At least 14 say they won't endorse candidate
The Hill Jun 12, 08 2:12 PM CDT
(Newser)
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At least 14 GOP lawmakers are refusing to publicly support John McCain’s White House bid, and more than a dozen more are keeping mum about whether they back the senator, the Hill reports. A few say they are supporting their party’s candidate without going so far as endorsing him. Many refused to say why they were holding out, though some offered as reasons differences on Iraq and energy policy.
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West Va. senator and former KKK member, 90, wants end to Iraq war
Charleston Gazette May 19, 08 4:24 PM CDT
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West Virginia's Robert Byrd, the longest-serving senator ever and a former Ku Klux Klansman, today endorsed Barack Obama, calling him “a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian.” The 90-year-old, who's fourth in line for the presidency, threw his support behind Obama one week after his state voted for Hillary Clinton by a 41-point margin, the Charleston Gazette reports.
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OPINION
Where Barack's missing out and what Hillary needs to do
Washington Post May 15, 08 10:24 CDT
(Newser)
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John Edwards’ endorsement may have helped Obama turn the page on recent troubles, but pundits say he should face up to them—or he leaves an opening for Hillary to climb back in: Sure, it was a “rational, prudent decision” to skip West Virginia, David Broder allows, but it will keep Obama’s blue-collar question alive into the fall. He could have staged a JFK-style coup in the Mountain State—he certainly had the money and foot soldiers.
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ANALYSIS
Clinton's crowing over W. Va. falls in deaf ears among punditry
Politico May 14, 08 6:54 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton can crow all she wants about West Virginia, but the media won't hear. “This may be the first time in election history,” Roger Simon writes on Politico, “in which the press has withdrawn from a race before the candidate.” Barack Obama was off campaigning in Missouri—a state he already won—and the media agreed with him: The primaries are over.
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OPINION
Gotta fight for these voters before bias is
'set in concrete'
New York Times May 14, 08 12:41 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama may have the nomination all but wrapped up, but that doesn’t mean his electoral problems are over, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times —and feigning indifference that the Mountain State gave him a raspberry last night isn't a winning strategy. If Obama wants to capture these West Virginians in November, he’ll have to fight for them, the way JFK did "despite raging anti-Catholicism."
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It's all about whether he can woo those pesky blue-collar white voters
Slate May 14, 08 11:06 CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama's West Virginia loss by a whopping 30 points probably won’t cost him the Democratic nomination, writes John Dickerson in Slate. But the loss does put a chink in Obama’s argument that he can unite disparate groups, since, apparently, these powers have failed him among at least one key voting block—the blue-collar whites that are Hillary Clinton's base.
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Clinton insists she's the stronger candidate after win in West Virginia
NBC May 13, 08 8:58 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton said tonight she is "more determined than ever" to continue her campaign for the White House after what she termed an "overwhelming" victory in West Virginia, NBC reports. "I believe I'm the strongest candidate," she told supporters in Charleston after romping in nearly all-white West Virginia. With the odds stacked against her and her campaign $20 million in debt, she again urged supporters to go to her website to contribute.
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Clinton supporters are just as likely to vote for McCain as Obama
CNN May 13, 08 7:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Early exit polls in West Virginia suggest that Democrats have much healing to do when the primary season ends, CNN reports. Only 25% of Hillary Clinton supporters said they would be satisfied if Barack Obama won the nomination, and only 38% of Obama supporters said they'd be satisfied with Clinton as the nominee. More telling, 36% of Clinton supporters said they would vote for Obama if he's the nominee, but 35% said they'd jump ship for John McCain. The economy was voters' No. 1 issue.
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updated
She wins by a wide margin, hoping to slow Obama's momentum
Charleston Gazette May 13, 08 6:47 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton won a decisive—and expected—victory tonight in West Virginia, the Charleston Gazette reports. With 95% of returns in, Clinton led 67% to 26%, and her camp hopes a big margin of victory will raise new doubts in superdelegates' minds about Barack Obama's ability to win over white voters. The state is nearly all white and has a high percentage of the working-class voters that have eluded Obama during the primary season.
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Analysis
Clinton, running on fumes, needs heavy turnout, wide victory margin
Politico May 13, 08 10:30 CDT
(Newser)
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Some analysts see today’s West Virginia primary as a final chance for Hillary Clinton to raise questions about Barack Obama’s weaknesses. Here’s what to watch, via Kenneth Vogel on Politico: How will Mason County go? The 30,000-strong district has been a remarkably reliable indicator of statewide results in the past.
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With 20-point lead, Clinton stumps heavily in Mountain State
Baltimore Sun May 12, 08 7:51 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton and her supporters are canvassing heavily in West Virginia despite a 20-point lead and little competition, the Baltimore Sun reports. “We are all pretty inspired,” said one Clintonite on the eve of the state's primary. But Clinton and her family were the only politicos stumping across the Mountain State today: Barack Obama was MIA.
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As donations flag, strapped campaign must cut spending
New York Times May 9, 08 12:43 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton's loss of momentum is taking a tangible toll on her ability to raise—and spend—money, leaving her campaign even more strapped for cash at a time she needs to pull out all the stops, the New York Times reports. Advisers say that Clinton is prepared to shell out more of her own, adding to the $11 million she's already provided.
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Candidate endures heckling at West Virginia speech
New York Times May 8, 08 3:54 CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton had on her game face in West Virginia yesterday, but the crowd at the hastily arranged rally wasn't helping her keep her faltering campaign alive amid a torrent of talk that it's time for her to drop out. The crowd booed her proposal for a gas tax holiday, and greeted her statement that she'd end the Iraq war with catcalls. An Obama supporter turned on daughter Chelsea, calling out “End the dynasty!” when she introduced her mother, writes the New York Times .
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Obama, meanwhile, picks up 4 more superdelegates
Associated Press May 7, 08 2:46 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hillary Clinton pledged today to fight on despite yesterday's disappointing primary results; she “refused … to withdraw,” the AP reports, despite tough questioning at a news conference. Clinton said she wasn’t going anywhere “until there’s a nominee,” even if it means waiting for Democratic National Committee bodies (the first meets May 30) to rule on outlaw Florida and Michigan delegates.
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But camp reveals event on economy, signaling she'll stick around
Associated Press May 7, 08 10:42 CDT
(Newser)
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Top Hillary Clinton backer and former Democratic nominee George McGovern is switching his endorsement to Barack Obama—and urging Hillary to step aside, the AP reports. McGovern said it was now all but impossible for Clinton to prevail; the party’s choice in 1972, he said he would call Bill to relay the news.
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