Clinton Wins Vote; Obama Shares Prize Mccain Wins in S.C.; It's Romney in Nev.

Jan 20, 08:34 AM

By David Espo

The Associated Press

Sen. John McCain won the South Carolina primary Saturday night, avenging a defeat there in 2000 and gaining ground in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama split the spoils in Nevada caucuses.

"We've got a long way to go," McCain said in an interview.

He quickly predicted that his victory in the first Southern primary would help him next week when Florida votes and again on Feb. 5 when more than two dozen states hold primaries and caucuses.

"This is one step on a long journey," Clinton told cheering supporters in Las Vegas. She captured the popular vote, but Obama edged her out for national convention delegates at stake, taking 13 to her 12.

Obama issued a statement that said he had conducted an "honest, uplifting campaign ... that appealed to people's hopes instead of their fears."

If the Democrats had co-front-runners, the Republicans had none and looked to the first Southern-state primary to begin winnowing an unwieldy field.

McCain defeated former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the state that snuffed out his presidential hopes eight years ago. The Arizonan was gaining 33 percent of the vote to just under 30 percent for his closest rival.

"It just took us awhile," McCain said. "That's all. Eight years is not a long time."

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson was in a struggle for third place with about 16 percent after saying he needed a strong showing to sustain his candidacy. Another Republican, California Rep. Duncan Hunter, dropped out even before the votes were tallied.

Interviews with South Carolina voters leaving their polling places indicated that McCain, an Arizona senator, and Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, were dividing the Republican vote evenly. As was his custom, McCain was winning the votes of self-described independents.

South Carolina was the second half of a campaign doubleheader for Republicans.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney cruised to victory earlier in the day in the little-contested Nevada caucuses.

No matter the state, the economy was the top issue in all three races on the ballot.

Republicans in Nevada and South Carolina cited immigration as their second-most-important concern.

Among Democrats in Nevada, health care was the second most- important issue, followed by the Iraq war, which has dominated the race for months.

With three contests on the ballot, it was the busiest day of the presidential campaign to date, and every contest produced a different winner.

Romney rolled to victory in the Nevada Republican caucuses, winning roughly 50 percent of the vote.

Interviews with Democratic caucus-goers indicated that Clinton fashioned her victory by winning about half the votes cast by whites and two-thirds of the support from Hispanics, many members of a Culinary Workers Union that had endorsed Obama. He won about 80 percent of the black vote.

Obama had pinned his Nevada hopes on an outpouring of support from the 60,000-member union. But it appeared that turnout was lighter than expected at nine caucuses established along the Las Vegas Strip, and some attending held signs reading, "I support my union. I support Hillary."

Democrats looked next to South Carolina to choose between Obama and Clinton. The state is home to thousands of black voters, who are expected to make up as much as half the Democratic electorate.

After that, the race goes national, with more than 20 states holding primaries and caucuses on Feb. 5 and 1,678 national Democratic convention delegates at stake.

The split Democratic verdict in Nevada resulted from the proportional manner in which delegates were awarded. Obama emerged with one more than Clinton because he ran strongly in rural areas.

Overall, Clinton leads the delegates race with 236, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. Obama has a total of 136, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has 50.

Romney struck first on the day among the Republicans.

The former Massachusetts governor learned of his Nevada victory when his wife Ann announced it on the public address system of his chartered jet.

"Keep 'em coming. Keep 'em coming," he said.

Romney had campaigned for months to win early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, and his candidacy was in trouble when he lost both. He retooled his appeal to the voters in the days leading to the Michigan primary, though, focusing on the economy and trumpeting his experience as a businessman.

En route to Florida, he presented reporters with his economic stimulus plan, $233 billion in all. It includes tax rebates and tax cuts for individuals, as well as tax cuts for businesses.

Nevada Republicans said the economy and illegal immigration were their top concerns, according to a survey of voters entering the caucuses. Romney led among voters who cited both issues.

Mormons gave Romney about half his votes. He is hoping to become the first member of his faith to win the White House. Alone among the Republican contenders, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas aired television ads in Nevada.

Nearly complete returns showed Romney winning more than 50 percent of the vote, with Paul and McCain far behind vying for second. Thompson and Huckabee trailed.

Romney also won at least 17 of the 31 Republican National Convention delegates at stake. McCain and Paul won at least four apiece, while Thompson and Huckabee each won two. Hunter and Rudy Giuliani each won one delegate - the first of the campaign for the former New York mayor.

Nevada offered more delegates - 31 versus 24 - but far less appeal to the Republican candidates than South Carolina, a primary that has gone to the party's eventual nominee every four years since 1980.

That made it a magnet for Thompson, who staked his candidacy on a strong showing, as well as for Romney, McCain and Huckabee.

McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, appealed to a large population of military veterans in South Carolina, and stressed his determination to rein in federal spending as he worked to avenge a bitter defeat in the 2000 primary.

Huckabee reached out to evangelical Christian voters, hoping to rebound from a string of disappointing showings since his victory in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses.

In South Carolina, the economy and immigration were cited as top issues, with more than half the voters saying illegal immigrants should be deported. Conservatives and white evangelical voters turned out in heavy numbers, according to the polling place interviews.

Nevada Mitt Romney With 99 percent of precincts reporting, he won 51 percent of the vote and 17 delegates. S. Carolina Sen. John McCain With 84 percent of precincts reporting, he won 33 percent of the vote in the Republican primary. coming up

South Carolina Jan. 26, Dems

Florida Jan. 29

Maine Feb. 2, GOP; Feb. 10, Dems

Super Tuesday Feb. 5, more than 20 states

Virginia Feb. 12 Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton With 98 percent of precincts in, she won 51 percent of the vote and 12 delegates. Sen. Barack Obama He won 45 percent of the vote, but with 13 delegates, he claimed one more than Clinton.

(c) 2008 Virginian - Pilot. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved. Clinton Wins Vote; Obama Shares Prize Mccain Wins in S.C.; It's Romney in Nev.
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