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Super T, Super Union Turnout |
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Union members turned out in big numbers in yesterday’s Super Tuesday 23-state primary election. According to exit polls in California, union households made up 32 percent of the vote in the nation’s most populous state. Union voters made up 33 percent of the vote in Connecticut, 30 percent in Delaware, 38 percent in Illinois, 27 percent in Massachusetts, 27 percent in Missouri, 35 percent in New Jersey and 40 percent in New York.
CNN noted that last night saw a record-breaking turnout in Democratic primaries and caucuses.
Key to understanding the primaries is the difference in party rules. In the Republican primaries, the winner takes all delegates in a state. In the Democratic primaries, delegates are apportioned through various combinations that allot delegates based on the percentage of the vote statewide and assignment based on victories in congressional districts.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) won eight states, including the largest states, California and New York. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) won in 13 states.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won victories in the most states—nine—and because of the winner-take-all rules, now has garnered the overwhelming number of delegates, although delegate counts for all candidates still are pending. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) won five states in the South. In his interview on MSNBC last night, Huckabee touted the fact that two unions—the Machinists (IAM) and the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)—offered him their endorsement in the Republican primary. Both unions also endorsed Clinton as their Democratic choice. Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) won in seven states.
There’s lots of great coverage on the race, which most analysts are calling a tie on the Democratic side. Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo has analysis, as well as the top Democrats’ speeches.
Steve Benen of the Carpetbagger Report called last night a “super stalemate,” while Kevin Drum of Washington Monthly noted that the popular vote among the millions of Democratic voters was a near-tie.
The Electoral Map has coverage of the races in numerous states, looking at county-by-county results to figure out who won where.
Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect looks at the road ahead for the Democratic candidates.
MSNBC’s “First Read” looks at the states won by each candidate.
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Hold Fast: Unity and division in the two parties
Open Left: Was it a big night for Obama?
TAPPED: The race from here
Political Wire: Romney’s delegate strategy
First Read: Who won where?
Carpetbagger Report: Did McCain win big enough?
Daily Kos: Clinton’s wins
Think Progress: A Republican win is a third Bush term
Politics Nation: Morning thoughts after the big night
5 Comments
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The blatant action of the Democratic National Committee / Howard Dean to forfeit the Florida Democratic Delegates is a total slap in the face to Florida Democratic Registered Voters.
I am now 64 years of age and the greatest gift that I received at 18 was being able to register to vote and then actually voting, and I registered as a Democrat….The Party for the People…Well what happened??
Howard Dean and the DNC eliminating the Florida Democrat delegates to be counted/seated at the National Democratic Convention to select a Democratic Presidential Candidate is “hypocrisy” in the highest form against the PEOPLE…the Registered Florida Democrats (we are USA Citizens)…Every Moral Right and Pride that I have had and believed in…has been torn down by the Democratic National Committee… I have moralized and sermonized (since I was 18 years of age) to American Youth, Middle age, and Seniors the IMPORTANCE TO REGISTER AND VOTE…because THEIR VOTE COUNTS.
(I am aware that it was he Republican Control Florida State Legislature that voted to change the Primary date. What do they care about what the DNC thinks!!! Please… so the DNC is destroying “the right of every American to have access to the ballot box so their vote will be counted – to have it count”. WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN!!!
Respectively Yours,
In the union vote, how did union members vote in the Democrat primary. What the percentages for Clinton and Obama and the Republican candidates?
John,
In just about every case I looked at, union householders didn’t really vote much different than non-union householders; it generally tracked along with results in the state. If there was any variation, Clinton performed maybe two to three points better among union households.
They don’t ask about union household in the GOP exit polls.
thank you for your simple summarizing of how California democratic primary votes are tallied for delegates; always appreciate clear analysis and not overanalysis.
Very encouraging to see the numbers in Union voter turnout. Let’s all make a concerted effort to encourage our fellow Unionists to make their votes count!