With Two Caucuses Today, Obama Likes His Chances

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

CHICAGO -- Barack Obama's campaign is confident that momentum from Super Tuesday will transcend into the three contests today. The campaign feels particularly good about the caucuses in Nebraska and Washington State. Obama has won seven of the eight caucuses thus far this year, Nevada being his lone loss.

"I think part of the reason that we do well in caucus states is that we have enormous enthusiasm among our our supporters," Obama told reporters on Friday. "They're not casual voters, they're people who are paying attention, they're more likely to come out to a caucus."

A senior campaign staffer said today's contest in Louisiana is difficult to predict because there are a lot of other factors at play. Many voters are still recovering from effects of Hurricane Katrina while others are particularly fond of the Clintons. Bill Clinton campaigned in the state earlier this week.

Obama will campaign in Bangor, Maine today, where Democratic caucuses will be held on Sunday. He will reach out to voters in Louisiana and Washington in radio interviews. Then tonight, he and Hillary Clinton will speak at a Virginia Democratic Party dinner in Richmond in advance of that state's Feb. 12 primary.

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by eacarlson3 February 9, 2008 5:14 PM EST: There is no excuse for these kind of mistakes. The public looks to the media for the facts. They want to know the truth. When colossial mistakes like calling a state for the wrong canidate happen, the media''s credibility chips away. Viewers don''t forget when huge blunders are made, and it takes a long time to earn that trust back. There''s really no excuse for it to happen again. This election could be the most watched/higest voter turnout in history. The media should be extra viligant to make sure the same mistakes don''t repeat themselves.
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by wilyj February 9, 2008 3:37 PM EST: I cannot understand how you/CBS can write that Obama lost Nevada. Nevada has a proportional delegate system (I assume based on population), where each district decides a proportion of delegates based on their caucus. Add up the delegates, and you have Obama the winner with 15 delegates, Clinton 14. The fact that turnout was higher in Vegas, and Clinton won those caucuses, led to Clinton having a higher popular vote, but losing the delegate count. At the end of the day, the delegates are what gets the nomination. If Obama keeps "losing" like he did in Nevada, he will end up winning the nomination. Anyone who counts the popular vote as winning the Nevada caucus simple doesn''t look at the delegate count, which is all that matters...; Reply to this comment


by wilyj February 9, 2008 3:32 PM EST: I cannot understand how you/CBS can write that Obama lost Nevada. Nevada has a proportional delegate system (I assume based on population), where each district decides a proportion of delegates based on their caucus. Add up the delegates, and you have Obama the winner with 15 delegates, Clinton 14. The fact that turnout was higher in Vegas, and Clinton won those caucuses, led to Clinton having a higher popular vote, but losing the delegate count. At the end of the day, the delegates are what gets the nomination. If Obama keeps "losing" like he did in Nevada, he will end up winning the nomination. Anyone who counts the popular vote as winning the Nevada caucus simple doesn''t look at the delegate count, which is all that matters...; Reply to this comment