Archive
February 4, 2008
McCain Talks Up Blue State Plans for the General
McCain told a group of reporters gathered before him, "I will compete and win in November in New York state in the nominee of our party," adding that he would pursue conservative goals while still reaching out to non-Republicans because "they also want someone to call all Americans to serve a cause greater than their self interest." --Juliet Eilperin
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 11:24 PM ET | Comments (2)
On the Road with the Obama 'Road Show'
BOSTON, Mass -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and his new best friend Barack Obama finished off a long day on the campaign trail here in the capital state of Camelot, one of the most hotly contested battlegrounds on tomorrow's election calendar. --Shailagh Murray
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 11:16 PM ET | Comments (4)
Romney Dismisses Obama's Crowds
"If you are the antiwar candidate, 'just pull our troops out, don't care about what happens to the future of a country like Iraq,' you are always going to get the antiwar crowd, just like Howard Dean did," Romney told reporters traveling on his plane as he flew here from Oklahoma City for a rally and news conference. --Glenn Kessler
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 11:07 PM ET | Comments (18)
Clinton On Message, and On Television
NEW YORK -- Appearing on the "Late Show with David Letterman," Sen. Hillary Clinton, asked by Letterman about what role her husband would play her administration, said, "in my White House, we will know who wears the pantsuits." --Perry Bacon Jr.
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 10:59 PM ET | Comments (23)
KS: Excitement Over Caucuses High
The Kansas Democratic caucuses will be settled at least in part by how Kansans answer this question: What exactly makes someone a native son? --Marc S. Kaufman
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 10:34 PM ET | Comments (1)
NM: Scrapping for Delegates
New Mexico's vote on Tuesday will be only for Democrats, who are fighting for every last vote in this heavily Hispanic state. The Republican primary will be held in June. --Ann Scott Tyson
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 10:27 PM ET | Comments (1)
AR: Clinton and Huckabee Ties Go Deep
The race in Arkansas features a popular former governor, Mike Huckabee, and the wife of a former governor, Hillary Clinton, but neither appears to be taking the state for granted. --Rob Stein
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 10:20 PM ET | Comments (1)
UT: Mitt Romney's Sure Thing
Republicans who aren't named Mitt Romney have largely thrown in the towel in Utah, while advertising has exploded on the Democratic side in recent weeks as the race heated up, drawing Chelsea Clinton and Michelle Obama for visits. --Josh White
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 9:24 PM ET | Comments (0)
AL: Tight Races on Both Sides of the Aisle
Hillary Clinton has a flimsy lead going into Alabama's Democratic primary, so she sent her husband Bill Clinton to Huntsville on Saturday hold the line against Barack Obama. --Darryl Fears
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 9:13 PM ET | Comments (0)
MT: A Big Sky Scramble
This year's presidential primary has sent Montana Republicans scrambling for thankless precinct jobs in a way that's making party leaders' heads swim.--David Brown
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 8:49 PM ET | Comments (0)
CA: Mailing it in Could Mean Waiting it Out
The voting has already started in California. It's when the counting will end that has some folks nervous.--Robert Barnes
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 8:38 PM ET | Comments (6)
CO: Romney Running Strong
Both of Colorado's caucuses on Tuesday are more like previews of where delegates might go. Republicans in Colorado will choose delegates that are non-binding until May, while the Democrats start a complex process that will culminate in a state convention on May 17, when the 71 delegates up for grabs will be finalized.--Josh White
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 8:35 PM ET | Comments (0)
WV: GOP Contest Could Be Earliest to Report
Only Republicans are casting votes in West Virginia on Tuesday (the Democrats will do so in May), but residents need not bother going out to the polls. The big event in this 30-delegate state is neither a primary nor a caucus but rather a "GOP Presidential Convention," which is not open to the public. Some 18 At-large Republican national delegates are at stake on Tuesday, with an additional 12 to be selected later.--Rick Weiss
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 8:29 PM ET | Comments (0)
TN: Native Son Out, But Turnout Could Still Break Record
Tennessee has become one of the most hotly contested primaries in the Republican race. But among Democrats, Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama by more than 20 points.--Krissah Williams
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 8:19 PM ET | Comments (5)
ND: Only Ron Paul Made the Trek
With snow falling and temperatures in the low teens, Ron Paul campaigned in North Dakota a day before the state's caucuses in what party officials said was the only appearance in the state by a candidate who is still on the ballot.--Josh White
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 8:09 PM ET | Comments (0)
NY: Clinton's Home-Field Advantage
Even without a well-known native son, New York is poised to honor hometown favorites on Tuesday, throwing a tickertape parade in Manhattan for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and awarding home-state Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) the bulk of 281 Democratic delegates in her race with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).--Spencer Hsu
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 8:01 PM ET | Comments (21)
CT: Small Prize, But Big-Name Visits
Just 60 Democratic delegates are at stake in Connecticut -- a sliver of the 2,025 needed to secure the nomination. But Obama and Clinton are neck and neck and battling hard there, giving it the kind of attention normally reserved for states with bigger jackpots.--Lyndsey Layton
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 7:43 PM ET | Comments (2)
NJ: Obama in Striking Distance of Garden State
The crowds were smaller than he's accustomed to, but Barack Obama had to like his showing among New Jersey Democrats today. Obama's visit to the Garden State coincided with the release of two statewide polls putting Obama for the first time within striking distance of Hillary Clinton.--Joby Warrick
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 7:34 PM ET | Comments (16)
MA: Obama on the Move in Bay State
Obama is quickly eating away at large leads enjoyed by Clinton in heavily Democratic Massachusetts. --Lyndsey Layton
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 7:21 PM ET | Comments (7)
Clinton Makes January Haul Public
Clinton's campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe told NBC's Tim Russert this evening that her campaign raised "about 13 million, $13.5 million" last month.--Matthew Mosk
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 7:14 PM ET | Comments (29)
AZ: McCain Ahead at Home; Dem. Race Tight
It is no surprise that Sen. John McCain has a strong lead in his home turf of Arizona, winning more than 40 percent of the Republican vote in recent polls. This despite strong criticism from some Arizona Republicans for his moderate position on immigration.--Ann Scott Tyson
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 7:08 PM ET | Comments (0)
IL: Obama, McCain Out Front in Land of Lincoln
There's a chance of light rain on primary day in Illinois, but little chance of advertising. The near-blackout reflects the clear leads Barack Obama and John McCain hold in the state. --Elizabeth Williamson
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 7:06 PM ET | Comments (29)
AK: Remote Super Tuesday Outpost
Big, sparsely populated and very remote, Alaska will be far removed from the action on Super Tuesday in more ways than one.--Christopher Lee
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 6:57 PM ET | Comments (4)
A Small Number of Sooners For Romney
The aircraft hangar was vast. The crowd in Oklahoma City for a Mitt Romney rally was not.--Glenn Kessler
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 6:45 PM ET | Comments (19)
GA: A GOP Tie; Obama Leads with Dems
While the three Republican contenders are in a virtual dead heat, Sen. Barack Obama is leading Sen. Hillary Clinton by a margin that appears hard to overcome. --Daryl Fears
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 6:44 PM ET | Comments (4)
MO: Bellwether State Hopes for High Turnout
"We do not usually play a big role in the primaries," said Jack Cardetti of the Missouri Democratic Party. "But besides the number of delegates, there's a lot symbolism in winning Missouri....We've voted for the winner every year except for 1956."--Rob Stein
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 6:09 PM ET | Comments (7)
With Pataki Backing, McCain Says He'll Take N.Y.
NEW YORK -- Flanked by a bevy of moderate Republicans in Grand Central Station this afternoon, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won the endorsement of former New York governor George Pataki, who argued he stood out among the GOP field for his national security experience and ability to reach out to independents and Democrats.--Juliet Eilperin
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 6:08 PM ET | Comments (1)
ID: Democrats Caucus Tomorrow
For decades, Idaho was delegate-poor, Republican-dense, and caucuses were held in March when the race for the nomination was usually over. This year, however, the party moved its caucuses to a date when Idaho's voice, however faint, might have a chance of being heard. --David Brown
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 5:49 PM ET | Comments (0)
In Patriot Country, Clinton Hopes For a Win
In a speech at Clark University here, Sen. Hillary Clinton appealed for a détente, but not with her rival, Barack Obama.--Perry Bacon Jr.
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 5:32 PM ET | Comments (5)
Romney Promises Super Tuesday Surprise
The pundits may have counted him out, but former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney sounds like a man who plans to keep going, no matter what happens at the polls on Super Tuesday.--Glenn Kessler
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 2:47 PM ET | Comments (73)
Forget February. What About November?
On the eve of Super Tuesday, let's cast our eyes forward to November and the general election match-ups that are now most likely: John McCain against either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.--Dan Balz
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 1:15 PM ET | Comments (37)
McCain Stumps in Beantown
BOSTON, Mass. -- Staking his claim in former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's backyard, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sounded like a general-election candidate than someone fighting for his party's nomination as he addressed supporters in the city's historic Faneuil Hall this morning. --Juliet Eilperin
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 1:00 PM ET | Comments (2)
Empty Seats Greet Obama at the Meadowlands
Obama has been rising in the polls in New Jersey, which had been considered solid territory for the senator from neighboring New York, Hillary Clinton. Could the poor turnout be a sign of how much ground he still has to make up here? Or is just a sign of how much people dislike coming to the Meadowlands, the unsightly sports complex marooned among interstates and swampland? --Alec MacGillis
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 12:25 PM ET | Comments (29)
Obama Courts Latino Voters
To compete with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama's campaign is reaching out to Latino voters ahead of Super Tuesday. But some observers say that the Sen. Obama faces a tough challenge because of Clinton's strong and long-standing ties with Hispanics.
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 12:22 PM ET | Comments (5)
Hoping for a Two-Man Race With McCain
At Nashville's storied Pancake Pantry, Romney called himself the one true conservative in the race and urged supporters to help make it a two-person race against McCain.--Glenn Kessler
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 10:24 AM ET | Comments (6)
