KPCC Election 2008
February 2008 Archives
McCain and Obama argue over Iraq
Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have gone back and forth on the issue of Iraq over the last couple days.
Their recent issue began with Obama's comments during Tuesday night's Democratic debate that he would withdraw troops from Iraq, but reserved the right to send them back in if al-Qaida began to establish a base in Iraq. McCain fired back Wednesday that al-Qaida is already in Iraq, and that Obama's answer showed a lack of understanding. They've continued to exchange barbs.
How important is the issue of Iraq to you? What do you think about the Iraq war so far? What do you think should be done going forward? Tell us all about it in our comments!
(Photo: STF/AFP/Getty Images)Tools
- February 28, 2008 4:11 PM
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Obama and Clinton Face Off In Key Debate
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama debated on MSNBC last night in Cleveland, Ohio. The debate opened with a 16 minute back and forth over health care. Other topics that they grappled with included Louis Farrakhan, Russia, IRS records, media bias, Iraq, campaign tactics, the NAFTA trade agreements, and more.
Who do you think won the debate? Does either candidate gain momentum going into next week's Ohio and Texas primaries? Is the media being fair to both candidates? We'd love to hear what you think in our comments!
(Photo by J.D. Pooley/Getty Images)Tools
- February 27, 2008 11:35 AM
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Senator Dodd Endorses Obama
Senator Chris Dodd endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama today. Dodd is the first 2008 Democratic presidential candidate to make an endorsement. Other former Democratic candidates John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, and Dennis Kucinich have all remained on the sidelines to date.
There has been concern over the prospect of superdelegates going against the pledged delegate total, popular vote, and/or number of states won, and tipping the election. Dodd himself is a superdelegate. Obama has been picking up more superdelegate endorsements, while Hillary Clinton has lost some who had previously committed to her.
Who do you think has momentum in the Democratic race? Hillary Clinton? Barack Obama? Mike Gravel? Do you think there's a chance it could shift directions? If so, how?
What impact do you think Dodd's endorsement will have? What impact would the endorsements of other 2008 Democratic candidates have, and will they endorse soon? How about former vice president/2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore? Who do you think any of them would endorse? Tell us your thoughts in our comments!Tools
- February 26, 2008 1:52 PM
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Ralph Nader Announces Third Presidential Bid
Ralph Nader announced his third presidential bid on Sunday's "Meet The Press." He previously ran in 2000, winning 2.7% of the vote, and 2004, winning 0.4% of the vote.
Nader came to prominence as a consumer advocate, writing the book "Unsafe at Any Speed" and taking on the car industry for their safety practices. He continued his activism, forming the group Public Citizen and enlisting other activists to work for him, who became known as "Nader's Raiders."
In 2000, he ran for president on the Green Party ticket, hoping to earn 5% of the popular vote, which would have earned the Green Party matching funds in future elections. However, he only received 2.7% of the popular vote. There was an ensuing argument about whether the votes for Nader could have tipped the 2000 election from Al Gore to George W. Bush, particularly due to Nader's votes in Florida, a crucial swing state. He ran for president again in 2004, this time independent of any party, receiving 0.4% of the vote.
Do you feel the need for a third party candidate? Are you happy with the choices offered by the Democratic and Republican parties? Do you worry about Nader tipping the balance one direction or another in this election? Would you consider voting for Nader or another third party candidate? Tell us your thoughts in our comments section!Tools
- February 25, 2008 3:13 PM
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The New York Times vs. John McCain
What do you think of today's New York Times article about Senator John McCain's relationship with a telecommunications industry lobbyist?
Do you consider it to be a worthwhile journalistic contribution to the presidential campaign? Do you believe, as Senator McCain charged, that the article amounted to nothing more than "a hit-and-run smear campaign?" Do you think it matters whether McCain had an affair with the lobbyist?
The New York Times argues that its article was trying to make a more subtle point, as the article put it: "Even as he has vowed to hold himself to the highest ethical standards, his confidence in his own integrity has sometimes seemed to blind him to potentially embarrassing conflicts of interest." Do you think the article substantiates that assertion?
Update: The New York Times is soliciting reader questions regarding the McCain article; questions will be addressed on Friday, February 22 by the reporters and editors who worked on the story.Tools
- February 21, 2008 4:39 PM
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How Are You Feeling About the Election?
Hello, all. We launched this blog primarily for use on Super Tuesday election night, but we've decided to keep going with it and continue our conversation with y'all about this VERY interesting election year.
Here we are, halfway through February. The Republican nominating race seems all sewn up, but don't tell that to Mike Huckabee. And the Democratic race? Goodness. Who could have predicted this one?
At this intriguing juncture, and with a little breather between primaries, we're really curious to hear how you're feeling about the election. Are you excited? Engaged? Addicted, as we are, to election coverage? Or are you starting to suffer from electoral fatigue? Share your thoughts with us!
We'll keep posting here periodically as there's news worth dissecting, and we hope you'll join the conversation. It's a historic year any way you look at it, and we're really looking forward to the rest of it...Tools
- February 20, 2008 1:05 PM
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Tell us your thoughts about yesterday's election!
How did you feel about your overall voting experience? What do you think about the troubles that "Decline to State" voters have had? How did your candidate and issues fare? We want to hear all about it! Feel free to post your comments.
Tools
- February 6, 2008 10:41 AM
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Ballot measure results as of 8:50 a.m. Wednesday, February 6
As of this morning, here's how the ballot measures fared:
91: 58.1% no votes, 41.9% yes votes
92: 57.4% no votes, 42.6% yes votes
93: 53.5% no votes, 46.5% yes votes
94: 55.8% yes votes, 44.2% no votes
95: 55.8% yes votes, 44.2% no votes
96: 55.7% yes votes, 44.3% no votes
97: 55.7% yes votes, 44.3% no votes
Los Angeles city measure S: 65.63% yes votes, 34.37% no votes
The result with the biggest potential impact is the failure of Proposition 93. Term limits will remain at 6 years in the state assembly and 8 years in the state senate, meaning that quite a few incumbents will be termed out this year, including Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President pro Tem Don Perata. To find out more about Proposition 93, check out our interactive quiz!Tools
- February 6, 2008 8:50 AM
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NPR projections as of 8:30 a.m. (PT) Wednesday, February 6
So, how have things changed sine last night? Well, NPR is reporting the Associated Press's projection of Barack Obama in Missouri's Democratic primary, though they have not officially made that projection themselves due to how close the race there was. The one race left from yesterday that NPR is saying is still too close to call is the Democratic primary in New Mexico. With 92% reporting, Obama is up by less that 600 votes, winning 49% to 48% over Hillary Clinton.
The states projected for each candidate:
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton (8): Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, California
Barack Obama (13): Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Alaska, Missouri (AP)
Too close to call: New Mexico
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee (5): West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee
John McCain (9): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Arizona, Missouri, California, Oklahoma
Mitt Romney (7): Massachusetts, Utah, North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Colorado, AlaskaTools
- February 6, 2008 8:30 AM
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Signing off!
Well, we're all blogged out and we've twittered until we can twitter no more. Here are some links for finding the latest results on national and California races:
- NPR election map with results from every Super Tuesday state, including California
- State Ballot Measure results (CA Secretary of State)
- Los Angeles Measure S results (L.A. County Registrar)
We want to thank everyone who read and posted to the blog and followed our Twitter updates. We're still interested in hearing about your voting experiences, and your reflections on the election the day after. So keep those comments coming!
NPR projections as 11:30 p.m. (PT) Tuesday, February 5:
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton (8): Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, California
Barack Obama (12): Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Alaska
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee (5): West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee
John McCain (8): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Arizona, Missouri, California
Mitt Romney (7): Massachusetts, Utah, North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Colorado, Alaska
Tools
- February 5, 2008 11:12 PM
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Election Night Photos from the KPCC Control Room
Here's what it looked liked on Election Night in the KPCC control room in Pasadena. A fun time was had by all!
The entrance to the inner sanctum...
Controlled chaos
News Director Paul Glickman gets his game face on.
Managing News Editor Nick Roman in da house.
Online Editor Jenn Dungan blogs.
KPCC online and on air.
Patt Morrison and Larry Mantle in the studio; Joel Stein at the controlsTools
- February 5, 2008 10:49 PM
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Still waiting on NPR projections for...
Democratic: Missouri and New Mexico
Republican: AlaskaTools
- February 5, 2008 10:28 PM
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NPR Projections as of 9:30
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton (9): Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Missouri, California
Barack Obama (11): Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee (5): West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee
John McCain (8): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Arizona, Missouri, California
Mitt Romney (5): Massachusetts, Utah, North Dakota, Minnesota, MontanaTools
- February 5, 2008 9:29 PM
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NPR Projections as of 9:12
California polls closed at 8; too close to call for both Democrats and Republicans.
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton (8): Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Missouri
Barack Obama (11): Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee (5): West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee
John McCain (7): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Arizona, Missouri
Mitt Romney (5): Massachusetts, Utah, North Dakota, Minnesota, MontanaTools
- February 5, 2008 9:09 PM
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"Prohibitive frontrunner" versus "presumptive nominee"
You may have heard these terms being bandied about by various reporters recently, saying that so and so is a "prohibitive frontrunner," or talking about how someone isn't the "presumptive nominee" yet. What the heck does that mean?
To receive the Democratic nomination, a candidate needs 2025 out of 4049 delegates, while to win the Republican nomination, a candidate needs 1191 out of 2380 delegates. When a candidate doesn't have that number of delegates yet, but has such a substantial lead that it's prohibitive to the chances of other candidates catching up, they are referred to as a "prohibitive frontrunner." A candidate is the "presumptive nominee" when they've accumulated enough delegates to win the nomination through the primary/caucus process, but the party convention hasn't taken place yet, so they aren't officially the nominee yet.Tools
- February 5, 2008 9:08 PM
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NPR Projections as of 8:35
California polls closed at 8; too close to call for both Democrats and Republicans.
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton (7): Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey, Arizona
Barack Obama (11): Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee (4): West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia
John McCain (5): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York
Mitt Romney (4): Massachusetts, Utah, North Dakota, MinnesotaTools
- February 5, 2008 8:31 PM
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Behind the scenes at NPR
So what's it like in the NPR studios? We have some behind the scenes shots, including a lot of personalities you may know by voice, but not sight.
The scene at the NPR studios:
All Things Considered hosts Michele Norris and Robert Siegel:
All Things Considered weekend host Andrea Seabrook and NPR correspondent David Folkenflik:
NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving, NPR Vice President Ken Stern, and NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin:
Pollster Andrew Kohut:
Journalist and commentator E.J. Dionne:
Tools
- February 5, 2008 8:20 PM
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NPR Projections as of 8:15
California polls closed at 8; too close to call for both Democrats and Republicans.
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton: Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey
Barack Obama: Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee: West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia
John McCain: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York
Mitt Romney: Massachusetts, Utah, North Dakota, MinnesotaTools
- February 5, 2008 8:14 PM
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NPR Projections as of 7:45
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton: Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey
Barack Obama: Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, Connecticut, Minnesota
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee: West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas
John McCain: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York
Mitt Romney: Massachusetts, UtahTools
- February 5, 2008 7:35 PM
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NPR Projections as of 6:50
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton: Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey
Barack Obama: Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Delaware, Kansas
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee: West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas
John McCain: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York
Mitt Romney: MassachusettsTools
- February 5, 2008 6:53 PM
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So, how was your voting experience?
We'd still like to hear from you about how your voting went. If you're a nonpartisan voter -- any confusion about the process? How was the turnout at your polling place? Did you get helpful instructions from the pollworkers? Let us know!
Tools
- February 5, 2008 6:44 PM
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NPR projections as of 6:00
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton: Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, New York
Barack Obama: Georgia, Alabama, Illinois
Republicans:
Mike Huckabee: West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas
John McCain: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey
Mitt Romney: MassachusettsTools
- February 5, 2008 6:07 PM
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NPR projects John McCain wins Delaware
NPR has projected John McCain to be the Republican winner in Delaware.
Tools
- February 5, 2008 5:45 PM
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The biggest Super Tuesday ever
To give you a sense of what makes this year's Super Tuesday such a big deal, 24 different states are having primaries or caucuses today. Before this, the biggest Super Tuesday had been in the year 2000, when 16 different states voted. The larger number of states is due to more states moving their primaries and caucuses up in an effort to give their voters more of a say in who the nominees will be. California was one of those states to move up their presidential primary this year, giving the California primary renewed importance.
Tools
- February 5, 2008 5:35 PM
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NPR projects Clinton and Huckabee win Arkansas
Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee have been projected to win Arkansas, where former president Bill Clinton was governor before becoming president, and Huckabee was governor until January 2007.
You can continue following results on our NPR Election Map. You can view either Democrat or Republican results by clicking on the tabs at the top of the map, click on any state you're interested in for extensive information on that particular state, and more.Tools
- February 5, 2008 5:25 PM
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NPR projects Hillary Clinton wins Tennessee
Another state in the Hillary column.
Tools
- February 5, 2008 5:17 PM
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More projections roll in
NPR is making the following projections:
McCain wins Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey
Romney wins Massachusetts
Obama wins Illinois, Alabama
Clinton wins OklahomaTools
- February 5, 2008 5:05 PM
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NPR projects that John McCain will win the New Jersey primary; still time to vote on the west coast!
More projections are in, with John McCain the projected winner in New Jersey. There's still time to get out to the polls father west though, including right here in California, where polls remain open until 8 p.m.
Tools
- February 5, 2008 5:00 PM
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First Democratic projections in from NPR; how are projections made?
NPR is projecting that Barack Obama has won the Georgia primary. You can continue to follow results state by state here and on our NPR Election Map.
So how are projections like this made, before the votes have been tallied? They use exit polls. Voters are surveyed as they leave their polling place about who they voted for. It's only a sample, not every voter, so that information is combined with pre-election polling, how voters in that precinct have previously voted, and other information to project a winner. They often wait until actual results start getting reported, figuring those into the calculations, to make sure an accurate projection is made.Tools
- February 5, 2008 4:23 PM
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How did West Virginia announce Huckabee win so early?
The first results of the day are in, and the big winner is... Mike Huckabee! He picked up 18 delegates from West Virginia's Republican state presidential convention. After trailing Mitt Romney in first round balloting, he won in second round balloting, picking up many voters who had chosen John McCain in the first round.
So, how did this get announced so quickly? Rather than being open to everyone or even just to party members, like many caucuses, the voting at the convention was done by state delegates, who were selected early last month. These state delegates included West Virginia Republican party officials, Republican members of the state legislature and Board of Public Works, and delegates chosen by local Republican party chapters in each county. The state has 27 total pledged delegates, the other 9 of which will be assigned in a May primary.Tools
- February 5, 2008 2:59 PM
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Obama campaign lawyer on voting issues
Stephen Kaufman, a lawyer with the Obama campaign, said that they have encountered two main issues today:
1. This one is a statewide problem: a number of DTS voters are asking for a ballot to vote in the Democratic primary, but are being denied one. This seems to be a result of uninformed poll workers. Also, many DTS voters are unaware that they have to ask for a ballot to vote in the Democratic primary, and are ending up with the DTS ballot, which does not include the presidential primary. (Tony West, another lawyer with the campaign, said they have seen this problem of DTS voters being denied a Democratic ballot in L.A., San Francisco, Alameda, Fresno, and Santa Clara counties.)
2. Only in L.A. County – The problem of DTS voters' confusion about having to mark the "Democrat" bubble above the candidates' names in order to have their vote count. This system has been in place for the last couple of election cycles, but they say it's particularly a problem this time around because the information in the voting materials is confusing, and there are such a large number of DTS voters who want to vote in the Democratic primary. Kaufman said, "We are hopeful that the County Registrar and the Secretary of State will implement procedures that will enable these votes to be counted, ultimately. If that does not happen, you might see the possibility of legal challenges."Tools
- February 5, 2008 2:36 PM
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Nonpartisan voters getting conflicting information?
We're already hearing some reports about issues at some polling places with nonpartisan/decline-to-state voters getting incorrect ballots and/or voting instructions. There is some concern about votes not being counted. KPCC's Molly Peterson is working on the story, and we will have much more on it throughout the day.
Tools
- February 5, 2008 2:15 PM
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How was your voting experience?
We want to hear what it was like out there at the polls. If you've already voted -- share your stories here! How was the turnout? Were things well organized? Did you run into any problems? Post a comment and let us know.
Note: We have a strict policy of no electioneering on air or online while the polls are open, so in your comments, please DON'T tell us how you voted. We can not post any comments that might be construed as electioneering. Thanks!Tools
- February 5, 2008 12:35 PM
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Welcome to the Super Tuesday Blog!
We're up! For those of you who were looking for this blog earlier -- sorry, we were out voting. But we're up now, and we want to hear all about your Election Day experiences. We'll be blogging throughout the day and even more heavily this evening as results start coming in.
Tools
- February 5, 2008 12:33 PM
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