Obama won the Utah *primary* 57%-39% ...

[Alhena]

just wanted to point that out to those who say that he can only win big in states with caucuses or large numbers of black voters. Utah has a large hispanic population as well, so it's a safe bet he won the non-hispanic vote by margins similar to those we saw in the other Western caucuses.

[fenriswolf]

1. Bring on texas y'all

[ursi]

2. that is true and Harry Reid doesn't control things there like he does in Nevada

[Bicoastal]

3. Red State! Red State! Doesn't Count! Doesn't Count!

Don't you get it? Every single contest he's won thus far is somehow inferior in the face of Hillary winning California and New York.

There's more to the country than that, folks! And those are the two states I call home!

[Red Zelda]

4. Billary is History

Or at least she should be

[Fresh_Start]

5. I think when people are talking about that they are forecasting the GE

the problem with Utah is
120K voted in the Democratic primary
285K voted in the GOP primary

so they are suggesting that Utah isn't important because the democratic candidate will not win Utah period.
Utah exit polls showed only 7% hispanic voters. I'm not sure that a large population.

[Alhena]

7. The hispanic population there is much larger than 7% ...

I guess many of them are undocumented or otherwise don't vote.

[Fresh_Start]

12. exit poll 7% Latino voting Dem primary and 2% voting GOP primary

so I guess the rest don't vote

[thevoiceofreason]

23. Now that Mormon Mitt is out

The percentages will change, but I agree the state stays red. But again, the presidential nominee is also in the race for the down-ticket candidates. That's where Barack's ability to Barack the vote helps.

[joshcryer]

6. Utah is an open primary, just so ya know.

:hi:

[Bicoastal]

8. Delegates are delegates. nt

[Drunken Irishman]

9. But most voted in the GOP Primary for they could cast their vote for Mitt Romney.

[Alhena]

10. No, it's semi-open. Independents could vote, not Republicans

[joshcryer]

11. That's what I meant. Just did some numbers going by CNN. Turnout in Utah was 12%.

That's pretty low given our current election season (12% of eligible independents and Democrats).

[Drunken Irishman]

16. But how was it on the Democratic side?

Remember, Democrats only make up about 300,000 in Utah.

[K Gardner]

13. Utah.. there's lots of desert in Utah, right? That's probably why.

[Bicoastal]

14. SAND DOESN'T VOTE!

:rofl:

[K Gardner]

18. Damn.. I thought I was onto something !!

[pingzing58]

15. I didn't know there were any democrats in Utah? Who would have thunk.

[jackson_dem]

17. It isn't surprising. Obama's best states are the most DLC

I'll go out on a limb and say he'll romp in Montana and South Dakota too. :sarcasm:

[Bicoastal]

19. NY and CA aren't DLC at all? nt

[jackson_dem]

20. Not nearly as much as Idaho, Kansas, Utah, North Dakota, and Nebraska

I am talking about the proportion of "conservative" Democrats in those states, not whether elected officials in those states signed up for the DLC. Do you think Democrats in Idaho are more progressive than Democrats in California or Massachusetts? Even the rethugs in those states are more liberal than rethugs elsewhere.

[CTLawGuy]

21. I think the reason he does well is

that he actually GOES to those states.

He went to Boise, ID, and to Omaha, NE, and I think Topeka, KS, IIRC.

Just showing up means a lot to people from those states. It shows that he cares about them and is not ignoring them like Hillary.

[jackson_dem]

22. That's a big part of it

But remember how Hillary led the polls in basically every state in 2007? Idaho was for Obama at a time when he led nowhere except Illinois. He always had strength there. Kansas too had a three-way tie between Hillary, Obama, and Edwards at a time when Hillary was hovering in the 40's in the national polls. I don't know about the other states but I believe he always had more inherent strength there than he did in places like Massachusetts and California.

I see what you are saying and experienced it firsthand. In my state the lone 2008 poll had them tied (2007 polling had Hillary way ahead) but Obama won by 10 points because he visited here two days before Super Tuesday (20,000 folks, including me, showed up setting what is reportedly a state record for a political rally). It was a big deal here because no presidential candidate comes to Delaware!

[grantcart]

24. Well actually the argument is about to be incenerated in 48 hours.

The problem on super Tuesday was not that he lost the big states it was that there were so many big primaries at one time he was not able to break thru and get personal like he is now. He will be fine.