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Obama and McCain win convincingly in state primary
Voters brave cold to participate
By Kevin Lessmiller
The Feb. 19 Wisconsin primary elections proved helpful in solidifying Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama’s position against main rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, while the Badger State also moved presumed Republican nominee Sen. John McCain slightly closer to the official party selection.
In the primary for the Democratic presidential nominee, Obama defeated Clinton with 58 percent of the popular vote. He ended up winning about 645,000 votes, while Clinton achieved 41 percent of votes, with a tally around 450,000.
On the Republican side, McCain widened his lead against the underdog candidate, ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, with the help of Wisconsin voters. McCain beat Huckabee by approximately the same margin, with 55 percent voting McCain and 37 percent picking Huckabee.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students and campus area residents cast their ballots by voting in the Flicks movie theatre at Sandburg Residence Halls. Many young voters braved the cold weather Tuesday to let their voice be heard.
“There weren’t that many people there (in Flicks) when I went, but I saw a lot at night,” said UWM student Libby Rosengren, 19.
However, while lines to vote may have been long at Flicks, other students weren’t able to find time to vote. That, or they simply decided the race was not all that important to them.
“I didn’t get a chance to vote,” said Drew Bogard, a 19-year-old UWM student who supports Huckabee. “And I kind of figured the Republican nomination was all wrapped up.”
McCain led Huckabee 918-217 in the total number of Republican delegates as of Feb. 20. On the other side, Obama has recently taken over the Democratic front-runner position against Clinton, leading her with 1,319 to 1,250. Prior to Super Tuesday, Clinton had been seen as the favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Wisconsin was the ninth consecutive victory for Obama, who also claimed victories in Hawaii and Washington that night. While many would be surprised if Huckabee won the Republican nomination over McCain, the race between Obama and Clinton is arguably still too close to call.
Following state primaries and caucuses, the next step for presidential candidates is the party convention. The Democratic National Convention will be held Aug. 25-28; the Republican National Convention is September 1-4.
The presidential and vice presidential nominees for each party are officially chosen at the party conventions. The 2008 presidential elections will be held on Tuesday Nov. 4, and inauguration of the new president will occur on Jan. 20, 2009.
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