Potomac Primary: Winners and Losers

[DeepModem Mom]

WP political blog, "The Fix," by Chris Cillizza
Potomac Primary: Winners and Losers

....WINNERS

GOV. TIM KAINE (D-VA.): How about this resume for a potential running mate? Kaine was among the first elected officials to endorse Obama, helped deliver a massive victory for him yesterday, and governs an emerging battleground state. Given that laundry list, it's hard to see Kaine not winding up among the final pool of veep picks if Obama becomes the nominee....

YOUNG VOTERS: Every cycle candidates pledge to engage the youth vote and every cycle it doesn't happen. Except this one. Exit polling in Maryland and Virginia showed that voters under 30 comprised 14 percent of the electorate in each state. That's up from eight percent in Maryland and Virginia in the 2004 Democratic presidential primary. Much of that increase is due to the excitement Obama has created among young people; he carried under 30 voters by 30 points in Maryland and 52 points in Virginia. Do those young voters stay involved in the campaign if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes the nominee?...

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LOSERS

STATUS QUO: The across the board losses by Clinton in the Potomac Primary coupled with the defeats of (Rep. Al) Wynn and (Rep. Wayne) Gilchrest suggest that voters of both partisan stripes are ready for something different in 2008. Exit polling bore that sentiment out. Nearly six in ten Democratic voters in Maryland and Virginia cited a candidate's ability to bring change as the most important quality in making their choice, while just one in five voters said that having the right experience was the key element in picking a candidate. Couple those numbers with the dismal approval ratings for President Bush and Congress and there is a real sense that the American people want change -- even if they are not sure what form that change should take....

EVANGELICALS: Evangelical voters comprised nearly half (46 percent) of all participants in the Virginia Republican primary. And they voted overwhelmingly for former governor Mike Huckabee (Ark.) over John McCain. But, it wasn't enough to put Huckabee over the top in the Commonwealth as McCain prevailed 50 percent to 41 percent. If Huckabee had edged McCain in Virginia it would have likely forced a reassessment of the race by the party and the press -- especially given Huckabee's wins over the weekend in Louisiana and Nebraska. McCain's win in Virginia likely seals the deal for the Arizona senator.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/02/potomac_primary_winners_and_lo.html?hpid=topnews