Obama and Huckabee Triumph in Iowa — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at Care2 Election Blog)
THEY’RE OFF!!! The Iowa caucuses begin the official election process today. And the candidates for change were the clear winners. Here is a quick look at the outcome. And, if you didn’t have an opportunity to see the Obama victory speech, you can check it out here.
For the Republicans – Mike Huckabee wins the Iowa caucuses. I am very happy to see that the candidate who spent the least amount of money was able to win in Iowa tonight. On the other hand, Romney had spent the most money, and his campaign had also been the most negative…It’s refreshing to see the people reject this style of campaigning. I say, “Tell us why we should vote for you, not why we shouldn’t vote for someone else.” Personally, I am sick of negative campaigning, and I think the American people are too.
For the Democrats – Obama wins the Iowa caucuses. To me, this is clearly a vote for change. Although Obama did spend the most money of all the other democrats, it’s important to note that Iowa is a 92% rural “white” state…But Iowans put race aside and overwhelmingly voted for Obama. I think this is huge for Obama…He didn’t just win, he won big, and he won addressing the issues. Personally, I also think his victory speech was very powerful (see video of speech here).
From a CNN poll…
Fifty-seven percent of poll respondents age 17 to 29 said they supported Obama, compared with 11 percent for Clinton and 13 percent for Edwards, according to entrance polls. Surprising analysts, female voters also selected Obama over Clinton.
For the Democrats, second and third place are significant to the race as well…John Edwards came in second, and Hillary Clinton third.
Overall, I think it’s a pretty big deal that the democrats had such a large turnout tonight (up by about 82% from 2004, and more than double the Republican turnout)…I wonder if this could end up having a significant impact on the outcome of the election? Iowa is usually a red state…Could it flip to blue in November?
What are other bloggers saying…
Arianna Huffington: Obama Wins Iowa: Why Everyone Has Reason To Celebrate Tonight
BlogHer had an OPEN THREAD
And, in other election news…
Next, it is off to New Hampshire, and then Super Tuesday.
READ MORE AT The Care2 Election Blog
