asu in the news 02-06-08 to - ASU News - Arizona State University

ASU in the News
URL: Link to original text
Source: EastValleyTribune.com
Title: Poly sci prof comments on Democratic race
Nielsen NetRatings: 263382
Favorability: Positive
Full Text: Hillary Clinton beat back a surging Barack Obama to easily win Arizona’s Democratic
presidential primary Tuesday, claiming more than half the popular vote and a majority of the state’s
56 delegates. Clinton jumped to an early lead with mail-in ballots and never looked back, grabbing
more than 50 percent of the vote to Obama’s 40 percent with more than two-thirds of precincts
reporting late Tuesday. Most of the rest went to John Edwards, who dropped out of the race last
week. While polls showed Obama gaining on Clinton in the final days and both sides predicted a long
night, national TV networks were calling the Arizona primary by 9:30 p.m . It was a stunning win for
Clinton, particularly given Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano’s enthusiastic backing of Obama.
"Everybody wants change," former state party chair Jim Pederson told Clinton’s Arizona supporters
during the victory celebration. "Who is the person to cause that change?" "Hillary!" the crowd shouted.
"The Democrats in this state led a resounding voice as to who should be our nominee to make that
change," he said. The candidates treated Arizona like it mattered, heavily courting the state’s 56
delegates with public appearances, TV ads and direct mail. For pollsters, the excitement of Obama
and the devotion to Clinton made the race a moving target. Voters responded, with an estimated 50
percent streaming to the polls in Arizona to cast 1 million ballots, nearly double a typical presidential
primary election. Both campaigns set up Arizona headquarters, with offices and staff, and worked the
state’s urban areas hard for endorsements and voters. Clinton held two rallies here in the past few
weeks, and her husband came in between. Obama drew 14,000 people to Veteran’s Memorial
Coliseum last week, and his wife appeared Monday. On Tuesday evening, both Arizona campaigns
welcomed supporters at the same downtown Phoenix hotel. Obama’s Arizona contingent started the
evening with rock music and cocktails, but crowds started thinning as the election results started
rolling in. Even so, he had a bigger, more raucous crowd than the tamer crew one floor below at the
Wyndham Downtown Phoenix. Campaign staffers had expected the early returns of mostly mail-in
ballots to favor Clinton. But as the night wore on, his supporters were bracing for a loss. "Hey, at the
end of the day this is a race about delegates," said Rep. David Schapira, D-Tempe. "We’re just going
to have to keep on fighting." Schapira and other Obama supporters pointed to wins in other states
and were hopeful he could split the Arizona delegates, even if he didn’t close the gap. The candidates
generally appealed to two wings of the Democratic party, with Clinton claiming the traditional voter
who values experience and Obama appealing to the idealistic young and new voter. "There’s this kind
of tension, at least within the Democratic party, between what we want and hope for versus what we
think we might need," said political strategist Bob Grossfeld. "It’s going to be a choice between one’s
head and one’s heart." The Democratic contest doles out its delegates proportionate to voting results
both statewide and by congressional district, so neither Clinton nor Obama would grab all of them
Tuesday. Nor will their wins in the rest of the Super Tuesday states determine the Democratic
nominee. But they’ll be able to claim bragging rights to Arizona, which has emerged as a key swing
state with a treasure trove of Hispanic, independent and women voters. Clinton was expected to grab
most of the Hispanic vote in Arizona. During Tuesday night’s Clinton celebration, cheers of "Si se
puede!" erupted each time her opponent appeared on the TV screen. And as prominent Democrats
took to the stage to lead the celebration, former state party chair Jim Pederson asked, "How do you
say Madam President in Spanish?" "Senora Presidente!" the crowd roared back. Clinton state director
Rick Ridder said the two-term New York senator spoke to the concerns of Arizona voters, outlining
plans to freeze home foreclosures and interest rates and create "green" jobs. "People in this state are
hurting," Ridder said. "It just may be the economy, stupid." The pollsters and pundits have had trouble
predicting the Democratic race all along thanks to two dynamic candidates with barn-storming
campaigns and similar platforms. "People truly are making up their mind late," said Patrick Kenney,
chair off Arizona State University’s political science department. "They’re waiting, they’re waiting,
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