foe Hillary Clinton's
once-gaping opinion poll leads.
Republican John McCain meanwhile refused to take surveys showing him headed
for a comfortable victory in the 24-state voting marathon for granted, as
top rival Mitt Romney tried to enlist conservatives in a late blocking
maneuver.
Clinton, worn down by sleepless nights and days on the campaign trail, wiped
a tear from her eye Monday as she visited Yale University, where her
political journey started as an earnest 1970s student in bell-bottom pants.
"Well I said I would not tear up, already we are not exactly on the path,"
said Clinton, 60, in an emotional moment, as she battled Obama for votes in
the northeastern states of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Obama, 46, rocked a high-octane rally in New Jersey, a Clinton stronghold
where he is increasingly competitive, showing few signs of fatigue and
accusing his rival of being derisive about his soaring calls for change.
"If you will stand with me New Jersey, tomorrow, if you will vote for me, if
you will cast off the fear and the doubt and the cynicism .... we will not
just win in New Jersey, we will win all across this nation on Tuesday," said
Obama, introduced to a 4,500 strong crowd by Hollywood icon Robert De Niro.
The cliffhanger Democratic race contrasted with signs that McCain would all
but settle the Republican nominating fight Tuesday, to complete one of the
most staggering comebacks in recent US political history.
"I'm guardedly optimistic," the Arizona senator told reporters in
Massachusetts, the home state of his top rival Mitt Romney.
A USA Today poll gave McCain a 42 percent to 24 percent lead over Romney,
with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on 18 percent.
But Romney refused to admit defeat. "This is going to come down to a real
battle and I think I'm going to win it," he said at a campaign stop in
Nashville, Tennessee on Monday.
"Super Tuesday" states account for more than half the Democratic delegates
and almost half of Republican delegates at party conventions in August and
September, which formally nominate candidates for November's general
election.
There are 22 Democratic contests and 21 on the Republican side, with 19
states hosting nominating clashes for both parties.
A clutch of new polls showed the Democratic race a neck-and-neck struggle
between two rivals bidding for history, as the first woman or
African-American presidential nominee.
Clinton clung to a 45-44 point lead in a USA Today/Gallup national poll,
while a CNN/Opinion Research national survey had her leading Obama 49
percent to 46 percent. A CBS/New York Times poll had the race deadlocked at
41 percent.
A significant battle was brewing in California, the biggest "Super Tuesday"
prize, where Clinton has led for months, but Obama was drawing level, or
even ahead in some polls.
A loss in California would be a hammer blow for the former first lady,
though her campaign was banking on the fact that millions of people took
advantage of early voting, before Obama's latest poll surge.
Clinton led the Illinois senator 53 to 39 percent in her home state New York
in a new Quinnipiac University poll: the same survey had the race narrowing
in neighboring New Jersey with the former first lady leading 48 to 43
percent.
Her campaign was not publicly rattled by the Obama surge.
"During this whole election the polls have been all over the map," Clinton
spokesman Doug Hattaway told AFP. "There are battlegrounds stretching from
Massachusetts to California, so it could be a real nail-biter."
The Obama campaign tried to downplay expectations.
"We fully expect Senator Clinton to earn more delegates on February 5, and
also to win more states," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe in a
memo.
His aides believe a split of the spoils on Tuesday would put Obama in pole
position for later contests in February and March.
The Democratic Party's system of proportionally allocating delegates means
no clear winner may emerge from Tuesday's voting, and the historic
Clinton-Obama race could drag on until at least March.
Obama Surges, Hillary Tears Up As Super Tuesday Looms
Monday, February 4, 2008
A surging Barack Obama revved up for the historic "Super Tuesday" national
nominating showdown by wiping out White House foe Hillary Clinton's
once-gaping opinion poll leads.
Republican John McCain meanwhile refused to take surveys showing him headed
for a comfortable victory in the 24-state voting marathon for granted, as
top rival Mitt Romney tried to enlist conservatives in a late blocking
maneuver.
Clinton, worn down by sleepless nights and days on the campaign trail, wiped
a tear from her eye Monday as she visited Yale University, where her
political journey started as an earnest 1970s student in bell-bottom pants.
"Well I said I would not tear up, already we are not exactly on the path,"
said Clinton, 60, in an emotional moment, as she battled Obama for votes in
the northeastern states of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Obama, 46, rocked a high-octane rally in New Jersey, a Clinton stronghold
where he is increasingly competitive, showing few signs of fatigue and
accusing his rival of being derisive about his soaring calls for change.
"If you will stand with me New Jersey, tomorrow, if you will vote for me, if
you will cast off the fear and the doubt and the cynicism .... we will not
just win in New Jersey, we will win all across this nation on Tuesday," said
Obama, introduced to a 4,500 strong crowd by Hollywood icon Robert De Niro.
The cliffhanger Democratic race contrasted with signs that McCain would all
but settle the Republican nominating fight Tuesday, to complete one of the
most staggering comebacks in recent US political history.
"I'm guardedly optimistic," the Arizona senator told reporters in
Massachusetts, the home state of his top rival Mitt Romney.
A USA Today poll gave McCain a 42 percent to 24 percent lead over Romney,
with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on 18 percent.
But Romney refused to admit defeat. "This is going to come down to a real
battle and I think I'm going to win it," he said at a campaign stop in
Nashville, Tennessee on Monday.
"Super Tuesday" states account for more than half the Democratic delegates
and almost half of Republican delegates at party conventions in August and
September, which formally nominate candidates for November's general
election.
There are 22 Democratic contests and 21 on the Republican side, with 19
states hosting nominating clashes for both parties.
A clutch of new polls showed the Democratic race a neck-and-neck struggle
between two rivals bidding for history, as the first woman or
African-American presidential nominee.
Clinton clung to a 45-44 point lead in a USA Today/Gallup national poll,
while a CNN/Opinion Research national survey had her leading Obama 49
percent to 46 percent. A CBS/New York Times poll had the race deadlocked at
41 percent.
A significant battle was brewing in California, the biggest "Super Tuesday"
prize, where Clinton has led for months, but Obama was drawing level, or
even ahead in some polls.
A loss in California would be a hammer blow for the former first lady,
though her campaign was banking on the fact that millions of people took
advantage of early voting, before Obama's latest poll surge.
Clinton led the Illinois senator 53 to 39 percent in her home state New York
in a new Quinnipiac University poll: the same survey had the race narrowing
in neighboring New Jersey with the former first lady leading 48 to 43
percent.
Her campaign was not publicly rattled by the Obama surge.
"During this whole election the polls have been all over the map," Clinton
spokesman Doug Hattaway told AFP. "There are battlegrounds stretching from
Massachusetts to California, so it could be a real nail-biter."
The Obama campaign tried to downplay expectations.
"We fully expect Senator Clinton to earn more delegates on February 5, and
also to win more states," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe in a
memo.
His aides believe a split of the spoils on Tuesday would put Obama in pole
position for later contests in February and March.
The Democratic Party's system of proportionally allocating delegates means
no clear winner may emerge from Tuesday's voting, and the historic
Clinton-Obama race could drag on until at least March.
