Current News
This page will attempt to distill all current news and issues about the
Constitution into a quick, easy-to-read format. Note that because the Court and
the Congress meet in cycles, there will be periods of activity and inactivity
on this page. If you are aware of any important news missing from this page,
please send it to the Webmaster.
Older news items have been archived on the News Archive pages:
2007,
2006,
2005,
2004,
2003,
2002,
2001,
2000,
1999.
11/05/08 Obama names chief of staff
President-elect Barack Obama has selected Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel
to be his chief of staff. President Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff John
Podesta has been named to Obama’s transition team.
11/05/08 Obama wins presidential election
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, based on both official and
unofficial counts, has won the popular vote and the race for electoral votes in
the 2008 presidential election. Obama will be the nation’s first
African-American president.
10/27/08 Stevens convicted of corruption charges
Eight days before Alaska voters go to the polls, the reelection campaign of
Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) was dealt was could be a fatal blow – Stevens was
convicted on all seven felony charges he faced. The charges against 84-year-old
Stevens stem from home renovations to his Alaska home, over $100,000 of which
Stevens did not pay for. Stevens defended himself by insisting that he asked
for bills, but that he never got them. Charges were brought when the upgrades
were discovered as having gone unreported on his financial disclosure
forms. Stevens has vowed to continue his reelection bid and to not resign his
seat in the Senate.
08/31/08 Republicans scale back convention plans
In light of the impending hurricane predicted to strike near New Orleans, the
Republican Party has announced that it will curtail the events at its
convention tomorrow, for at least one day. Also, President Bush and Vice
President Cheney, previously scheduled to appear, will not appear as they tend
to their duties in preparation for the storm.
08/29/08 McCain choice for VP a surprise
Stumping the pundits, John McCain today announced his choice for a running
mate, Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Palin is Alaska’s first female governor and
the youngest, at 42, to take the office. Now 44, Palin is seen as a political
outsider with strong conservative credentials.
08/28/08 Obama formally accepts Democratic Party nomination
In a speech held in Denver’s Invesco Field in front of an estimated 84,000
people, Barack Obama tonight accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for
the office of the president.
08/23/08 Obama announces VP pick
Barack Obama, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, announced his choice
of a running mate today, Delaware Senator Joe Biden. Biden, a long-time member
of the Senate and a recent competitor of Obama’s for the Democratic nod, said
that he was proud to stand with Obama.
08/20/08 Ohio Representative Tubbs Jones dies
Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) died today of brain hemorrhaging following an
aneurysm, doctors reported today. Jones was the first black woman to represent
Ohio.
06/26/08 Restrictive DC gun law overturned
The Supreme Court today struck down a restrictive District of Columbia laws
that effectively banned the possession of handguns in the home, on 2nd Amendment grounds. The Court’s opinion, written
by Justice Antonin Scalia, said that the 2nd Amendment does guarantee an
individual right: “We start therefore with a strong presumption that the Second
Amendment right is exercised individually and belongs to all Americans.”
Scalia’s opinion pointedly did not rule that all regulation is
unconstitutional, stating “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second
Amendment is not unlimited.” Some opponents used the word “militia” in the
Amendment to argue that the right only extends to the people insofar as they
comprise a militia. Some opponents even stated that the Amendment applied only
to weapons in use at the time of the Amendment’s ratification. The ruling in
the case, District of Columbia v Heller, came on a 5-4 vote.
06/26/08 “Millionaire loophole” closed by Court
In a close 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court today struck down a federal law that
expands the amount of money a candidate for the House of Representatives can
raise from individuals when the candidate’s opponent spends his or her own
money to finance the campaign. The law, known as the millionaire loophole, was
designed to level the playing field for the opponent to a wealthy candidate,
who would have no limits to the amount of personal funds that can be spent on
the election. The case was brought by New York Democrat Jack Davis, who has run
two unsuccessful campaigns for a House seat, and plans to run again this year.
Davis has spent $4 million on his past campaigns and has vowed to spend up to
$3 million on the next. The case is Davis v Federal Election
Commission.
06/25/08 Supreme Court limits crimes to which death penalty can apply
The Supreme Court ruled today that the death penalty for the rape of a child is
not permitted by the Constitution. The 5-4 ruling in the case of Kennedy v
Louisiana, arose from the case of a man convicted of raping his 8-year-old
stepdaughter. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that the death penalty in the
case of rape of an adult was unconstitutional, but lower courts ruled that this
law was different because it only applied when the victim is a child. The
Court’s ruling today effectively removes any doubt that rape in any form, by
itself, can be punishable by death. Writing for the Court, Justice Anthony
Kennedy said, “We cannot dismiss the years of long anguish that must be endured
by the victim of child rape. It does not follow, though, that capital
punishment is a proportionate penalty for the crime.”
06/13/08 Supreme Court recognizes Guantanamo prisoner rights
Rebuking Congress, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled today that
prisoners at Guantanamo Bay retain their habeas corpus rights. Writing for the
slim majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy noted that “The laws and constitution
are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times.” The
Justice Department issued a statement that the ruling would not affect the
current schedule of trials.
06/12/08 Paul finally quits Republican race
The lone contender hold out in all of the primary races has decided to call it
quits. Ron Paul suspended his presidential campaign today. He announced that he
would refocus his efforts on getting like-minded Republicans elected to the
Congress. Paul declined to endorse the remaining Republican, John McCain.
06/07/08 Clinton backs Obama
With all the primaries and caucuses now complete, and as superdelegates began
to flock to Barack Obama’s campaign, Hillary Clinton today suspended her
campaign. Further, she urged her supporters to back Obama and to work as hard
for him as she planned to. By suspending her campaign, rather than ending it
outright, Clinton’s delegates can still be seated at the convention and she can
still raise money to help retire her campaign’s debt.
06/03/08 Clinton and Obama split wins, Obama crosses delegate threshold
The final two contests in the Democratic primary season closed tonight, and as
they did, Barack Obama was declared the presumptive nominee by most news
organizations. Hillary Clinton won the South Dakota contest 55% to Obama’s 45%,
which translates to 8 delegates to Obama’s 5. In Montana, Obama won 58% to 40%,
meaning 8 delegates to 4; from the two contests, Clinton netted one delegate.
However, in the aftermath of the polls, and even before, Obama was feverishly
accumulating super-delegates. By the end of the day, Obama was projected to
have nearly 40 more delegates than the 2118 needed to secure the nomination. On
the Republican side, John McCain took South Dakota with 71%; Ron Paul pulled in
16% and Mike Huckabee 7%. In New Mexico, McCain beat Paul 86% to 14%.
06/01/08 Clinton wins handily in Puerto Rico
Getting just over two-thirds of the vote in the commonwealth territory of
Puerto Rico, Hillary Clinton appeared energized in post-primary appearances.
However, with just 48 delegates needed to clinch the nomination, including 17
picked up in Puerto Rico, Barack Obama inched closer to the presumptive
nomination. With almost all precincts reporting, Clinton got 68% of the vote to
Obama’s 32%. If Clinton wins the final two primaries in South Dakota and
Montana by the same margin, and picks up the same margin of remaining
super delegates, she will still not have enough votes to win.
05/31/08 Democratic Party Rules Committee meets
Normally meetings of the Rules and Bylaws Committee pass with little notice,
but the meeting held today was televised nationally, live. The reason is that
the committee was taking up the issue of what to do about Florida and Michigan,
both of which violated Democratic Party rules by holding early elections. The
punishment was to be complete loss of all delegates to the national convention.
The committee, though, decided to let all of the states’ delegates be admitted,
though with only half a vote each. The issue of Michigan was particularly
thorny, because Clinton was the only major candidate whose name appeared on the
ballot, leading to 0 votes for Obama. In the end, Clinton was given 105
delegates from Florida and 69 from Michigan, or 87 new full votes. Obama was
given 67 delegates from Florida and 59 from Michigan, or 63 full votes. The
changes move the number of delegates needed to win to 2118. The changes netted
Clinton a total of 28 delegates.
05/27/08 McCain wins Idaho, Paul does well
John McCain easily won the race today in Idaho, pulling in 70% of the vote. The
only remaining candidate, Ron Paul, did well with 24%, his second-best showing
of the season.
05/20/08 Obama and Clinton split wins, Obama passes milestone
Hillary Clinton beat Barack Obama in the Kentucky primary, 65% to 30%, and
Obama beat Clinton in Oregon, 58% to 42%. Obama’s delegate wins in both
contests pushed his delegate count past the half-way mark, though he is still
about 75 short of clinching the Democratic nomination. On the Republican side,
John McCain beat Ron Paul in Kentucky 72% to 7% (Mike Huckabee won 8% and Mitt
Romney 5%); and in Oregon, McCain beat Paul 86% to 14%. Results from Hawaii’s
Republican caucus on May 17 are still not available.
05/19/08 Supreme Court upholds child pornography law
The Congress has finally written a child pornography law that can withstand
Supreme Court scrutiny – that according to the Court that ruled 7-2 in favor of
the law. The law, which makes “pandering” a crime, was written specifically
with prior Court rulings in mind. The law makes requesting and providing child
pornography a crime. This law can take effect against purveyors of such
material even if it does not actually portray minors. The Supreme Court found
that the latest version of the law is not unduly broad nor vague.
05/19/08 Supreme Court issues legal clarification
The Supreme Court today, in an 8-1 decision, ruled against Ahmed Ressam today,
when it decided that a “during” does not have to mean “in relation to.” The
case rose out of Rassam’s arrest as he tried to enter the United States by car
ferry at Port Angeles, Washington. Ressam declared in customs that his name was
Benni Norris. When his car was searched, explosives were found in the trunk. He
later admitted that the explosives were intended for use at the Los Angeles
International Airport. Ressam was convicted of a felony, that being lying on
the customs form. Because he was carrying explosives during the commission of
the felony, 10 years were added to his sentence. Ressam appealed because the
explosives and the misstatement were not related to each other. The Court of
Appeals agreed with Rassan, but the Supreme Court ruled that the plain language
of the law left no room for interpretation of the “in relation to”
argument.
05/16/08 California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban
Ruling that sexual orientation, like sex and race, is not a “legitimate basis
on which to deny or withhold legal rights,” the California State Supreme Court
today overturned that state’s ban on gay marriage, in a 4-3 decision. The
ruling, which involves no federal question, cannot be appealed. The ruling
takes effect in 30 days. The case stemmed from marriages performed in San
Francisco in 2004, when officials in that California city allowed same-sex
couples to apply for marriage licenses.
05/14/08 Clinton trounces Obama in West Virginia
Though no surprise to anyone including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton’s campaign
celebrated a rare win today in West Virginia, beating Obama 67% to 26%. In the
Republican race, John McCain won with 76% of the vote to 10% for Mike Huckabee,
who is no longer an active candidate, and 5% for Ron Paul.
05/06/08 Obama wins North Carolina, Clinton wins Indiana
Though Hillary Clinton won Indiana by a two percentage point margin over rival
Barack Obama, 51 to 49, it is being seen by many as a loss and her last gasp in
the campaign. Clinton, however, as upbeat about the campaign and vowed to fight
on. In North Carolina, Obama defeated Clinton handily, 56 to 42. In the
Republican contests, McCain took 77% in Indiana, to 10% for Mike Huckabee and
8% for Ron Paul; in North Carolina, McCain took 74%, to Huckabee’s 12% and
Paul’s 7%.
05/03/08 Obama wins Guam by seven votes
Guam, a tiny, South Pacific island territory of the United States, normally
holds its presidential caucuses in relative seclusion, but this year’s contest
is different. Though neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton campaigned on the
island, they both had active campaigns. In the end, Obama got 2264 votes, and
Clinton got 2257 votes. Guam sends eight delegates to the national convention,
though each only has a half vote. The election, then, did not change the
delegate count for either candidate, each getting two more delegates.
04/28/08 Supreme Court upholds voter ID requirements
The Supreme Court today upheld an Indiana law that requires all voters to
provide photo ID in order to vote. The provision, opposed by Democrats because
of fears that it would disenfranchise poor voters who cannot afford an ID, has
exceptions for those religiously opposed to being photographed or who cannot
afford an ID, but the law requires such persons to file an affidavit with a
circuit court after an election; their provisional ballots would not be counted
unless the affidavit was filed within 10 days. The affidavit would have to be
filed prior to each election, a particular sticking point. The Court, however,
recognized the need of the state to prevent election fraud and found the
provisions to not be too onerous. The Court acknowledged that some voters might
be turned away or fail to cast a ballot, but that the number would be small
considering the law’s purpose to maintain the integrity and reliability of
elections. In the dissent, it was noted that the amount required to procure an
ID exceeds the inflation-adjusted amount of a poll tax that a previous court
had found to be unconstitutional prior to the passage of the 24th Amendment. The judgement of the court was
joined by three justices with three more joining a concurring opinion, and
three joining the dissent.
04/22/08 Clinton wins in Pennsylvania
Pundits were saying that unless Hillary Clinton won Pennsylvania by double
digits, it could not be counted as a win. With nearly the entire state counted,
though, Clinton beat Barack Obama 55-45, pulling off the double-digit win.
Clinton beat Obama by just over 200,000 votes. The victory is expected to
breathe new life into Clinton’s financial campaign. In the Republican primary,
McCain grabbed 73% of the vote, but Ron Paul was able to pull in 16%, his best
tally yet. Mike Huckabee, despite pulling out of the race in March, got 11% of
the Pennsylvania vote.
04/16/08 Keyes announces break from GOP
Republican candidate for President Alan Keyes today announced a break from the
Republican Party. Saying that the party has become “dark and confused,” he
indicated he might seek the endorsement of the Constitution Party.
04/05/08 McCain wins Guam
Though McCain is the only remaining Republican candidate, Guam did not vote
overwhelmingly for him. McCain garnered only 31% of the vote, Romney got 19%,
and Ron Paul got 3%. Uncommitted got the plurality of the vote with 47%.
03/31/08 Jackson announces resignation
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced his
resignation from his post today, effective April 18. While no reason for the
early departure was given, Jackson is the target of several probes by a grand
jury, the FBI, the Justice Department, and the HUD inspector general.
03/26/08 Gravel to run as a Libertarian
Oft-overlooked Democratic candidate for President Mike Gravel announced today
that he will leave the Democratic Party to join the Libertarian Party. Wrote
Gravel on his website: “The fact is, the Democratic Party today is no longer
the party of FDR. It is a party that continues to sustain war, the
military-industrial complex and imperialism – all of which I find anathema to
my views…. I look forward to advancing my presidential candidacy within the
Libertarian Party, which is considerably closer to my values, my foreign policy
views and my domestic views.”
03/25/08 Supreme Court sides with states in treaty case
Texas does not have to give a convicted rapist and murderer a new trial,
despite a treaty that the Bush Administration argued required that it do so.
That according to the Supreme Court that ruled today that a treaty that
required foreign nationals be allowed the counsel of their embassies when
brought up for trial. The Court ruled that without legislation or specific
wording requiring that states comply with the treaty, the states are free from
the dictates of the treaty.
03/24/08 Keyes hinting he’s leaving Republican Party
Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes is hinting that he is ready to
sever ties with the Republican Party. On his website, Keyes has several links
to the Constitution Party, which will hold its national convention at the end
of April. Several independent blog postings have put Keyes’s name out as a
potential candidate for the Party.
03/18/08 Supreme Court hears DC guns case
In the first major 2nd Amendment case it has
heard since the 1930’s, the Supreme Court today heard arguments for and against
a Washington D.C. law that essentially bans all private handgun possession. The
case attracted strange bedfellows, with the Bush Administration siding with the
District and Vice President Dick Cheney signing on with the other side. The
District argues that the 2nd Amendment does not protect individual ownership of
guns, and that handguns have no legitimate use in an urban environment like the
District. The petitioners argue that they have a right to own the banned
weapons for the purpose of self-defense.
03/11/08 Obama wins in Mississippi; Obama took Texas caucus
A week later, the results from the Texas caucus are in – Barack Obama beat
Hillary Clinton. Clinton, who won the state’s primary, ended up with fewer
delegates out of the state than Obama. In Texas, both a primary and a caucus
are held, and the votes of some highly-Democratic regions count for more than
others. In the end, Obama took about 103 delegates to Clinton’s 90. In
Mississippi, Obama won with 60%, while Clinton took 38%. McCain won in
Mississippi with 79%. Ron Paul only got 4% of the vote.
03/08/08 Obama wins in Wyoming
Barack Obama won the Wyoming caucuses handily, taking 61% of the vote to
Hillary Clinton’s 38%.
03/07/08 Paul hints he might quit Republican race
In a statement issued to supporters on his web site, Republican candidate for
President Ron Paul today indicated that he may withdraw from the race. Paul
noted that victory, in the conventional sense, was out of his grasp, but that
his campaign and supporters had succeeded in bringing new issues into the
political debate. Paul did not specifically say that he was quitting nor give
any timetable for the future.
03/05/08 President Bush endorses McCain
Saying he will do whatever it takes to see John McCain win the presidency in
November, President George Bush endorsed McCain in a gathering at the White
House’s North Portico.
03/04/08 Primary results; Huckabee drops out
Republican Senator John McCain, after winning Vermont, Rhode Island, Texas, and
Ohio by wide margins today, has taken a commanding lead in the Republican race,
his only close competitor, Governor Mike Huckabee, announced he was withdrawing
from the race. In the Democratic races, Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign got
a breath of new life as she won Rhode Island, Ohio, and Texas, Obama taking
only Vermont. The state results:
Vermont: McCain 72%, Huckabee 14%, Paul 7%; Clinton 39%, Obama 59%.
Rhode Island: McCain 65%, Huckabee 22%, Paul 7%; Clinton 58%, Obama 40%.
Ohio: McCain 60%, Huckabee 31%, Paul 5%; Clinton 54%, Obama 44%.
Texas: McCain 51%, Huckabee 38%, Paul 5%; Clinton 51%, Obama 48%. Preliminary
results in the Democratic Texas Primary give Obama 56% to Clinton’s 44%.
02/23/08 McCain wins in Pacific territories
In caucuses held in American Samoa and the Northern Marianas, John McCain won
100% of the delegates to be sent to the Republican convention.
02/19/08 Primary results in Wisconsin, other states
Barack Obama and John McCain continued their winning streaks today. Obama beat
Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin, 58% to 41%. In the Republican race, McCain beat
Mike Huckabee 55% to 37%. In Washington, the Republicans held a primary to
supplement their caucus held on February 9; McCain beat Huckabee 49% to 21%.
In Hawaiian Democratic race, Obama beat Clinton 76% to 24%.
02/18/08 United States recognizes Kosovo as independent state
President Bush today recognized Kosovo as a new independent nation. The
announcement followed similar ones by France, Britain, Germany, and Italy.
Serbia, the nation from which Kosovo broke away, condemned the announcements.
Spain, which has an active separatist movement in its own country, also refused
to recognize Kosovo.
02/12/08 Obama, McCain sweep Potomac primaries
Barack Obama and John McCain swept the primaries held today in Maryland,
Virginia, and Washington, DC. For the Democrats, the numbers for Obama and
Hillary Clinton in those three states were 60% to 37%, 64% to 35%, and 75% to
24%. In the Republican race, McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul garnered 55%,
40%, and 6%; 50%, 41%, and 5%; and 68%, 17%, and 8%.
02/10/08 Obama wins in Maine
Barack Obama won the majority in today’s Maine caucus, taking 56% of the vote.
Hillary Clinton took 40%. Clinton announced that she will be replacing her
campaign manager.
02/09/08 Obama, Huckabee, McCain winners
Barack Obama won each of the four Democratic contests held today, while Mike
Huckabee nearly did the same on the Republican side. In Louisiana, Obama got
57% of the vote to Hillary Clinton’s 36%. In Nebraska, Obama took 68% to
Clinton’s 32%. In Washington, Obama took 68% to Clinton’s 31%. In the Virgin
Islands, Obama took 90% to Clinton’s 8%. In the Republican races, Huckabee won
the Kansas caucus today with 60% of the vote. John McCain and Ron Paul took 24%
and 11% respectively. In Louisiana, Huckabee got 43%; McCain got 42%, and Paul
5%. In Washington, Huckabee took an early lead, but in the end, McCain got 26%,
Huckabee got 24%, and Paul 21%.
02/07/08 Romney suspends campaign
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney today suspended his presidential
campaign, saying, “I must now stand aside, for our party and our country.”
Romney had been the choice of many prominent conservative voices. He had also
sunk millions of dollars of his own fortune into his campaign.
02/05/08 Super Tuesday Results
Notes: Votes for Joe Biden, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Gravel, Alan
Keyes, Fred Thompson, No Preference, and Uncommitted are not included. Numbers
are in percentages of total vote or, in the case of caucuses, of the percentage
of delegates selected. An empty cell indicates that no vote was held. “—”
indicates a vote tally of less than 1%. Bold, backgrounded text indicates the
winner.
| State | Democrats | Republicans | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | Obama | Huckabee | McCain | Paul | Romney | |
| Alabama | 42 | 56 | 41 | 37 | 3 | 18 |
| Alaska | 25 | 74 | 22 | 16 | 17 | 44 |
| American Samoa | 57 | 43 | ||||
| Arizona | 51 | 42 | 9 | 47 | 4 | 34 |
| Arkansas | 69 | 27 | 60 | 20 | 5 | 14 |
| California | 52 | 42 | 12 | 42 | 4 | 34 |
| Colorado | 32 | 67 | 13 | 19 | 8 | 59 |
| Connecticut | 47 | 51 | 7 | 52 | 4 | 33 |
| Delaware | 42 | 53 | 15 | 45 | 4 | 33 |
| Georgia | 31 | 66 | 34 | 32 | 3 | 30 |
| Idaho | 17 | 80 | ||||
| Illinois | 33 | 64 | 17 | 47 | 5 | 29 |
| Kansas | 26 | 74 | ||||
| Massachusetts | 56 | 41 | 4 | 41 | 3 | 51 |
| Minnesota | 32 | 67 | 20 | 22 | 16 | 42 |
| Missouri | 48 | 49 | 32 | 33 | 5 | 29 |
| Montana | 15 | 22 | 25 | 38 | ||
| New Jersey | 54 | 44 | 8 | 55 | 5 | 28 |
| New Mexico | 49 | 48 | ||||
| New York | 57 | 40 | 11 | 51 | 6 | 28 |
| North Dakota | 37 | 61 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 36 |
| Oklahoma | 55 | 31 | 33 | 37 | 3 | 25 |
| Tennessee | 54 | 41 | 34 | 32 | 6 | 24 |
| Utah | 39 | 57 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 90 |
| West Virginia | 52 | 1 | — | 47 | ||
02/03/08 Romney gains another win in Maine
Caucus-goers in Maine chose Mitt Romney as their candidate in the Republican
caucus held her today. Romney got 52% of the caucus vote, with remaining
candidates John McCain, Ron Paul, and Mike Huckabee getting 21%, 19%, and 6%
respectively. Undecided got 2%. Maine Democrats hold their caucus next
week.
01/30/08 Giuliani is out
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani announced that he is withdrawing from
the contest for the Republican nominee for president. Having banked his chances
on a win in Florida, Giuliani was faced with a disappointing third place
finish. In his announcement, Giuliani threw his support behind John McCain.
01/30/08 Edwards leaves Democratic race
Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) today announced that he was quitting his bid
for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Edwards was unable to do
better than a second-place finish in the first contest in Iowa.
01/29/08 McCain wins in Florida
John McCain earned his third win in the race for the Republican nomination
today. Florida gave McCain the largest delegate pool so far, though it was cut
in half as a penalty for holding the primary so early. McCain won 36% of the
vote in the winner-takes-all primary. Mitt Romney came in second with 31%; Rudy
Giuliani, who had bet his campaign on Florida, was third with 15%. Mike
Huckabee was a close fourth with 14%. Ron Paul had 3%. On the Democratic side,
Hillary Clinton took 50% of the votes, with Barack Obama taking 33% and John
Edwards 14%. The Democratic party, however, stripped Florida of all of its
delegates because of the early primary and none of the candidates did any
official campaigning in the state.
01/26/08 Obama wins South Carolina
As many expected, Barack Obama won South Carolina today, while John Edwards,
who was born in South Carolina, came in a disappointing third. Obama took 55%
of the vote, with Clinton almost 30 points back at 27%. While Edwards took only
18%, he vowed to stay in the race.
01/24/08 Kucinich quits race to focus on House
Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) ended his bid for the Democratic
nomination for President today, following disappointing results in the past
contests. Instead, Kucinich will be concentrating on keeping his seat in the
House, for which he currently has four challengers in the primary.
01/22/08 Thompson takes himself out of contention
Former Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) withdrew from the Republican race today. In
a short statement on his website, Thompson wrote, “I hope that my country and
my party have benefited from our having made this effort.”
01/20/08 Hunter bows out of Republican race
Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) ended his bid for the Republican
presidential nomination today, saying in a press release that it is time he
release his staff and supporters so they can focus on “the campaigns that
remain viable.”
01/19/08 Romney, Clinton, McCain winners
Nevada caucus-goers were good to Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton today, and
John Edwards had a disappointing showing. For the Democrats, Clinton took 51%
of the delegates to Barack Obama’s 45%. Edwards was only able to pull in 4%. On
the Republican side, Romney got 51% of the vote, with Ron Paul getting his best
showing yet with 14%. McCain, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, and
Duncan Hunter followed along with 13%, 8%, 8%, 4%, and 2% respectively. In
South Carolina, only the Republicans voted, and McCain got a much-needed win,
with Huckabee getting a much-needed close second place. McCain got 33% of the
vote and Huckabee came in with 30%. Thompson followed with 16%, then Romney
with 15%, Paul with 4%, and Giuliani with 2%. South Carolina Democrats hold
their primary next weekend.
01/15/08 Romney wins in Michigan
Penalized by both parties for holding its primary earlier than the parties had
wanted, Michigan was still a factor in the Republican race, which now has three
winners in three contests. Mitt Romney pulled ahead, taking 40% of the vote,
with John McCain, winner in New Hampshire, pulling in 30%. Mike Huckabee, the
winner in Iowa, garnered 15%. At the back of the pack were Ron Paul with 6%,
Fred Thompson with 4%, Rudy Giuliani with 3%, and uncommitted with 2%. The
Republicans stripped Michigan of half of its 60 delegates. The Democrats also
held their primary, but the party stripped of all of its 156 delegates. Barack
Obama and John Edwards withdrew their names from the race. Hillary Clinton did
not withdraw, but also did not campaign in the state. Regardless, Clinton took
in 56% of the vote, uncommitted took 39%, Dennis Kucinich took 4%, Chris Dodd,
who has withdrawn from the race, took 1%.
01/09/08 New Hampshire primary results
In what some have described as a shocking victory, Hillary Clinton overcame a
double-digit deficit in the polls to beat Barack Obama. In what was a little
less of a surprise, John McCain repeated his 2000 win in the Granite State,
beating out Mitt Romney, with Iowa winner Mike Huckabee trailing behind.
Clinton got 39% of the Democratic vote; Obama got 37%, John Edwards 17%, Bill
Richardson 5%, and Dennis Kucinich 1%. On the Republican side, McCain got 37%,
Romney 32%, Huckabee 11%, Rudy Giuliani 9%, Ron Paul 8%, and Fred Thompson
1%.
01/05/08 Wyoming Republicans side with Romney
In his first win of the 2008 election season, Mitt Romney took an overwhelming
majority of the Republican caucus held today. Romney accumulated 67% of the
vote, with Fred Thompson far behind in second place with 25%. Duncan Hunter was
the only other candidate to get enough of the vote to earn a delegate, with 8%.
Wyoming Democrats will hold their caucus on March 8.
01/04/08 Iowa caucus results are in; Dodd and Biden out
Major news outlets are projecting that the first place winners in the Iowa
caucuses held yesterday are Republican Mike Huckabee, former governor of
Arkansas, and Democrat Barack Obama, U.S. Senator from Illinois. In the
Democratic race, Obama pulled in 38% of the vote. Former Senator John Edwards
pulled in 30% of the vote, and Senator Hillary Clinton was a close third with
29%. Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden both decided to abandon their efforts to
get the nomination after poor showings. Huckabee, long considered a dark horse
because of his lack of a large bank account, garnered 34% of the Republican
vote. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who spent the most in Iowa,
was second with 25%. Former Senator Fred Thompson was third with 14%; Senator
John McCain, who is pinning his hopes on next week’s New Hampshire primary, got
13%. Representative Ron Paul pulled in 10%. Former New York City mayor Rudy
Giuliani did not actively campaign in Iowa, got 4%.