Atlanta Progressive News

(APN) ATLANTA — US Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) won Rhode Island, Ohio and Texas Primary Elections for the Democratic Party on Tuesday, March 4, 2008, snapping US Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) winning streak, and gaining new momentum in the 2008 Presidential race. Obama managed a win in Vermont and is currently leading in the Texas Caucuses, where results are still being counted.

Many in the media said Clinton needed big wins in the delegate-rich states of Texas and Ohio in order to keep up with Obama. While she won big in Ohio, Clinton narrowly won the Texas Primary.

“For everyone here in Ohio and across America who’s ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, for everyone who has stumbled and stood right back up and for everyone who works hard and never gives up, this one is for you,” Clinton told supporters in Columbus, Ohio.

“This nation is coming back and so is this Campaign,” Clinton said. “The people of Ohio have said it loudly and clearly – we’re going on, we’re going strong, and we’re going all the way.”

Obama maintained his status as the Democratic frontrunner when he spoke to supporters in San Antonio, Texas.

“We know this: no matter what happens tonight, we have nearly the same delegate lead as we did this morning and we are on our way to winning this nomination,” he said.

US Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) swept all four Republican Primary contests Tuesday and secured enough delegates to take the GOP nomination.

Obama took aim at McCain Tuesday. “In this Election, we will offer two very different versions of the America we see in the 21st century because John McCain may claim long history of straight talk and independent thinking… but in this campaign he has fallen behind the very same policies that have ill served America,” Obama said.

For McCain, Tuesday marked day one of the General Election. He spoke to supporters in Dallas, Texas.

“Now we begin the most important part of our Campaign to make a respectful, determined, and convincing case to the American people that our Campaign and my election as President, given the alternatives presented by our friends in the other Party, are in the best interest of the country we love,” McCain said.

“Our Campaign must be and will be more than another tired debate of false promises, empty sound bytes, or useless promises from the past that address not a single of America’s concerns for their families security,” he continued. “We don’t hide from history, we make history…the contest begins tonight.”

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) finally ended his campaign Tuesday when he addressed supporters in Irving, Texas.

“I believe tonight that one of the things we will be able to say is not only that we fought the good fight and finished the race… we stayed in until the race was over,” he said.

“But more importantly, we kept the faith and that for me has been the most important goal of all,” Huckabee added. “I’d rather lose an election than lose the principles that got me into politics in the first place.”

McCain will begin rallying Conservatives and other Republicans around his campaign while Democrats continue battling it out.

Contests will be few and far between in the coming weeks, with Wyoming holding its Democratic Caucus on March 8, 2008, and Mississippi holding its Primary on March 11, 2008.

But the big contest comes on April 22 when Pennsylvania, another large, delegate-rich state, holds its Primary.

Clinton needs to win Pennsylvania to keep her Campaign afloat through the summer and build momentum going into the Democratic National Convention in August 2008.

The Clinton Campaign, along with State Party leaders and the Governors of Florida and Michigan are also arguing that those states’ delegates should be seated at the Convention, possibly involving a do-over election in those states. The states were penalized by the Democratic National Committee for holding their election contests too early.

Even if Obama or Clinton win the rest of the remaining contests, however, both will be short of the 2,025 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination, meaning that superdelegates will have to make an important decision or the Campaigns could voluntarily reach some kind of compromise.

About the author:

Jonathan Springston is a Senior Staff Writer for Atlanta Progressive News and may be reached at jonathan@atlantaprogressivenews.com.

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