30 January 2008
Recent Primaries Narrow Field of Presidential Candidates
John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani drop out after poor showings
Washington -- Both Democrats and Republicans are closer to selecting a presidential nominee after primaries in South Carolina and Florida narrowed each contest to two-person races.
Democrat Barack Obama won his party's South Carolina primary in a landslide January 26. Republican John McCain won the Florida Republican primary January 29, defeating Mitt Romney by five percentage points.
After third-place finishes in most of the primaries and caucuses, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards announced January 29 he was ending his second bid to be the Democratic presidential nominee. Edwards ran for president in 2004 and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for vice president that year.
"I began my presidential campaign here to remind the country that we as citizens and as a government have a moral responsibility to each other, and what we do together matters," Edwards said in New Orleans. Edwards said that even though he was exiting the race, he had talked with both Obama and Hillary Clinton and asked them to pledge that fighting poverty would be a key part of their campaigns.
Hillary Clinton received the most votes in the January 29 Florida Democratic primary. However, the national Democratic Party previously mandated that only certain states could hold nominating contests prior to February 5, and when Florida violated these rules the party stripped it of its delegates to the national convention. Neither Clinton nor Obama campaigned in Florida, and Clinton will not be awarded any delegates for her victory.
THE REPUBLICAN RACE
For the first months of the campaign season, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was viewed as the Republican front-runner and topped most national polls. Despite his name recognition, Giuliani finished no higher than third in any primary or caucus. He also withdrew from the race January 29 and endorsed McCain.
Traditionally, American presidential candidates campaign heavily in the states that hold their primaries and caucuses early, such as Iowa and New Hampshire. Often the winner of these early races gains momentum to pick up more states.
In a strategy most political experts considered risky, Giuliani spent the past few weeks trying to win Florida instead of campaigning in states with earlier contests. Giuliani's campaign hoped that a win in Florida would give him momentum before 24 states hold primaries and caucuses on February 5. He ultimately finished the Florida contest behind Arizona Senator McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who each had won some of the earlier state races.
"I'm proud that we chose to stay positive and to run a campaign of ideas in an era of personal attacks, negative ads and cynical spin," Giuliani said in a speech following the Florida primary. "You don't always win, but you can always try to do it right."
OBAMA, MCCAIN GAIN MOMENTUM
On January 26, Illinois Senator Obama won more than 55 percent of Democratic votes in South Carolina's primary. Obama's victory earned him more than twice as many delegates as second-place finisher New York Senator Clinton.
Political experts say Obama's landslide victory was due partially to his strong support among African Americans, who make up more than half of South Carolina Democratic voters. About 80 percent of African Americans there supported Obama.
While celebrating his win, Obama highlighted the support he had received from a number of diverse groups. "The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich versus poor, young versus old, and it is not about black versus white," the senator said. "This election is about the past versus the future."
In the days before the Florida primary, McCain and Romney heavily campaigned throughout the state while discussing issues such as the economy and attacking each others' record.
"My friends, this was a hard-fought election and worth fighting hard for," McCain told his supporters in Florida.
Florida Republicans award all of their delegates to the winner, giving McCain a large lead in the delegate count. (See “Path to the 2008 Presidential Nomination.”)
It was the first primary McCain won in which only Republicans could participate. McCain's past victories had been in states where independents who voted in the Republican primary strongly supported him.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Texas Representative Ron Paul are still in the race, but their poor showings in recent contests have led political experts to say that the Republican contest is now a two-person battle between McCain and Romney.
The next test for the presidential candidates is a big one -- on February 5 more than 20 states will hold nominating contests. The candidates will spend the next few days campaigning across the country reaching voters in a diverse set of states.
