Super T, Super Union Turnout (20-40% of vote)

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/02/06/super-t-super-union-turnout/

by Seth Michaels, Feb 6, 2008


Union members turned out in big numbers in yesterday’s Super Tuesday 23-state primary election. According to exit polls in California, union households made up 32 percent of the vote in the nation’s most populous state. Union voters made up 33 percent of the vote in Connecticut, 30 percent in Delaware, 38 percent in Illinois, 27 percent in Massachusetts, 27 percent in Missouri, 35 percent in New Jersey and 40 percent in New York.

CNN noted that last night saw a record-breaking turnout in Democratic primaries and caucuses.



Key to understanding the primaries is the difference in party rules. In the Republican primaries, the winner takes all delegates in a state. In the Democratic primaries, delegates are apportioned through various combinations that allot delegates based on the percentage of the vote statewide and assignment based on victories in congressional districts.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) won eight states, including the largest states, California and New York. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) won in 13 states.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won victories in the most states—nine—and because of the winner-take-all rules, now has garnered the overwhelming number of delegates, although delegate counts for all candidates still are pending. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) won five states in the South. In his interview on MSNBC last night, Huckabee touted the fact that two unions—the Machinists (IAM) and the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)—offered him their endorsement in the Republican primary. Both unions also endorsed Clinton as their Democratic choice. Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) won in seven states.

There’s lots of great coverage on the race, which most analysts are calling a tie on the Democratic side. Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo has analysis, as well as the top Democrats’ speeches.

FULL story and more at link.