Four More Years - a 2016 Election Timeline

[America Needs R'hllor]

January 30th, 2016

Campaigns sweep over Iowa as Caucuses loom ahead


Governor Martin O'Malley speaking to voters in Marshalltown, Iowa

When he first announced, former Governor Martin O'Malley (D-MD) looked like the likeliest candidate, save for Sanders, to break into the Obama-Clinton duopoly. Now, he looks like the weakest candidate in a field that includes Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb. With numbers close to the zero in New Hampshire, O'Malley is banking everything on a better-than-expected win in Iowa. While no one in the O'Malley campaign is expecting a win, they're hoping to exceed expectations and get new life breathed into the former Governor's bid for the White House. And so, with little to no surrogates, O'Malley is running around the Hawkeye State and hoping for the best.

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 1st, 2016

Iowa Caucuses starting: Results in the evening



DES MOINES - The day has finally arrived. All around Iowa, voters are gathering to caucus for their preferred candidates, and the candidates are making one last push to convince as many people as possible. Andrew Cuomo and Lincoln Chafee are holding campaign events in New Hampshire today, but the rest are spending their hours in the Hawkeye State.

This is the current polling situation, before Iowans started voting:

Democratic Primary (National)-
Barack Obama- 33%  (-1)
Hillary Clinton- 28%  (+1)
Bernie Sanders- 21%  (+1)
Andrew Cuomo- 6%  (+-0)
Jim Webb- 4%  (+-0)
Martin O'Malley- 1%  (-1)
Lincoln Chafee- 2%  (+-0)
Undecided- 5%  (+-0)

Democratic Primary (Iowa)-
Barack Obama- 32%  (+1)
Hillary Clinton- 26%  (+-0)
Bernie Sanders- 23%  (+1)
Jim Webb- 10%  (+1)
Martin O'Malley- 3%  (+1)
Andrew Cuomo- 3%  (-1)
Lincoln Chafee- 0%  (+-0)
Undecided- 3%  (-3)

Democratic Primary (New Hampshire)-
Bernie Sanders- 29%  (+1)
Barack Obama- 27%  (+-0)
Hillary Clinton- 24%  (+-0)
Andrew Cuomo- 9%  (-1)
Lincoln Chafee- 5%  (+-0)
Martin O'Malley- 1%  (+-0)
Jim Webb- 0%  (+-0)
Undecided- 5%  (+-0)

[America Needs R'hllor]

The light from the TV screen was flickering in the dimly lit campaign HQ. A CNN reporter was standing in a caucus hall, reporting some statistical details about the voting that he already knew for a few hours. "High turnout today in the Democratic caucuses, we're seeing full halls even in rural areas... This could be a good omen for Sanders and Webb..."

The President lowered the volume, turned away from the screen and took another worried stroll back and forth in his office, the sound of his shoes muffled by the soft rug. Michelle was there, sitting on the sofa with Joe beside her as they watched the screen. Deval, who became his campaign's co-chair, was also there, seated on the opposite sofa with John [Kerry] and Tom [Vilsack]. His campaign's senior staff, Campaign Manager Jim Messina and Chief Strategist David Axelrod, were standing together, worriedly staring at the screen. It was five minutes before 7 p.m. CST, and soon, the results would start coming in.

"Come," Michelle said softly, patting on the place beside her. "Sit, Barack, don't be so tense. Whatever happens, you'll still be the frontrunner."

"Besides," Joe added in his usually cheeful tone, "the polls are looking good. Hillary is losing popularity, and Bernie is just too far away to catch up."

"Iowa is still make or break fo us." The President said nervously as he sat down. His leg was fidgeting. "We can basically put the primaries away here, or we can lose momentum and become a disappointment. I don't intend to be the first incumbent President to lose his primary in recent history."

"And you won't." David said confidently. "You have very strong opposition from the Clinton machine and from an insurgent progressive, something Bill or FDR didn't have to plague them. But we will emerge victorious."

"I hope you're right..." Obama replied pensively, his voice trailing off. Wolf Blitzer was announcing something in the TV, but the President didn't really hear, he was too absorbed in the discussion. "Still, this primary can hurt us in the general electio, and even if we're up against Trump, of all people, it still worries me that..."

"Wait," Tom said suddenly, pointing at the screen. "What did he say?"

Joe stared at the screen, his eyes wide. "I think he said that they can call the caucuses. Now. Without delay. At poll closing time."

Barack turned up the volume.


February 1st, 2016



Democratic Iowa Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 35.9% (19 pledged delegates) ✓
Bernie Sanders- 26.3% (13 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 25.0% (12 pledged delegates)
Jim Webb- 8.4% (0 pledged delegates)
Martin O'Malley- 2.2% (0 pledged delegates)
Andrew Cuomo- 1.7% (0 pledged delegates)
Lincoln Chafee- 0.3% (0 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.2% (0 pledged delegates)

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 2nd, 2016

Barack Obama wins Iowa Caucuses by solid margin, Sanders places second

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DES MOINES - The Iowa Democratic Caucuses yesterday produced not just one big story, but two- the incumbent President's big win, and Senator Sanders' upset of Secretary Clinton to take the second place.

Barack Obama didn't only win the caucuses, but he won big- with a nearly double-digits margin, the President secured a doubtless mandate from the people of Iowa. Exit polls are indicating that he performed well across the board, winning among both men and women and most age groups. The only groups with which he lost are very young voters, 18-20, who voted for Sanders over him by a 2% margin. Pundits are speculating that the President's big win comes from a number of facors- Hillary Clinton's dropping popularity, his own big popularity in the Hawkeye State, and the support of prominent and well-loved Iowa politicians like Tom Vilsack and Tom Harkin. This is very good news for the President, who now gains powerful momentum and is the undisputed frontrunner.

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The other big news coming from Iowa is that Bernie Sanders, the Independent Vermont Senator, exceeded expectations and upset Hillary Clinton to take the second place in Iowa. This is very significant because, combined with a possible win in New Hampshire, it could make Sanders the main challenger to Obama. The self-described Democratic Socialist now gains even more steam, and could become a force to be reckoned with.

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Hillary Clinton, former frontrunner, is the big disappointment tonight. She hoped for a strong second place showing, maybe even a win, but instead got a weak third place, with her chief rival winning big and an insurgent progressive taking the second place. Clinton vows to continue and fight on, but without a win in Iowa, it's hard to see where her campaign can gain steam before Super Tuesday- New Hampshire looks unlikely to give her the same boost as in 2008, South Carolina looks like a lock for the President, and only Nevads appears paltable to her. We'll see where she continues from here.

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Jim Webb, Former Virginia Senator and Navy Secretary under the Reagan Administration, is perhaps the greatest loser of the caucuses. He hoped for a double digit victory, maybe even breaking the 15%, but he fell way short. This is a blow for Blue Dogs, who saw Webb's momentum in Iowa and nationwide as a glimmer of hope. But after his disappointing showing in Iowa, Webb has suspended his campaign for President, snuffing out that hope. Still, he hinted at, perhaps, a future run, or maybe even an independent bid.

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The slow but certain death of the O'Malley campaign didn't surprise anyone. The former Maryland Governor looked promising in the beginning, but he just couldn't find his place in the race. He tried to run as a strong progressive and liberal, but Sanders outdid him in that field. He tried to be the tough one on gun control or the experienced governor, but Barack Obama and Andrew Cuomo did it better. In the end, with polling numbers that give him no hope whatsoever, he had to withdraw.

In other news, the Republican Iowa Caucuses were won by Ted Cruz, with frontrunner Donald Trump placing second and Marco Rubio in a surprising third...

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 4th, 2016

Remaining Democrats gather for the last pre-New Hampshire debate



DURHAM - as the Democratic campaigns swoop over New Hampshire in an attemt to make strong showings in the Granite State, their candidates gathered for a contentious debate. While Barack Obama, Bernie Sandes and Hillary Clinton just needed to prevent themselves from doing any major gaffes, Cuomo and Chafee needed big moments tonight if they wanted to break through. It didn't really materialize.


Lincoln Chafee: "We have to repair American credibility after we told the world that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, which he didn’t. So there’s an issue of American credibility out there. So any time someone is running to be our leader, and a world leader, which the American president is, credibility is an issue out there with the world. And we have repair work to be done. I think we need someone that has the best in ethical standards as our next president. That’s how I feel."
Anderson Cooper: "Secretary Clinton, do you want to respond?"
Hillary Clinton: "Naw."


Bernie Sanders: "I believe that President Obama did the right thing with the Iran Deal, and I applaud him, Secretary Clinton and Secretary Kerry for that. Now, I didn't say that we should normalize relations with Iran tomorrow like Secretary Clinton suggested. I didn't say that, and we should address the fact that Iran is a big sponsor of terrorism, but a few years ago no one thought that we can normalize relations with Cuba, but it happened. So it can happen."
Andrew Cuomo: "Come on, Senator. Iran is a sponsor of terrorism, just like you said. They support Hezbollah, they support Hamas, they threaten to destroy our allies in Israel, basically threatened a genocide! We need to be tough of them, and this deal isn't tough of them. I think the President made a mistake in striking that deal, and that it will allow Iran to make nuclear weapons further down the line and slip into the concensus despite their horrible actions."
Barack Obama: "I'm proud of that deal, and I stand behind that deal. We needed to stop a nuclear Iran and we succeeded- they're abiding by the terms, they're not building nuclear weapons, I consider this a success!"


While performing better than usual, especially on foreign policy, Governor Cuomo didn't manage to make any breakthroughs, and Chafee sounded robotic. But the strengths and weaknesses of the other three candidates seem to start getting clearer- Clinton is better on foreign policy, Sanders is not very strong on that field but is very strong on economic policy, and Barack Obama seems to perform well on both and relies on his charisma.

Who do you think won the fifth Democratic debate?
Barack Obama- 31%
Hillary Clinton- 27%
Bernie Sanders- 23%
Andrew Cuomo- 9%
Lincoln Chafee- 2%
Unsure- 8%

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 9th, 2016

Democrats campaign in New Hampshire one last time as primary voting starts



CONCORD - As the first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire begins and voters go to the polls, the Democratic candidates and their campaign canvass the state in an attempt to sway as many voters as possible. As Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama angle for a win, and Hillary Clinton for as strong a showing as possible, the two other campaigns are seeing the Granite State as one last chance to gain traction in the primaries.

Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), initially considered a strong candidate, didn't manage to find his place in the primaries and was sunk by bad debate performances and attacks from other candidates. Now, he's looking at New Hampshire as his last chance. Meanwhile, former Governor Lincoln Chafee (D-RI) actually managed to perform better in the primaries than initially expected, but his polling numbers are still in very low single digits and his neighbouring state, New Hampshire, is his last and only chance to perform strongly in the primaries.

The three main contneders- Obama, Clinton and Sanders- were all initially hoping for victories here, but as the primary got closer, the President and the Vermont Senator seemed to gain an advantage over the former First Lady, whose campaign is now reportedly concentrating on Nevada as their last chance to win an early state. While Sanders, his progressive views surprisingly popular in the Granite State and hailing from the neighbouring Vermont, is currently favoured to win, President Obama is hoping that his momentum from the Iowa triumph will carry him over the line.

A new bunch of polling has been released before the primary, including polling averages for Nevada and South Carolina, where we see, respectively, a three way race and a strong Obama lead.

Democratic Primary (National)-
Barack Obama- 35%  (+2)
Hillary Clinton- 28%  (+-0)
Bernie Sanders- 22%  (+1)
Andrew Cuomo- 7%  (+1)
Lincoln Chafee- 2%  (+-0)
Undecided- 6%  (+1)

Democratic Primary (New Hampshire)-
Bernie Sanders- 30%  (+1)
Barack Obama- 29%  (+2)
Hillary Clinton- 24%  (+-0)
Andrew Cuomo- 8%  (-1)
Lincoln Chafee- 5%  (+-0)
Undecided- 4%  (-1)

Democratic Primary (Nevada)-
Hillary Clinton-29%
Barack Obama- 28%
Bernir Sanders- 27%
Andew Cuomo- 4%
Lincoln Chafee- 1%
Undecided- 11%

Democratic Primary (South Carolina)-
Barack Obama- 38%
Hillary Clinton- 27%
Bernie Sanders- 19%
Andrew Cuomo- 8%
Lincoln Chafee- 0%
Undecided- 8%

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 9th, 2016

BREAKING: SANDERS WINS NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY

Democratic New Hampshire Primary results, 100% counted:
Bernie Sanders- 37.5% (12 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 31.6% (8 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 19.8% (4 pledged delegates)
Andrew Cuomo- 6.1% (0 pledged delegates)
Lincoln Chafee- 3.8% (0 pledged delegates)
Others- 1.2% (0 pledged delegates)

[America Needs R'hllor]

Great TL!! A Obama versus TRUMP election TL would be amazing.

Thanks! I'm hoping to get the primary wrapped up this month, it should go faster after the early states are done.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Aww.... was going for Webb all the way. Also, why is Chafee still in after O'Malley and Webb suspend?

He was banking on New Hampshire. But as you see...

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 10th, 2016

Sanders win big in New Hampshire, field narrows down to three

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CONCORD - The polls predicted a Sanders victory in his neighbouring New Hampshire, but not such a big one. In a possible reaffirmattion of his movement's staying power, Sanders won the primary in the granite state by more than 5%, defeating President Obama. In his victory speech, the Vermont Independent Senator said that his campaign "absolutely intends to win", and that he will go on to Nevada, South Carolina, Super Tuesday and beyond. The victory is expected to give him momentum going forward, and perhaps a real shot at the Presidency.

While the Obama Campaign isn't too bothered by the loss, with the President giving a high-spirited speech about going forward, the Clinton Campaign is reeling from their showing in the Granite State, less than 20%. This is considered a major blow to Clinton's already-weakening candidacy, and her last chance at survival is probably a victory in the Nevada Caucuses, where she has the support of casino workers. The former First Lady gave a somber speech and promised supporters to "fight to the end until the glass ceiling is broken".

But two other campaigns were struck a fatal blow by New Hampshire voters.

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When both Cuomo and Chafee underperformed their already-poor polling in the Granite State, it was no surprise to anyone that they would withdraw. While Chafee's endorsement of Obama carries little to no weight, Cuomo's endorsement, yet unrevealed, could have significance.

Now, with the field narrowed down to the big three, the sixth debate is looming close, followed by Nevada, South Carolina and Super Tuesday. On the Republican side, meanwhile, Donald Trump won New Hampshire, solidifying his status as frontrunner, with John Kasich coming second...

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 11th, 2016

Sixth Democratic debate held in Milwaukee, Obama considered victor



MILWAUKEE - For the first time, the Democratic debate included only the big three frontrunners- President Obama, Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders. It was a debate that held importance for all three- Sanders needed to do well in order to keep on his momentum, Barack Obama needed to keep his status as frontrunner and Hillary Clinton needed to regain her quickly loosening grip on the runner-up status. However, results were fairly inconclusive- all three candidates managed to remain fairly strong, and no one slipped too hard. Still, Obama is considered the victor according to most polls. The major topics debated were Henry Kissinger's support for Clinton, Barack Obama's race relations legacy and, once again, healthcare. This exchange on healthcare was one of the defining moments of the debate:


Hillary Clinton: "If it's Medicare for all, then you no longer have the Affordable Care Act, because the Affordable Care Act, as you know very well, is based on the insurance system, based on exchanges, based on a subsidy system. The Children's Health Insurance Program, which I helped to create, which covers 8 million kids, is also a different kind of program. So if you're having Medicare for all, single-payer, you need to level with people about what they will have at the end of the process you are proposing. And based on every analysis that I can find by people who are sympathetic to the goal, the numbers don't add up, and many people will actually be worse off than they are right now."
Bernie Sanders: "That is absolutely inaccurate. Look, here is the reality, folks. There is one major country on Earth that does not guarantee health care to all people. There is one major country - the United States - which ends up spending almost three times per capita what they do in the U.K. guaranteeing health care to all people, 50 percent more than they do in France guaranteeing health care to all people, far more than our Canadian neighbors, who guarantee health care to all people. Please do not tell me that in this country, if - and here's the if - we have the courage to take on the drug companies, and have the courage to take on the insurance companies, and the medical equipment suppliers, if we do that, yes, we can guarantee health care to all people in a much more cost effective way."
Barack Obama: "Um, look. I'm proud of the Affordable Care Act, or as many people like to call it, Obamacare. We've worked very hard to pass it, like Secretary Clinton said, and it was certainly not an easy process. But here's the thing- we can go forward. We will go forwar. It's the common sensical thing to do- we need to cover everyone, which includes the 10 percents who aren't covered right now. But the way to do it, at least right now, is, I think, a public option- an option that provides high-quality healthcare and could cover everyone. Look, right now, the insurance industry is controled by a very small amount of companies. That allows them to raise prices, to take more money out of working people. We're going to change that with a public option, a tough competition for all of them that will force them to make their insurance more attractive and to lower prices. It's a simple and doable solution, not a vague one which we don't know how to fund like the one Senator Sanders is proposing, and not a stagnant one like Secretary Clinton is proposing. And I pledge to do it in my third term."


In the debate, Obama managed to position himself between Clinton and Sanders, to the left of the former First Lady but to the right of the Independent Senator. This could be a smart choice that attracts voters from both candidates, and could allow him to unite the party behind him. Let's look at the polls released after the debate:

Who do you think won the sixth Democratic debate?
Barack Obama- 33%
Bernie Sanders- 29%
Hillary Clinton- 28%
Unsure- 10%

Democratic Primary (National)-
Barack Obama- 38%  (+3)
Hillary Clinton- 30%  (+2)
Bernie Sanders- 25%  (+3)
Undecided- 7%  (+1)

Democratic Primary (Nevada)-
Hillary Clinton- 31%  (+2)
Bernir Sanders- 30%  (+3)
Barack Obama- 29%  (+1)
Undecided- 10%  (-1)

Democratic Primary (South Carolina)-
Barack Obama- 44%  (+6)
Hillary Clinton- 31%  (+4)
Bernie Sanders- 19%  (+-0)
Undecided- 6%  (-2)

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 19th, 2016

Clinton, Sanders campaign heavily in Nevada, Obama moves to solidify South Carolina



LAS VEGAS - Ahead of the Nevada Caucuses tomorrow, Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are campaigning heavily in the Silver State. Namely, Bernie Sanders is lobbying for the support of Labour Unions and voters in rural areas, as well as young Las Vegas progressives, while Clinton is putting all her weight on gaining the support of Hispanics and casino workers. Meanwhile, Barack Obama is making a controversial move- he went to campaign in South Carolina today, and though he still campaigns in Nevada, it seems like he forfeited the state.

For the Secretary, especially, this state is incredibly important- she came third in both Iowa and New Hampshire, with an especially scalding result in the state that saved her 2008 campaign, and according to sources in the Clinton campaign, she will consider dropping out if she doesn't win Nevada.

These are the last poll numbers for the Democratic primaries:

Democratic Primary (National)-
Barack Obama- 38%  (+-0)
Hillary Clinton- 29%  (-1)
Bernie Sanders- 26%  (+1)
Undecided- 7%  (+-0)

Democratic Primary (Nevada)-
Hillary Clinton- 33%  (+2)
Bernir Sanders- 31%  (+1)
Barack Obama- 29%  (+-0)
Undecided- 7%  (-3)

Democratic Primary (South Carolina)-
Barack Obama- 46%  (+2)
Hillary Clinton- 30%  (-1)
Bernie Sanders- 18%  (-1)
Undecided- 6%  (+-0)

Meanwhile, on the Republican side, Donald Trump is expected to sweep both South Carolina and Nevada, and the establishment is starting to panick...

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 20th, 2016

Clinton takes razor-thing victory in Nevada, Sanders close second



LAS VEGAS - In a win that saved her campaign from immediate death and allowed her to continue for at least a little more, Hillary Clinton edged out her opponents in the Nevada Democratic Caucuses. It was an extremely narrow victory, though, with Bernie Sanders a very close second, less than 0.1% behind, and Barack Obama a not-too-distant third. According to exit polls, it appears like Hillary won the caucuses with the help of hispanic voters, to whom she appealed with immigration ads, and casino workers, with whom she and her husband campaigned extensively. Sanders, meanwhile, won amongst young and white voters, and Obama won only amongst the small African-American community in the Silver State.


Democratic Nevada Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Hillary Clinton- 33.89% (14 pledged delegates) ✓
Bernir Sanders- 33.83% (13 pledged delegates)
Barack Obama- 30.88% (8 pledged delegates)
Others- 1.4% (0 pledged delegates)

As she gave her victory speech, the loyal supporters of the Clinton campaign cheered, but the tension in the HQ could still be felt- a South Carolina defeat was iminent, and then a tough Super Tuesday loomed, with an uncertain future for the former Secretary of State, Senator from New York and First Lady of the United States.



Meanwhile, Trump wins the Republican South Carolina Primaries by a strong margin, forcing Jeb Bush to withdraw, and is looking more and more like an unstoppable frontrunner...

[America Needs R'hllor]

SPECIAL: The 2004 Democratic Primaries Part 2



The Democratic nomination battle heat up after the non-binding Washington, D.C. primary was done. With Graham and Mosely Braun out, Howard Dean started gaining momentum leading up to Iowa- he performed strongly in debates, held big, enthusiastic rallies and attracted a large group of loyal grassroots supporters. Many liken Dean's campaign to that of another insurgent Vermont progressive- Bernie Sanders, in 2016, whom Dean did not, actually, endorse. Though both failed to clinch their party's nomination, both influenced the eventual nominee and forced him to move to the left. There was one, big difference, though- Dean's progressives did not have lasting power in the Democratic party, and the party's move to the left could only slightly be attributed to him. Sanders, meanwhile, helped cause a real change amongst Democrats, moving the whole party leftwards, with support to universal healthcare, free college tuition and more.

Both Dean and Gore, as well as other candidates who hoped to do well, like Clark, Gephardt and Edwards, campaigned heavily in Iowa. The polls before the caucuses were fairly close:

2004 Democratic Primary (Iowa)
Al Gore- 31%
Howard Dean- 28%
Dick Gephardt- 15%
Wesley Clark- 13%
John Edwards- 9%
Dennis Kucinich- 4%
Al Sharpton- 1%
Undecided- 4%

However, in the end, the former Vice President's popularity in the Hawkeye State, as well as Howard Dean's lack of appeal to rural voters, sealed the deal.


Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) giving his surprising endorsement of George Bush in a 2004 RNC keynote address

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 23rd, 2016

Andrew Cuomo endorses Hillary Clinton ahead of South Carolina



CHARLESTON - In a joint South Carolina rally, New York Governor and former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Cuomo endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for President. In his speech, Cuomo called for voters to vote for "a qualified candidate of change who has a proven track record of getting things done for hardworking Americans", and introduced her as "a great New Yorker, a tremendous public servant and my personal friend".

The endorsement does not surprise anyone- Cuomo has always been close to the Clintons, and reportedly hopes for the Vice Presidential spot, or even a prominent cabinet position like Secretary of State, in a possible Clinton Administration. Pundits speculate that after suspending his campaign due to his New Hampshire loss, Cuomo decided to wait until Nevada and see if the Clinton campaign could survive going forward, and now endorsed her in an attempt to boost her chances in South Carolina. Cuomo was polling at around 8%, sometimes even breaking into the double digits, in the Palmetto State before suspending his campaign. Here are the latest polling aggregates from the last early state before Super Tuesday, before Cuomo's endorsement of Clinton:

Democratic Primary (National)-
Barack Obama- 38%  (+-0)
Hillary Clinton- 30%  (+1)
Bernie Sanders- 27%  (+1)
Undecided- 5%  (-2)

Democratic Primary (South Carolina)-
Barack Obama- 47%  (+1)
Hillary Clinton- 31%  (+1)
Bernie Sanders- 18%  (+-0)
Undecided- 4%  (-2)

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 27th, 2016

Barack Obama triumphs in South Carolina, candidates brace for Super Tuesday



COLUMBIA - It was not a surprise to anyone, and yet it will still have an effect. President Obama, facing a tough challenge from Hillary Clinton, secured a solid victory in South Carolina, despite worries in the Obama campaign that Andrew Cuomo's endorsement of the former First Lady would swing his former supporters towards her and make the contest uncomfortably close.


Democratic South Carolina Primary results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 50.6% (28 pledged delegates) ✓
Hillary Clinton- 32.8% (17 pledged delegates)
Bernie Sanders- 16.2% (8 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.4% (0 pledged delegates)

In his victory speech, Obama thanked the peple of South Carolina for their "amazing support" and pledged to "continue the fight against discrimination" and to "help ease racial tensions in our great country". This victory is expected to help Obama in the next contests- Super Tuesday- and make life much harder for Hillary Clinton there.

With only two days left until these contests, and one debate tomorrow, the candidates are canvassing the many states that will vote in Tuesday. while both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are hoping for victories in southern states, where they both showed power, Senator Sanders is banking on the numerous northeastern and caucus states that will vote, where he's expected to do well because of regional advantage for the former, and the enthusiasm of his supporters for the latter.

The Clinton campaign is especially worried about Super Tuesday- sources claim that if she doesn't win enough states, Clinton might withdraw following these contests, as she doesn't wish to keep splitting the same base with the President and fears that would allow Bernie Sanders to become the nominee. Clinton campaign manager Roby Mook denied the rumours, saying that "the Secretary is in this race to win and become the first woman President".

This is the state of the race before Super Tuesday:

Democratic Primaries

American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
US Virgin Islands
Democrats Abroad

Barack Obama- 63 delegates
Hillary Clinton- 47 delegates
Bernie Sanders- 46 delegates
Others- 0 delegates

Note: Sorry about the alarmingly fast pace of updates I just want to wrap up the primaries soon, and start with the general election and the next administration.

[America Needs R'hllor]

February 28th, 2016

Obama faces fire in final pre-Super Tuesday debate



BIRMINGHAM - The fiery seventh Democratic debate, held in Birmingham, Alabama one day before Super Tuesday, it was clear who was the frontrunner. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders mostly ignored each other, though the Vermond Senator did occasionally attack the former First Lady, and focused on the incumbent President who stood in the podium between them. But despite the attacks, Barack Obama managed to hold his own. Hillary Clinton hoped to have a breakthrough today and save her campaign in Super Tuesday, but it did not materialize. Here are a few key moments from the debate:


Chris Wallace: "Secretary Clinton, in conclusion, do you believe that you should've been chosen as the Democratic candidate in 2008? Would you do a better job than President Obama?"
Hillary Clinton: "Well, Chris, I do think that my friend Barack Obama has been an excellent President. He navigated through rough international waters, he brought healthcare to thousands of Americans, and I praise him for that. But I'll say this- I do think that he could've worked with Congress a bit better. The Republicans were obstructionists, of course, and I think they did a great disservice to the American people by refusing to cooperate or give a hearing to Justice Garland, for example. But I do think that the President could've done better in working with Congress, and I know how to work with the congressional Republicans."
Chris Wallace: "It's a yes or no question, Secretary. Would you or would you not do a better job than President Obama?"
Hillary Clinton: "Well, I think... there is very much a possibility that I would've done better with Congress. I think I would."
Barack Obama: "You know, Chris, I've been a Senator and a State Senator before that. Not for very long... but I've done the job. And I can tell you it's very different from the Presidency. As a Senator, you're a vote, and Republicans could try to work with you on the issues to get your vote, especially when they're the party in power, as they were when Secretary Clinton was a Senator. But as President, the current congressional Republican leadership targets you, and tries to obstruct and take down your Presidency. But I'm not complaining- I came to work, and I intend to work and make the lives of Americans better, and hopefully, next year, with a congressional majority!"


Bernie Sanders: "Me and the President are in agreement about many policies. This is true. But we also have many areas of disagreement, and this is where our movement comes in- for example, the President accepts donations from the top 1%, while I accept small donations, averaging 27$, from the 99%."
Barack Obama: "Uh, that's inaccurate, Senator. I have more than 800,000 donors, and I think you can agree that the majority of them are small donors, contributing small donations."
Bernie Sanders: "I know that, Mr. President, and I respect your small donors. But you have Super PACs, as well. When extraordinarily wealthy people make very large contributions to Super PACs, and in many cases in this campaign, Super PACs have raised more money than individual candidates have, OK? We had a decision to make early on, do we do a Super PAC? And, we said no. We don't represent Wall Street, we don't represent the billionaire class, so it ends up I'm the only candidate up here who has no Super PAC."
Barack Obama: "And I respect you, for that. I truly do. (APPLAUSE) Yes, that's right, Senator Sanders deserves this! He ran a great campaign that energized so many voters, and it's a very positive thing. But look, Super PACs have been a part of our process for long, and our campaign made the decision not to refuse the PACs that wanted to support us. But I agree that we need to reform our campaign finance system, and I hope to work with you on that in my third term!"

Who do you think won the seventh Democratic debate?
Barack Obama- 38%
Bernie Sanders- 30%
Hillary Clinton- 25%
Unsure- 7%

[America Needs R'hllor]

March 1st, 2016

Candidates make last campaign appearances before Super Tuesday



ATLANTA - As voting begins in the various Super Tuesday states, the three Democratic contneders are making last appearances in states that they're targeting. While they did have more specific focuses, all three candidates are running ads and campaign events in practically every state that will be voting.

The target of each campaign today is quite different. Barack Obama needs to sweep a majority of states and delegates and show his strength in both the south and other areas of the country that will be voting today- he must come out the victor, and reaffirm himself as frontrunner. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders needs to stage at least one or two upsets in states that polls aren't expecting him to win, and show that he has strength all accross the country. And finally, Hillary Clinton needs to win at least more states than Sanders, in order to keep her status as the main challenger to the incumbent President. Results coming this evening, stay tuned!


Barack Obama campaigning with First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in Houston, Texas


Bernie Sanders holding a campaign event in Boston, Massachusetts


Hillary Clinton holding a rally in Richmond, Virginia with Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA)

[America Needs R'hllor]

March 2nd, 2016

SUPER TUESDAY RESULTS



RICHMOND - Last night, the campaigns of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were put into an ultimate test as results started pouring from Super Tuesday. Some of the states weren't close and the networks called them early, with one state, Vermont, being called for its Senator at poll closing time. But other states were tight and nerve-wrecking, and were only called this morning. In the end, this was a mixed night for both President Obama and Senator Sanders, with some disappointments but many successes. But it was a bad night for Secretary Clinton, who only won two states. Let's examine the results again:


Democratic Alabama Primary results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 49.1% (26 pledged delegates) ✓
Hillary Clinton- 34.5% (19 pledged delegates)
Bernie Sanders- 15.6% (8 pledged delegates)
Martin O'Malley- 0.5% (0 pledged delegates)
Rocky De La Fuente- 0.3% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic American Samoa Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 50.6% (4 pledged delegates) ✓
Hillary Clinton- 21.8% (1 pledged delegates)
Bernie Sanders- 20.4% (1 pledged delegates)
Rocky De La Fuente- 6.2% (0 pledged delegates)
Lincoln Chafee- 1.0% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Arkansas Primary results, 100% counted:
Hillary Clinton- 40.3% (14 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 35.5% (11 pledged delegates)
Bernie Sanders- 20.8% (7 pledged delegates)
Others- 3.4% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Colorado Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Bernie Sanders- 41.3% (31 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 33.4% (21 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 24.7% (14 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.6% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Georgia Primary results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 53.9% (54 pledged delegates) ✓
Hillary Clinton- 27.1% (29 pledged delegates)
Bernie Sanders- 18.7% (19 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.3% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Massachusetts Primary results, 100% counted:
Bernie Sanders- 36.8% (36 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 36.2% (35 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 26.4% (20 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.6% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Minnesota Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Bernie Sanders- 44.0% (35 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 37.7% (29 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 18.3% (13 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.1% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Oklahoma Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Bernie Sanders- 45.1% (18 pledged delegates) ✓
Hillary Clinton- 25.9% (11 pledged delegates)
Barack Obama- 23.7% (9 pledged delegates)
Others- 4.3% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Tennessee Primary results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 39.5% (27 pledged delegates) ✓
Hillary Clinton- 35.9% (25 pledged delegates)
Bernie Sanders- 23.5% (15 pledged delegates)
Jim Webb- 1.1% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Texas Primary results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 43.2% (101 pledged delegates) ✓
Hillary Clinton- 35.7% (82 pledged delegates)
Bernie Sanders- 20.1% (39 pledged delegates)
Others- 1.0% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Vermont Primary results, 100% counted:
Bernie Sanders- 80.1% (16 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 11.2% (0 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 8.5% (0 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.2% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Virginia Primary results, 100% counted:
Hillary Clinton- 36.3% (37 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 35.8% (36 pledged delegates)
Bernie Sanders- 24.5% (22 pledged delegates)
Jim Webb- 3.4% (0 pledged delegates)


While Barack Obama's popularity with the African-American community brought him solid victories in the southern states of Alabama and Georgia, many other states in the south were considered battlegrounds that both he and Secretary Clinton contested.

In the delegate-rich state of Texas, the President received the endorsement of most of the congressial delegation and campaigned there with popular Texas Democrats, including the Castro brothers. This, despite Clinton's strength with the Hispanic community, netted him a strong win. In Tennessee, Barack Obama campaigned with Al Gore, and, combined with his strength with the African American community and Sanders winning many of the white voters that gave Clinton a victory here in 2008, allowed Obama to take Tennessee this time around. Clinton only won Arkansas, where she was First Lady, and narrowly took Virginia, where she campaigned with Governor Terry McAuliffe, one of her earliest endorsers.

But outside of the south, Bernie Sanders sweeped all the states. He proved his strength in caucus states by taking strong wins in Oklahoma, Minnesota and Colorado, and won an overwhelming landslide in his home state of Vermont, but his most surprising victory was the one in Massachussetts. There, he managed to win young, progressive voters and narrowly defeat Barack Obama, taking a plurality. This is considered another instance where the Obama-Clinton split of the establishment vote resulted in a victory for Bernie Sanders.

Following the Super Tuesday results, Senator Sanders is sure to continue his insurgent campaign and attempt to influence the Democratic agenda, maybe even win the nomination. The incumbent President, who solidified himself as the frontrunner last night, is also sure to remain in the race, but after winning only two states, Hillary Clinton's future is uncertain, and this morning, she flew back to her campaign HQ in New York City. When asked for comment, campaign spokesperson Howard Wolfson said that "the Secretary returned to New York to rest after spirited campaigning".

[America Needs R'hllor]

The data was flashing on the screen before his eyes. Robby Mook tried to make out something positive out of it. Some hope to cling to.

The next states to vote were Kansas, Nebraska and Louisiana. In the former two, Bernie was leading. In the latter, Obama. Hillary was third in all three. He tried to look at some of the later states. Obama leading in California and Maryland, Bernie leading in Pennsylvannia and Ohio... Heh, at least we're leading New York and New Jersey. Narrowly. Jesus... Bernie won his home state by almost 70%, and Obama is leading in his by landslide margins. And we're going to lose New York if this trend continues. Jesus...

The Campaign Manager sighed and closed the window of state polling. But national polling was showing an even bleaker picture- after Super Tuesday, Bernie passed Hillary and was now consistently second in the polls. Hillary was in the high 20s. Of course, they weren't going to release these internal polls to the media, but someone was bound to, eventually.

He looked at his Email. A new poll from PPP, soon to be released. When he saw the numbers, a few very inappropriate words for an election forum passed in Robby's mind. Obama 43%, Bernie 31%, Hillary 22%, Undecided 4%. Roby started to hate emails- recently, all they brought was bad news.

Someone knocked at his door. He sighed and turned away from the screen. "Yes?"

It was Stephanie [Hannon, Chief Technology Officer of the Clinton campaign]. "Robby..." She said quietly. Nothing could be discerned in her still face. "She wants to see us. Down in the conference room."

Robby gulped nervously. Hillary was huddled with her close circle ever since Super Tuesday. He nodded and stood up, following Stephanie down the stairs.

The conference room was so quiet, it could be mistaken for a mourning room. Everyone was sitting there- Hillary at the head of the table, Bill beside her. Huma was there too, of course, as was John [Podesta]. And when he saw their faces, grim and somber, the Campaign Manager knew what it meant.

"It's over, isn't it?"

[America Needs R'hllor]

The phone rang right when they were in the middle of a strategy session.

Everyone turned to look at Campaign Manager Jim Messina. He looked embarrassed. "Go on," Barack told him. "Let's see who this is."

Jim checked the phone, and his eyes grew wide when he looked down on the screen. "Robby Mook. Wow."

Now the President's interest was piqued, as was the interest of everyone else in the room. "Answer it!" Joe said excitedly, leaning forward.

The Campaign Manager nodded. He turned on the speaker mode and answered. "Jim Messina speaking. Yes?"

"Hello." Robby Mook's voice was flat. "Hillary is going to suspend tomorrow."

Everyone in the room smiled at the same time. Deval raised a thumb, grinning. "We're going to win this now," he whispered.

"That's good, it's time to unite the party." Jim replied formally. "Thank you for letting us know."

"There's more," Robby added hastily before his fellow Campaign Manager could end the call. "Do you want her to endorse you in the speech?"

That one was a shocker. The room grew quiet, as everyone took in the news. "Wait a moment, Robby. Let me just speak to the President and the others." He silenced the phone and looked up. "Well, this was unexpected."

"We should probably accept." Deval scratched his chin. "With Hillary's supporters, we'll have an insurmountable lead against Bernie."

"Yeah," Joe urged him, "let her endorse you and campaign for you. We need to put this primary behind us."

"Do we, though?" David Axelrod wondered aloud. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "If Hillary endorses us... sure, we'll win the primary easily. But it can alienate the Bernie supporters. These guys don't like Hillary, and she's very unpopular with the general electorate after this email thing. Once she endorses us, we'll forever have the label of establishment candidates. We don't need her endorsement- we can win this easily, anyway. And that way, with Hillary's endorsement unknown, they'll have an easier time uniting behind us in the General."

The President thought about it for a few moments. If Hillary endorsed him now, about 20% of the Democratic electorate, her loyal core supporters, would flock to him, and if you add that to Barack's current numbers, Bernie would lose almost every state. Winning the primary right now, putting the challenge away and focusing on the general... it was tempting. But David's words made sense. He reached a decision, and looked at Jim.

"Tell him not yet."

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[America Needs R'hllor]

March 4th, 2016

BREAKING: Hillary Clinton suspends her campaign, makes no endorsement



NEW YORK CITY - After a disappointing showing in Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton shook the politican world by announcing that she's suspending her campaign in front of a crowd of supporters in Brooklyn, New York. With husband Bill Clinton, daughter Chelsea and son-in-law Marc Mezvinsky standing behind her, the former Secretary of State thanked her supporters and spoke about gender issues and sounded like someone who's ending her political career, conceding that "someone else" will break the glass ceiling.

Noteably, Clinton didn't make any endorsement in her speech- she was expected by most pundits to endorse the incumbent President in an attempt to end the primaries, but this did not seem to happen. She only told supporters that they should "remain engaged and support the candidate who speaks to you in tone and policy", and urged them to vote for whoever wins the Democratic nomination in the general elction so that America can "continue the progress". When asked who does the former First Lady support, Campaign Chair John Podesta said that "what Secretary Clinton said yesterday speaks for itself".

The Obama campaign, nonetheless, is expected to benefit from this the most, with the establishment vote no longer split and progressives finding him much more paltable than Clinton. Polls showed that as many as two-thirds of Clinton's supporters had Obama as their second choice. Still, Sanders vowed in a rally today to "continue and fight the broken political system", and is expected to remain a strong challenger to President Obama.

This is the current state of the race:

Democratic Primaries

American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
US Virgin Islands
Democrats Abroad

Barack Obama- 416 pledged delegates
Hillary Clinton- 312 pledged delegates
Bernie Sanders- 293 pledged delegates
Others- 0 pledged delegates

[America Needs R'hllor]

March 5th, 2016

Obama wins Louisiana, Nebraska; Sanders wins Kansas



OMAHA - It was a good day for Barack Obama. The incumbent President was expected to easily win Louisiana, and he did, but he also managed to exceed expectations and narrowly win the state of Nebraska, where polling showed Senator Sanders winning. The Independent Vermont Senator only won in Kansas.


Democratic Louisiana Primary results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 71.4% (40 pledged delegates) ✓
Bernie Sanders- 16.7% (11 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 8.2% (0 pledged delegates)
Others- 2.7% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Nebraska Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 49.5% (13 pledged delegates) ✓
Bernie Sanders- 48.3% (12 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 2.2% (0 pledged delegates)
Others- 0% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Kansas Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Bernie Sanders- 57.6% (20 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 38.0% (13 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 4.4% (0 pledged delegates)
Others- 0% (0 pledged delegates)

It's interesting to look at the county map of the Nebraska caucuses:


As we can see, Bernie Sanders did very well in rural counties, normally radically conservative, sweeping most of the Nebraska panhandle and the Rainwater Basin. Unlike six years ago, when Obama managed to defeat another candidate who did well in rural areas, Hillary Clinton, by a big margin thanks to overwhelming victories in urban centers, this time, Sanders kept it close by only narrowly losing urban counties. In Douglas, the county containing Omaha, Obama defeated him only 51.7%-48.3%, while in Lancastar, the county containing state capital Lincoln, It came to a few hundreds of votes, and Obama edged out Sanders by 50.03%-49.97%. Nonetheless, Sanders was expected to do better today, and the narrow loss in Nebraska comes as a disappointment.

The current state of the race:

Democratic Primaries

American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
US Virgin Islands
Democrats Abroad

Barack Obama- 482 pledged delegates
Bernie Sanders- 336 pledged delegates
Hillary Clinton- 312 pledged delegates
Others- 0 pledged delegates

[America Needs R'hllor]

March 6th, 2016

Obama, Sanders exchange fire in eighth Democratic debate as results from Maine Caucuses come in



FLINT - It was a very eventful night for the Democrats. In a debate hosted by the city where an ongoing water crisis was blamed on the Republicans, who hold Congress and the Governor's Mansion in Flint, Obama and Sanders sparred on a large variety of issues, including foreign policy, trade and campaign finance reform. Noteably, Barack Obama came out in defence of the TPP, and is expected to work on changing the public opinion on it. But on one issue they fully agreed- the Republicans botched handling of the Flint Water Crisis. But there was another major event today for the Democrats.


Democratic Maine Caucuses results, 100% counted:
Bernie Sanders- 60.4% (15 pledged delegates) ✓
Barack Obama- 37.9% (10 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton- 1.6% (0 pledged delegates)
Uncommited- 0.1% (0 pledged delegates)

Near the end of the debate, moderator Anderson Cooper announced that CNN has called the Maine Caucuses for Senator Bernie Sanders, and by a substantial margin as well. This call brought an interesting moment, when the lose of the Caucuses, President Obama, had to comment on the results when standing by the victor, Senator Sanders. Let's look at a few highlights:


Bernie Sanders: "Me and the President agree on many issues, but there is one thing that his administration is doing, one thing I really can't support. And this is the TPP trade agreement. It's a disastrous policy that makes outsourcing jobs to countries with problematic labour laws awfully easy, and it hurts the working class."
Barack Obama: "I believe that this is a major issue where populist rhetoric has really distorted the facts. This is an agreement with countries like Canada, Mexico, Japan and Australia, countries with good labour laws, that promotes lowering costs, lowering poverty, and yes, it promotes the creation of jobs, in all the countries signing it, in the U.S. as well. This agreement has binding, enforceable obligations on signing countries to protect labour unions and to eliminate exploitative child labor, to eliminate forced labor, to protect against employment discrimination. Without this agreemet, we're ceding the trade market around the Pacific Ocean to China. We're letting them lead the global economy. Do we want that? No, we do not, because China doesn't have the same standards as we do. This is an agreement that will improve the lives of so many people, both in America and outside it, and I'm fully ready to defend it."


Woman in the audience: "Mr. President, you've been in office for eight years, all throughout the water crisis here, but it's still happening. Don't you have some of the blame for it?"
Barack Obama: "Thank you for this question. Well, the way I see it, this is one of the worse sanitarian crises in recent years in our country. It's terrible- people shouldn't be so exposed to poison, they shouldn't fear a shower or a glass of water. And I've tried to do what I can to fix the water supply here, but in order for this to happen, we need the Republican Congress to approve federal funding for this crisis, and we need Governor Snyder to start taking it seriously. What we see here is a result of the myth Republican politicians believe in, that the government is a negative force that shouldn't get involved, and of racism still deep-rooted in our society. We will do everything we can for Flint, and once again, I urge congress for action."


Anderson Cooper: "Hold on, mr. President, Senator. We have a major call to make here on CNN- Bernie Sanders, standing here on this stage tonight, is the victor of the Maine Caucuses, defeating the other man on the stage by more than 20%. Senator?"
Bernise Sanders: (Grinning) "Well, I want to thank the people of Maine so much for their support. It means the world to me, and I hope we can continue forward with changing our broken political system and our economy so that they benefit everyone, not just the top 1%. Clearly, the people of Maine believe in that."
Anderson Cooper: "President Obama? Do you want to respond to that loss tonight? Clearly, Senator Sanders is beating you, an incumbent President, in many rural, working-class areas. Why is that?"
Barack Obama: "Well, uh, first of all, I want to thank my voters in Maine as well. I promise that we will go forward and that I will not disappoint you. And I want to thank Senator Sanders' voters as well, and everyone else who engaged in the Caucuses. You're what's moving our great democracy. Now, as for the question, I do see the Senator's strong performance in these areas, and it's clear to me that his message is resounding with voters there. I take this to heart, and I promise you- in the general election, I will do my best to speak about the issues that matter to these voters, and about the ways to solve them, about many of which I am in agreement with Senator Sanders."

Who do you think won the eighth Democratic debate?
Barack Obama- 56%
Bernie Sanders- 36%
Unsure- 8%

Democratic Primary (National)-
Barack Obama- 55%  (+17)
Bernie Sanders- 38%  (+11)
Undecided- 7%  (+2)

Democratic Primary (Michigan)-
Barack Obama- 53%
Bernie Sanders- 41%
Undecided- 6%

Democratic Primary (Mississipi)-
Barack Obama- 78%
Bernie Sanders- 18%
Undecided- 4%

Democratic Primary (Florida)-
Barack Obama- 61%
Bernie Sanders- 34%
Undecided- 5%

Democratic Primary (Illinois)-
Barack Obama- 74%
Bernie Sanders- 23%
Undecided- 3%

Democratic Primary (Missouri)-
Bernie Sanders- 47%
Barack Obama- 46%
Undecided- 7%

Democratic Primary (North Carolina)-
Barack Obama- 59%
Bernie Sanders- 36%
Undecided- 5%

Democratic Primary (Ohio)-
Barack Obama- 54%
Bernie Sanders- 42%
Undecided- 4%

[America Needs R'hllor]

March 8th, 2016

Obama wins Mississippi, Michigan, Sanders considerably outperforms Michigan polling

LANSIG - A good night for the Obama campaign, as the incumbent President managed to win both primaries held today, in deep southern Mississippi and in midwestern Michigan. Sanders was hoping for an upset in Michigan, but though he almost achieved it, keeping the state surprisingly close and outperforming his polls by close to 10%, Obama clinched the victory here in the end.

Pundits are speculating that the polling in Michigan was so far away from the actual result because the pollsters were using erroneous assumptions about the composition of the electorate from the 2008 contest, which had very low participation because the state wasn't worth any delegates, after a dispute with the DNC.

Sanders' surprisingly strong performance is attributed to his powerful showing with rural voters, as well as with factory workers who are hostile to the trade deals championed by the President- Sanders won white voters, who made up more than 70% of the electorate, by a 52-45 margin. But in the end, Obama's landslide margin with African-Americans and his big victories in urband areas such as Flint and Detroit (attributed by some to him saving the auto industry in that city), allowed him to take a narrow win.


Democratic Mississippi Primary results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 85.7% (36 pledged delegates) ✓
Bernie Sanders- 11.4% (0 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 2.3% (0 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.6% (0 pledged delegates)


Democratic Michigan Primary results, 100% counted:
Barack Obama- 49.8% (67 pledged delegates) ✓
Bernie Sanders- 48.5% (63 pledged delegates)
Others- 0.9% (0 pledged delegates)
Hillary Clinton: 0.8% (0 pledged delegates)

State of the race:

Democratic Primaries

American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
US Virgin Islands
Democrats Abroad

Barack Obama- 595 pledged delegates
Bernie Sanders- 414 pledged delegates
Hillary Clinton- 312 pledged delegates
Others- 0 pledged delegates