Democrats' Split Decision Forecasts Came True
Clinton and Obama both claim big victories, but overall the race remains uncertain
The predictions of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama came true on Super Tuesday.
Each candidate said the result would be a split decision, and that's what happened. Neither one got a decisive edge in what amounted to a national primary, fought from New York to California and North Dakota to Alabama.
Although the delegate count was impossible to calculate late Tuesday night, it was clear that Clinton and Obama were on the way to dividing the 20 states that were up for grabs.
Clinton won California as well as New York, her home state; Arkansas, where she was first lady during her husband's governorship; and Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Obama won his home state of Illinois as well as Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, and Minnesota.
As has happened in the primaries and caucuses up to now, Clinton did well among women, the elderly, and Latinos. Obama was particularly strong among African-Americans and young people.
"I look forward to continuing our campaign and our debate about how to leave this country better off for the next generation," Clinton told cheering supporters in New York. For his part, Obama declared to his supporters in Chicago: "Our time has come. Our movement is real. And change is coming to America." Now the battle shifts to a series of other nominating contests around the country, including Louisiana on Saturday, and the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia next Tuesday.
There were 1,681 delegates at stake on Tuesday, of the 2,025 needed to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
From here on, Clinton will continue to emphasize her experience as first lady for eight years and as U.S. senator from New York for seven years as well as her argument that she is a pragmatic leader ready to be president "from Day 1."
Obama, a senator from Illinois for three years, will continue to call on Americans to "turn the page" and elect him as a new-generation leader who will bring conciliation and new ideas to Washington.
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