Clinton Wins Nevada Democratic Caucuses

(CBS/AP)  Sen. Hillary Clinton has won the Nevada Democratic caucuses.

"I guess this is how the West was won," Clinton told cheering supporters in Las Vegas. The victory was her second straight, coming after an upset win in the New Hampshire primary. (

Video: Clinton after her win

)

With almost all of the state's precincts reporting, Clinton had 51 percent support. Barack Obama had 45 percent and John Edwards had 4 percent.

CBS News estimates that Obama won 13 delegates and Clinton 12. Obama was able to take more delegates despite getting fewer overall votes because of the proportional manner in which Nevada awards delegates.

On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the state's caucuses. (

Video: Romney after his win

.)

Romney had 51 percent support, which put him more than 35 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitors. Texas Rep. Ron Paul came in second with 14 percent. Arizona Sen. John McCain the winner of the South Carolina primary also held on Saturday, came in third in Nevada with 13 percent.

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Complete Nevada Returns

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Enthusiastic voters showed up in record numbers for Saturday's presidential caucuses in Nevada, surprising Democratic and Republican organizers who figured on lower turnout.

More than 120,000 Democrats, nearly a third of all Nevada's registered Democrats, showed up at 520 precincts around the state. More than 42,000 Republicans, 10 percent of registered GOP voters, were on hand at 113 precincts.

At the Bellagio hotel-casino, some 200 people stood on each side of the caucus room, shouting loudly across rows of empty chairs separating them. On one side of the room, Clinton backers waved blue signs while the Obama supporters in red T-shirts shouted back.

In CBS News entrance polls, half of Democratic caucus-goers cited the economy as the most important issue to them. Twenty-three percent cited health care and 22 percent cited the Iraq war.

Twenty-nine percent of Democratic voters said they were members of a union household. Fourty-five percent of union voters said they favored Clinton, while 44 percent favored Obama and 7 percent favored Edwards.

Obama won the support of younger voters and Clinton won among older voters. Voters under age 45 broke for Obama over Clinton 48 percent to 34 percent, while those over 45 chose Clinton over Obama 54 percent to 33 percent.

More than half of women said backed Clinton in today's caucuses, while men were more divided in their support, with 43 percent supporting Clinton and 42 percent supporting Obama.

Hispanics made up 14 percent of Democratic caucus-goers in Nevada today, and they overwhelmingly supported Clinton. She got 64 percent support from Hispanics, while Obama got 26 percent and Edwards got 8 percent.

"This was a nice win for Clinton in a contest that was complex and difficult to figure out going in," said CBSNews.com Senior Political Editor Vaughn Ververs.

"Clinton has to be especially heartened at her success among Hispanic voters, a key block in some of the upcoming Super Tuesday states," added Ververs. "For John Edwards, finishing in the low single-digits among delegates selected was a devastating blow to his hopes after polls indicated he would be competative."

Romney, the only Republican to seriously focus on Nevada, earned his second straight victory today, following a win in the Michigan primary earlier in the week.

In a statement released while he flew to Florida, Romney said Nevada Republicans had cast their votes for change. "With a career spent turning around businesses, creating jobs and imposing fiscal discipline, I am ready to get my hands on Washington and turn it inside out," it said.

According to CBS News entrance poll data, Mormons comprised 26 percent of those attending Nevada's GOP caucuses, and 95 percent of them voted for Romney.

Three in four Nevada GOP caucus-goers were conservative, and 45 percent of GOP voters said that it was important that a candidate shares their values. GOP caucus-goers in both categories supported Romney.

The economy and illegal immigration were the issues most on the minds of Nevada's Republican voters today. The two issues were cited as their most important facing the country by more than 70 percent of voters.

Romney had made seven campaign trips to Nevada. He has largely ceded the South Carolina Republican race, also taking place today, to his rivals. South Carolina will hold its Democratic primary next Saturday.

Democrats have been mired in legal disputes, last-minute charges of dirty politics, and exchanges about race in Nevada, the U.S.'s fastest-growing state.

Obama, who won the kickoff Iowa caucuses less than a month ago, absorbed his defeat with a statement that said he had conducted an "honest, uplifting campaign ... that appealed to people's hopes instead of their fears."

His campaign manager, David Plouffe, was far more pointed in a written statement that accused the Clinton campaign of "an entire week's worth of false, divisive attacks designed to mislead caucus-goers and discredit the caucus itself."

Clinton and Edwards ganged up on Obama in the final days, mocking his evocation of former Republican President Ronald Reagan in an effort to offset Obama's endorsement by the powerful Culinary Workers Union. The Illinois senator was thought to benefit from special caucus rules that Clinton supporters tried but failed to overturn in federal court.

Obama responded by suggesting Clinton would be a "president whose plans change with the politics of the moment" as part of one of his most direct critiques of the New York senator yet.

[mrvolleyba11]

Gunownerdan of the 2 candidate who is most likely to take away your right to own guns? I would think Hillary who''s husband had already pass such legislation! Plus Hillary is influenced by the lobbyist the most, that is where all her money comes from... Lobbyist%u2019s, liberal''s and wealthy influential people with their own financial motives! pretty much the same as the conservative rebublican''s running too except they want to pass laws based on their religeous beliefs to prohibit a women from controlling her body whether she shares that belief or not!

[mrvolleyba11]

gunowner dan your an idiot! I saw Obama and Bill Clinton this weekend and not a single one was surrounded by ANYONE carrying an automatice machine gun! Yes there were secret service people and I''m sure thay had guns but not a single automatic weapons in site!!!

[gunownerdan]

Both Clinton and Obama say you as a citizen cannot be trusted to own common handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Meanwhile they are constantly surrounded by bodyguards holding fully-automatic MACHINE GUNS.

"How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual ... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
- Suzanna Gratia-Hupp
www.a-human-right.com

[nottellin1]

Dems are cutting their own throts if they nominate Hilary. She will not be President.

[l00ker]

Oh well, life''s decisions.

[tbweb]

Yes, some can say that, but I don''t agree. Barack is younger than Bill, and Barack doesn''''t have to prove how black he is; he''s black, and the people who go out of their way trying to prove how black they are, may not be all that black. He''''s just a new face, just like any new face.

Posted by l00ker at 09:52 PM : Jan 21, 2008,,,

With all due respect, Barack is only half Black! Barack can play both cards, White and Black and I think that''s his appeal, he can use his mixed ethnicity to join both together! The current state of the World and our nation is very complex at the moment, both with our nation fighting 2 wars on 2 fronts with the possibility of a 3rd with Iran and now the current financial crisis. With all due respect to Sen. Obama, it''s really not the time for a rookie in a complex environment like this one. I would prefer Barack ran in the future, but he thinks he''s ready now. McCain would be the best for War, Romney would be the best for economics, Barack would be the best for unity and Hillary might be the best for them all, but she''s so divisive! :)

[l00ker]

Your American Street Logic is interesting but I''''ve been thinking about Bill Clinton''''s anti-Obama recent behavior from a different angle. Some have argued with some degree of authenticity that Bill Clinton is actually more Black than Obama, that Bill actually grew up around Blacks and don''''t think Obama is as sincere or authentic as he claims to be on Black issues. Bill Clinton has paid a lot of dues in the Black community, more than Obama and if you pause and think about it, Bill may be sincere in his attacks on Obama and may not just be trying to get Hillary elected, that is a possibility Bill has earned a right to be considered! Obama is cashing in with Black Voters with his skin color while Bill Clinton is cashing in with previous good deeds!


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Posted by tbweb at 08:08 PM : Jan 21, 2008



Yes, some can say that, but I don''t agree. Barack is younger than Bill, and Barack doesn''t have to prove how black he is; he''s black, and the people who go out of their way trying to prove how black they are, may not be all that black. He''s just a new face, just like any new face.

[l00ker]

I''t not going to be pretty, that''s for sure.

[tbweb]

Bill will stay in South Carolina as soul brother number one, while Hillary is in California courting the hispanics, whose Los Angeles'' Hispanic mayor sits by while illegals ethnically cleanse LA of blacks.

Posted by l00ker at 06:57 PM : Jan 21, 2008,,,

Continuing with my reply to your American Street Logic, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is about to release over 20,000 from jail of which many are Black, so the Hispanic ethnic cleaning better wrap up and be completed before they are released or the result could turn out to be the other way around!

[tbweb]

This may be a rude awakening for blacks, but the Clintons have given them the old Clinton ( just like they did Lani Guinier ) heave-ho in favor of the hispanics, because the strategy was to use the hatred between blacks and hispanics to there advantage, and hispanics work for a lot less, plus the illegals will get amnesty. Bill will stay in South Carolina as soul brother number one, while Hillary is in California courting the hispanics, whose Los Angeles'' hispanic mayor sits by while illegals ethnically cleanse LA of blacks.

Posted by l00ker at 06:57 PM : Jan 21, 2008,,,

Your American Street Logic is interesting but I''ve been thinking about Bill Clinton''s anti-Obama recent behavior from a different angle. Some have argued with some degree of authenticity that Bill Clinton is actually more Black than Obama, that Bill actually grew up around Blacks and don''t think Obama is as sincere or authentic as he claims to be on Black issues. Bill Clinton has paid a lot of dues in the Black community, more than Obama and if you pause and think about it, Bill may be sincere in his attacks on Obama and may not just be trying to get Hillary elected, that is a possibility Bill has earned a right to be considered! Obama is cashing in with Black Voters with his skin color while Bill Clinton is cashing in with previous good deeds!