Morning Update: Post-Super Tuesday
Initial returns from the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses placed the Republican contest for the presidential nomination in a clearer light, with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in a stronger position after winning the delegate-rich giants of California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois. Exit polls found him performing well where voters cared most about experience and the Iraq war, although he also polled well among voters citing the economy as their top concern (CNN). CFR Senior Fellow Michael Gerson writes McCain’s surge in recent months is mainly due to “the revival of American fortunes in Iraq.”
On the Democratic side, the picture is more complicated. Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama both won big states yesterday, though the Economist.com suggests that “Mrs. Clinton’s camp could have a case for claiming victory on Tuesday night. She won fewer states, but they were big and decisive wins.” However, due to the Democratic Party’s proportional-representation rules for winning delegates to the nominating convention this summer, as explained in this Backgrounder, Obama stands to win a significant portion of the total when the counting is done.
A new Daily Analysis looks at exit polling from Super Tuesday and how Clinton and Obama fared with Hispanic voters.
