NYT/AP: Weekend Races in 5 States
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 8, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barack Obama packed in a Nebraska crowd of over 10,000, Chelsea Clinton spoke up for her mom and Mike Huckabee laid out a full plate of Kansas events like he never heard the Republican race is supposed to be over. So goes the effort to win four Democratic and three Republican presidential nomination contests on the weekend -- a round getting less than the full treatment by the remaining hopefuls, but plenty of attention still....
There was plenty of drama for the two Democrats, competing for 161 delegates Saturday in Washington state, Louisiana, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands, followed by Maine caucuses with 24 delegates Sunday.
In strongly Republican and sparsely populated Nebraska, Obama spoke to the huge crowd at an Omaha arena Thursday, exhorting: ''You're here because you don't want to just be against something. You want to be for something. Chris Slaughter, 20, heard the speech and said: ''He's a once-in-a-generation candidate.''
Chelsea Clinton campaigned for her mother, taking questions for an hour from students in Lincoln. Many asked about Hillary Clinton's efforts to establish universal health care -- her failure in the 1990s and her renewed plans now. ''It's not how people react when they succeed but how they react when they fail,'' said Chelsea. ''She learned from that experience.'' Usually a quiet presence with her mother on the trail, she planned to meet students in Omaha on Friday.
Obama was the only candidate campaigning in all four states; Clinton planned stops in Washington and Maine, leaving Louisiana and Nebraska to husband Bill and daughter Chelsea....
***
A look at the races:
WASHINGTON CAUCUSES:
The stakes: 78 Democratic delegates, 18 GOP delegates.
...Obama is thought to have an advantage in the caucuses, which are dominated by party activists, especially in liberal Seattle. However, Washington has a strong history of electing women.....
LOUISIANA PRIMARIES:
The stakes: 56 Democratic delegates, 20 Republican delegates.
...A heavy turnout by black voters would benefit Obama. The state is close to one-third black and has only a small population of Hispanics, a group that has favored Clinton.....
NEBRASKA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES:
The stakes: 24 Democratic delegates.
...The Clinton campaign claimed a strong grass-roots organization. Obama has been endorsed by state party leaders and lawmakers as well as by Sen. Ben Nelson, the only Democratic member of the state's congressional delegation....
MAINE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES:
The stakes: 24 Democratic delegates.
...Gov. John Baldacci is backing Clinton, and led several dozen state lawmakers in a rally for her Thursday. Obama swept up $400,000 in a visit to Portland in September, in one demonstration of his drawing power in the state, said Maine House Speaker Glenn Cummings, who backs him....
VIRGIN ISLANDS DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES:
The stakes: 3 Democratic delegates.
...In November, Obama attracted more than 100 supporters to a one-hour reception in St. Thomas that cost up to $2,300 to attend....
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Campaign-Next-Up.html?pagewanted=all
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