Michigan Primary Update

Romney Wins Michigan Primary

In what amounted to a must win for his presidential campaign, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the projected winner of tonight's Michigan presidential primary. With 11 percent of precincts reporting, Romney has 37 percent of the vote; McCain, 31 percent. Last week, Romney pulled his resources out of South Carolina and Florida to focus solely on the state where his father was once governor -- a strategy that appears to have paid off. READ MORE

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton's name was the only one on the Michigan ballot among the top three Democratic contendors. Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards removed their names from the ballot after the DNC revoked the state's delegates to the national convention for moving the state's primary to Jan. 15 in violation of DNC rules.
With 12 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton has 61 percent of the vote; uncommited 34 percent. READ MORE

McCain Surges to Lead in New Poll

CBS News
Posted: 2008-01-14 10:41:49
Filed Under: Elections News

(Jan. 13) - Surging after his win in the New Hampshire primary, Arizona Sen. John McCain has come from behind to now lead the national Republican race, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll. However, among Democrats, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has maintained her double-digit national lead in the race, despite winning only one of the two contests so far.McCain is now the choice of 33 percent of Republican primary voters in the poll, up from just seven percent in the last CBS News/New York Times poll taken in December. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is in second place with 18 percent, down from 21 percent in December. The biggest drop downward is in former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s support, from leading at 22 percent in the last poll to ten percent now. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson are tied in this poll at eight percent.

McCain Projected to Win N.H. Republican Primary

With 12 percent of precincts reporting, Arizona Sen. John McCain is projected to win the New Hampshire Republican primary. He leads with 37 percent of the vote; former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney follows with 28 percent of the vote.


Check www.campaignsandelections.com later for full analysis and results.

Clinton Wins N.H. Democratic Primary

Sen. Hillary Clinton tonight was declared the winner of the New Hampshire Democratic primary, ensuring the continuation of a tight two-way race between Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, who won the Iowa caucuses.

With 71 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton has 40 percent of the vote; Obama, 36 percent.

"It looks like a heavy turnout among women, particularly older women may have really helped [Clinton]," said pollster John Zogby. "And it looks like the emotion she showed yesterday may have helped her too, especially with women."
Exit polls suggest as many as 18 percent of Democratic voters did not decide on a candidate until today -- a significantly higher percentage than usual, Zogby said.


Check www.campaignsandelections.com later for full analysis and results.

Huckabee, Obama Declared Caucus Winners

With most precincts reporting, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is projected to defeat his nearest rival former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney by 11 percent in the Iowa Republican caucus. On the Democratic side, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois leads former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York by 7 percent.

Check www.campaignsandelections.com for full analysis and results.

Liberman endorses McCain

Senator Joe Lieberman will finally come clean on Monday, unleashing his inner-Republican to endorse the struggling campaign of Senator John McCain, according to several news reports. It is a bittersweet alliance for both men. Lieberman's move confirms his critics' longtime argument that he is a "Democrat in Name Only," while McCain looks desperate by leaning on backers beyond the G.O.P. base in the homestretch of a partisan primary.

During his 2006 reelection campaign, Lieberman emphasized that he would support Democratic candidates in 2008. "I want Democrats to be back in the majority in Washington and elect a Democratic president in 2008," he said during a televised debate in July. Lieberman promptly backtracked after his reelection, announcing this January that he was "open" to supporting a Republican or Democrat for president, depending "on a whole range of issues." By not even waiting to see who the Democrats nominate, now Lieberman is revealing that the issues aren't important to him, either.Click here to read more.

ON THE BLOG TODAY
Bill Curry: Reason, Religion and Fear
Jason Linkins: The Most Important Endorsement Is The Last Endorsement (Until The Next Endorsement)
Marty Kaplan: Is Huckabee the Antichrist?
Beverly Davis: Iowa: Going Negative - Winner Barack, Loser Hillary
Paul Rieckhoff: Joel and Cass Dillon Make a Statement
Andy Borowitz: Clinton Says Being Married to Hillary 'Has Never Influenced My Behavior'
Dan Abrams: Changes in the Civil Rights Division
Catherine Specter: Hooking Up At The Office Party: Don't!

Unite for a Progressive President

We have one month left before the first votes are cast.

Right now, the polls show a dead heat in Iowa between Senators Clinton, Edwards, and Obama.
This is our time to impact the Democratic nomination. DFA members excel at taking close races over the top. We will lead the way in calling on Iowans to Unite for a Progressive President.

Sign the nationwide call to action right now:
www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/Unite

The Iowa caucus isn't a typical election. There are no secret ballots. People state their candidate preferences and then are given multiple chances to switch based on the viability of their chosen candidate and conversations that occur in the caucus room. This allows for the unique opportunity for Iowa voters to Unite for a Progressive President before the end of the night rather then split the progressive vote between one or more candidates.

Last month over 154,000 of you voted in the largest primary poll of 2008. The poll made clear two striking facts: A 78% consensus for the top three progressive candidates of Edwards, Kucinich, and Obama¹. And 95% of DFA members voted for someone other than the media's frontrunner.

The message is clear. Unite for a Progressive President who will embrace grassroots engagement, not the beltway establishment. Unite for a Progressive President with the backbone to fight for change, not the same poll driven status quo.

Unite for a Progressive President who proudly stands with the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

Let's show Iowa Democrats that tens of thousands of progressives are ready to follow their lead:
www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/Unite

Last January, we asked you if DFA should be involved in the Presidential race and 80% of the vote was a resounding yes. Starting in February, DFA members pressured the candidates on progressive issues and in return, the candidates responded to you with videos on Iraq and Global Warming.

Now, it all comes down to this. Any of the Democratic candidates will make a great President. Each of them is significantly better than any of the Republican candidates. But, primaries matter, and this is our chance to elect not just a Democrat but a progressive President.

The campaign escalates on Wednesday as DFA members will write thousands of letters to Iowa asking voters to lead the way on January 3rd. Followed quickly with statewide newspaper ads, media buys and on the ground emergency rallies. By caucus day, every Iowa DFA member and Democratic voter will know the national movement of 675,000 progressive activists is united and ready to follow their lead. You empower Iowa voters with a positive call to action: Unite for a Progressive President.

www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/Unite

There is no time to sit on the sidelines and wait. This is a fight for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party. It is up to you to make change happen.

Thank you for working to take our country back.