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March 2008
Texas Democratic county conventions still on despite misinformation, says state party chief
All 260 or so county and senatorial district Democratic Party conventions are still scheduled to take place this weekend despite e-mails and “robo-calls” claiming to be from the party that suggest that they have been canceled, according to a Friday news release.
The Texas Democratic Party became aware of the misinformation Friday and is currently not aware of any conventions that have been cancelled, said state party chairman Boyd Ritchie in the news release.
“If any delegates receive information to that effect, I urge them to plan to attend their convention as scheduled unless they receive information about a postponement or cancellation from their local Democratic County Chair or the official Texas Democratic Party website,” he said in a prepared statement.
Ritchie said that “all eyes are once again on Texas” as the conventions are set to take place and people wait to see what the outcome of the delegate count will be.
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are trying to rack up all the delegates they can to make their case why they should be picked as the party’s nominee for president. Neither candidate is expected to obtain the 2,024 delegates needed to clinch the nomination before the national convention in August.
“I am confident that the vast majority of Democrats will conduct our convention business in the fairest, most professional, and most impartial manner possible, as we work to convert the enthusiasm driving the convention process into Democratic victories from the County Courthouse to the State House to the White House,” Ritchie said.
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Former DNC chief to attend Democratic county convention
Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will be in attendance for the party’s McLennan County convention on Saturday, according to the party’s top county official.
John Cullar, chairman of the county Democratic Party, said he was notified Thursday that McAuliffe was planning to attend the convention in support of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign. Cullar said he had not heard about any high profile supporters of Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign who were planning to attend.
The convention will be one of about 260 county and senatorial district gatherings held across the state where presidential nomination delegates will be elected to attend the state convention in caucuses. The Clinton and Obama campaigns are working to get their supporters to attend the caucuses, which will eventually send 67 delegates to the national convention in August.
Obama is projected to have won more delegates in the precinct caucuses held after the primary election polls closed on March 4 so the Clinton campaign is likely trying to do everything it can to boost attendance at the county conventions.
One disadvantage the Clinton might have is that her campaign Web site previously listed the wrong address for the convention. It’s going to be held at the Waco Convention Center, not the Mclennan County Fairground.
Obama spokesman Josh Earnest said the campaign was not planning to send any big-name supporters to the convention.
UPDATE: The Hillary Clinton campaign had the Heart of Texas Fair Complex listed as the location for the county convention until Thursday evening. It looks like that oversight was fixed before I checked it again Friday morning.
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Democratic Party county convention moved
Local supporters of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will need to make at least one change on their calendar for March 29 after the location for the county Democratic convention has been changed.
The McLennan County Democratic Party Convention will be held at the Waco Convention Center because of higher than normal attendance because of high interest in the presidential nomination contest between Obama and Clinton.
The convention was previously scheduled to take place at the Waco High School cafeteria, which could hold a maximum of 500 people, said John Cullar, McLennan County Democratic Party chairman. It has been moved to the convention center’s McLennan Hall, which should accommodate the 900 to 1,200 people expected to participate, he said.
Convention delegates and alternates selected at precinct caucuses are urged to arrive when the doors open at 11 a.m. to allow enough time for everyone to be signed in by the time the convention is scheduled to start at noon.
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Texas Democratic Party denies Clinton camp’s request for convention postponement
The Texas Democratic Party is refusing a request by Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign to postpone the March 29 county conventions, according to a statement released today by party chairman Boyd Richie.
On Friday, the Clinton campaign said that a postponement of the county and senatorial district conventions would be necessary to verify the eligibility of participants in precinct caucuses held earlier this month. However, Richie said that the party would not “circumvent” its own rules to set up an “unnecessary, ad hoc, ‘verification’ process” because it already has such a procedure in place.
“The Party has never stated any intention to set up a verification process of this nature because Party rules already provide for “verification” through our credentials process,” Richie said in the statement. “Candidates who wish to disqualify delegates must pursue formal challenges based on evidence filed appropriately in accordance with our party’s rules.”
The Clinton campaign said in a letter sent to the party on Friday that it has received more than 2,000 complaints of violations of party rules at the precinct conventions, which in many cases were overwhelmed by historic turnout.
Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign, which has dominated most caucuses throughout the country, criticized the Clinton campaign’s efforts to postpone the county conventions.
The party has estimated that about 1 million people participated in the caucuses that were stymied by long lines and crowded facilities.
“These problems are not unique to Texas. Similar problems, in proportionately similar numbers, occurred in pure caucus states like Iowa and Nevada,” Richie said. “The overwhelming majority of problems reported in Texas do not affect the legitimacy of delegate allocation.”
The party chairman said that candidates wishing to disqualify delegates must pursue formal challenges based on evidence filed in accordance with party rules.
“Both campaigns have the opportunity and responsibility to do their jobs by documenting evidence, filing challenges if warranted, and turning out their delegates in a system that rewards such an effort when final delegate results are determined at the State Convention in June,” Richie said.
The party is working to turn the record Democratic turnout experienced on March 4 into a positive outcome for Texas Democrats in the November general elections, he said in his statement.
“We are proud of both our Presidential candidates who helped create that turnout,” he said. “We ask now that the campaigns work with us rather than become an impediment to this extraordinary opportunity to build our party.”
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Clinton campaign seeks to postpone March 29 county convention
While the results of the Texas caucus remains unknown, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign wants the state Democratic Party to postpone county conventions scheduled later this month so the eligibility of participants in the March 4 precinct caucuses can be verified.
On Friday, the Clinton campaign sent a letter to the Texas Democratic Party requesting the March 29 county and state Senate district conventions be postponed so that complaints about the precinct conventions can be resolved. The Clinton campaign said it has received more than 2,000 complaints of violations from the precinct conventions attended by an an estimated 1 million caucus-goers.
Ultimately, the Texas Democratic Party will send 67 delegates to the national convention in August based on caucus results. According to unofficial results, Sen. Barack Obama is ahead in the caucus results with 56 percent to Clinton’s 44 percent with 41 percent of precinct conventions reporting.
In the letter, the Clinton campaign asked the state party to explain what procedures will be used to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the precinct caucus results.
“It is a violation of the rights of legitimate participants to have their true vote count distorted by violations of the Party’s Rules,” stated the Clinton campaign in the letter. “It is the Party’s responsibility to ensure the integrity of the precinct convention process by making sure that the Rules were followed and that the final official results of the precinct conventions are accurate and in compliance with the Rules.”
A Texas Democratic Party spokesman said Saturday that the party has not yet had the opportunity to make any decisions on the Clinton campaign’s request, according to an Associated Press article.
The Obama campaign released the following statement in response:
“We don’t think that the record-breaking number of Texans who stood up to be counted on March 4th would appreciate the Clinton campaign’s attempt to disenfranchise them and silence their voices just because the outcome wasn’t politically beneficial to Senator Clinton,” said Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer.
Here’s a list of the complaints about the March 4 caucuses mentioned in the Clinton letter:
- Temporary Chair packets were released by the election judge prior to 7:00 p.m.
- Sign-in sheets were filled out before 7:00 p.m.
- Precincts were consolidated for purposes of holding a convention
- Precinct caucuses began before polls closed for the primary
- Ineligible participants voted or ineligible delegates were elected, including participants who were not registered voters, participants who did not vote in the primary, provisional voters whose votes were counted, and no verification was made of the eligibility of participants or delegates
- Accurate written records of participants, presidential preferences, and elected delegates were not kept
- Participants’ names and presidential preference were entered on sign-in sheets by someone other than the eligible individual participant
- Results were taken from a head count or hand count rather than the written roll
- Delegate votes were not ratified by the precinct convention
- Failure to follow Robert’s Rules of Order at the precinct convention
U.S. Senate candidate Noriega rallies support in Waco after winning primary
Rick Noriega, a five-term state representative from Houston, laid out the future of his campaign in Waco Tuesday night at a local Democratic Party club meeting, making his case on how he plans to take down U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in November’s general election.
It was his first public appearance since winning 51 percent of the vote in the March 4 primary election in which he faced three other candidates running for the nomination. By winning more than 50 percent, Noriega avoided facing a runoff and can now focus his efforts on unseat Cornyn, Texas’ Republican junior senator.
Noriega described his opponent as “extremely vulnerable” and said he suffered from name ID problems across the state. However, Noriega, who is running his first campaign for statewide office and is known little outside of Houston and Austin political circles, has his own problems with recognition.
In fact, Noriega lost in the primary in McLennan County to perennial candidate Gene Kelly, who voters often confuse with the late legendary dancer from musicals of yesteryear. Kelly, who virtually did not campaign at all, beat Noriega in the county 40 percent to 29 percent.
During the meeting, Noriega acknowledged he still has work to do broadcast his name and his message across the state. But he said he was pleased to be the first Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate to avoid a runoff since 1990.
Here’s a few of the issues Noriega addressed during his talk with the Texas Democratic Women’s Club of Central Texas:
On high gas prices and the economy:
“The cost of oil rising, what that means is when Oak Farms and the bread truck that has to make that run to the grocery store, the cost of gas increases for them too. A gallon of milk costs about $4.25 At the end of the year it is going to cost $4.50 if not $5. … Almost every commodity that we depend on as working families in this state is going to go up. People are going to be losing their houses and I will tell you that the junior senator of this state has done nothing but work for those special interests of Washington, D.C. and has not stood up and fought for working families in Texas. And what I am going to do, by gosh, as your Democratic nominee is I am going to stand up and call it like it is. I am going to speak truth to power.”
On the war in Iraq:
“The other thing that continues to be right in our face whether we like it or not and why our economy is in such a catastrophe is because we are still spending $12 billion a month on this occupation in Iraq. I will tell you this. Those eight soldiers that died yesterday and the day before in Iraq, not one of their lives that were lost is going to change the Iraqi mindset to take responsibility for their own country.”
On conducting retention interviews this weekend with soldiers as a colonel in the Texas National Guard:
“Almost invariably they tell me this: Sir, I’ve been in the army now for so many years, I’ve done two tours, my youngest child I didn’t know when they were born. The first year of their life I was gone and my wife says we just can’t do it any more. I’m finally getting back on my feet. I want to go back to school. We want to try to save up to buy a house and I just can’t do it any more.”
“As a commander I say, ‘We’ll we want to thank you for your service. You have served our state and our nation honorably. You have always got a home. We appreciate what you did and we wish you the best of luck. We are always here to support you if you ever need anything.”
“That was my weekend. That’s what I did this weekend. John Cornyn will never, ever, understand what that’s like to look into those soldiers eyes with what they have given to us as Texans and Americans. It is time we had a new United States senator.”
On waterboarding:
“For any member of Congress or the Senate, before voting on waterboarding they should actually have to go through it to offer an informed decision. I think if you are going to make an informed decision, I think you need to be masked, placed down flat and have water poured run on your face for a period of time and then determine whether that is torture or not. I think anything short of that is an uninformed decision.”
“I know the attorney general hasn’t done it and I know Mr. Cornyn hasn’t done that. Where we lose our way as a nation and why we have lost credibility across the world is because we don’t walk the talk. We say ‘Do as I say not as I do.’”
On Cornyn:
“The polling data that we have seen is that few Texans know Mr. Cornyn and those that do know him don’t particularly like him in large part because he really hasn’t done anything. Mr. Cornyn is extremely vulnerable. His re-elects are in the low 40s… . Mr. Cornyn arrived in Washington, D.C. with a Republican Congress, a Republican Senate, a Republican president from Texas and wasn’t able to bring home the bacon if you will.”
“I believe it is a good assumption on my part to say that we are going to continue to have a Democratic Congress, a Democratic Senate and a 50/50 shot at a (Democratic) president. So how is it then that the junior senator will be able to get anything done as a back bencher when he couldn’t get anything done when he had all the cards stacked in his favor.”
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Noriega visits Waco today
Rick Noriega, the Texas Democratic Party nominee running to oust U.S. John Cornyn, will visit Waco today to get out his message as he continues to work to raise his name ID.
Noriega, a five-term state representative from Houston, won 29 percent of the vote in McLennan County during the March 4 primary, but lost to perennial candidate Gene Kelly, whose name many voters confuse with the late legendary dancer from musicals of yesteryear. Kelly, who did virtually no campaigning, won 40 percent of the vote in McLennan County, showing that Noriega suffers from name ID problems in the Waco area.
Here are the particulars on Noriega’s visit today:
WHAT: Noriega, a lieutenant colonel in the Texas National Guard, will speak at the Texas Democratic Women of Central Texas’ meeting, “bringing his positive vision for solving the nation’s most pressing problems to Waco.”
WHEN: March 11, 2008 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: McLennan County Democratic Headquarters, 3400 Bosque Blvd.
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Obama appears to win McLennan County caucuses
Sen. Barack Obama appeared to be the winner of McLennan County’s Democratic precinct conventions, according to incomplete caucus results released Monday with only three precincts remaining to be reported.
In unofficial results, Obama has claimed 536 precinct-level delegates compared to Sen. Hillary Clinton’s 411, said John Cullar, McLennan County Democratic Party chairman. One delegate was classified as uncommitted, he said.
The delegate counts are important because Obama and Clinton are trying to gain an advantage they can tout when it comes time to decide who the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee should be. Neither candidate is expected to claim the 2,024 needed to lockup the nomination before the national convention in August.
But party officials across the state and in McLennan County are still going through copies of minutes, delegate lists and other documents from the precinct conventions to determine the final results.
And not all of the numbers are adding up correctly, Cullar said. At least three precincts reported too many delegates (one reported 4 too many) and a couple underreported the delegates they were allocated, he said.
“There is still a lot to sort out, with the ‘final’ results a ways off,” he wrote in an e-mail.
Also delaying the final results are the three precincts that have not yet reported in. Two precincts did not hold caucuses on March 4 at all, Cullar said.
At the state convention in June, three delegates chosen through caucus meetings from Texas Senate District 22, which includes McLennan County, will be selected to attend the national convention in August.
Out of the 90 McLennan County precincts that held Democratic caucuses on election night, 948 delegates have been designated. But that total includes the extra delegates that a few of the precincts gave to themselves, Cullar said.
Problems with the extra delegates and determining who actually was elected a delegate at the precincts will be addressed at the county convention on March 29. The number of delegates from McLennan County that advance to the state convention in June will be narrowed to 81 at the county convention.
In Texas, 67 delegates from across the state are selected through caucus meetings. The majority —126— are determined through primary election results. According to results posted on the Texas Secretary of State’s Web site, Clinton leads Obama in primary determined delegates 65 to 61.
According to results posted on the Texas Secretary of State’s Web site, Clinton picked up 65 delegates determined by the popular vote while Obama won 61. Although Clinton won the statewide popular election with 101,029 votes, Obama could win more delegates in Texas through those he picks up in the caucuses.
In McLennan County, Precinct 55, located in the Hewitt area, and Precinct 89, in East Waco, did not hold precinct conventions, Cullar said. Together the precincts had five delegates apportioned to them, he said.
The remaining precincts that have yet to report are Precinct 90 (5 delegates), which voted at the Downsville Fire Station, Precinct 39 (7 delegates), which voted at North Waco Elementary, and Precinct 5 (11 delegates), which voted at University High School.
Despite several days passing since the election, Cullar said this primary season is the fastest he has ever received delegate results back from precinct chairmen. Precinct chairmen are encouraged to report their results before the county convention, but the party does not require them to do so, he said.
The state Democratic Party estimates caucus turnout at more than a million people, but the county Democratic Party doesn’t have a full count on participation locally. However, Cullar said it is by far the highest turnout he has seen.
In previous elections, as much as a third of the precincts did not have people show up to participate in the caucuses, he said.
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Obama leads Clinton in McLennan County delegate count so far
Sen. Barack Obama remained ahead of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in McLennan County’s precint-level delegates awarded based on Tuesday night’s caucus results, according to preliminary counts released Thursday afternoon.
John Cullar, McLennan County Democratic Party chairman, said Obama was beating Clinton in precincnt-level delegates 374 to 327 with 67 out of 92 precincts totaled. Another 277 precinct-level delegates are still up for grabs. Cullar hopes to have the rest of the precinct’s tallied by Friday.
Obama and Clinton are locked in a fierce battle over delegates to help them secure the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Neither candidate is expected to reach the 2,024 needed to lockup the nomination, but which ever one earns more delegates will gain an advantage they can tout.
The number of delegates from McLennan County who advance to the state convention will be narrowed to 81 at the the Democratic Party’s county convention on March 29.
At the state convention in June, three delegates chosen through caucus meetings from Texas Senate District 22, which includes McLennan County, will be selected to attend the national convention in August.
As of 5:45 p.m. Obama was leading Clinton in Senate District 22 with 50 percent of the precinct-level delegates to her 48 percent. There are still 178 precincts out of 300 in Senate District 22 that have yet to report to the state Democratic Party.
In Texas, 67 delegates from across the state are selected through caucus meetings. The majority —126— are determined through primary election results. According to results posted on the Texas Secretary of State’s Web site, Clinton leads Obama in primary determined delegates 65 to 61.
State party chair commends record Republican primary turnout
More than 1.3 million Republicans voted in the GOP primary election for president which almost double the 2004 turnout and 200,000 more than in 2000, according to a Republican Party of Texas press released issued Wednesday.
Tina Benkiser, the state Republican Party chairwoman commended voters for turning out in record numbers to voice their choice for president and other important races on the ballot.
“The Texas GOP is grateful to all the voters who turned out during early voting and on Election Day to voice their choice in this incredibly important election,” she said in the release. “We have a battle of principles and ideals ahead of us which we are well prepared to fight. Today, we focus on November.”
Statewide voter turnout for the Texas GOP was driven in part by the race for the White House between the last three candidates that included U.S. Sen. John McCain, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Numerous local contested primaries in large urban areas also contributed to the high turnout, according to the release.
“We have an amazing slate of candidates who ran during the primary; and to them we say thank you for your time, energy and ideas,” Benkiser said. “Now we must focus on November and coalescing behind our nominees.”
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State party says Democratic caucus turnout could exceed vote for McCain
Boyd Richie, Texas Democratic Party chairman, said the “sun came up” on the state party Wednesday with a huge turnout in the party’s presidential primary and caucus elections.
About 2.8 million Texans who voted in the Democratic primary and the caucus turnout that could be higher than the 707,000 who voted for John McCain in the Republican primary, according to a Democratic Party news release.
About 400,000 Texas Democrats participated in the first 35 percent of Democratic precinct conventions that have reported. The final numbers could exceed the party’s 2004 primary turnout of 839,000, Richie said in the news release.
“This historic turnout is another unmistakable sign that voters are ready to replace failed Republican leaders with Democrats who will work for all Texans in Austin and Washington,” he said.
The statement from Richie acknowledges that historically high turnout caused problems with the handling of Tuesday night’s caucuses, including long lines, crowded facilities and “occasional interference from overzealous organizers.”
“However, in almost every case, Democrats who came out to vote and gathered to caucus with their neighbors showed the kind of patience and respect that could serve as a lesson for Republican politicians who put their personal and partisan interests ahead of what’s best for our communities,” Richie said.
The state Democratic Party chair urged voters to stay involved in the process because the contest for the 67 delegates to be sent to the national convention based on caucus results will continue until the state convention June 5-7.
Nonbinding GOP propositions pass easily
You won’t find these results in our coverage in the newspaper, in part because they don’t mean much to anyone except Republican voters.
Three nonbinding propositions appeared on Texas Republican primary ballots. These essentially are gauging the “temperature” of GOP voters with respect to these issues. And each one passed overwhelmingly.
Here’s those results, after all 7,959 precincts in the state reported:
Proposition 1: Should federal, state and local officials be required “to enforce U.S. immigration laws to secure our borders”?
Yes 1,267,411 - 96 percent
No 48,113 - 4 percent
Proposition 2: Should the state require voters to show valid photo ID before casting ballots?
Yes 1,237,776 - 94 percent
No 80,314 - 6 percent
Proposition 3: Should government agencies be prohibited from increasing their budgets beyond what is demanded by increases in inflation and population without voter approval?
Yes 1,175,461 - 92 percent
No 100,128 - 8 percent
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McLennan County Dems go with Hillary
With 100 percent of the vote in, McLennan County voters casting ballots in today’s Democratic primary election gave a 414-vote edge to Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Returns showed Clinton with 12,275 votes to Barack Obama’s 11,861 votes.
Clinton made a concerted effort to win Democrats living in “Bush Country,” stumping at the Waco Convention Center last Friday (and just as President Bush flew in for a weekend at his nearby ranch), then dispatching former first daughter Chelsea Clinton to visit local seniors and campaign volunteers on Monday.
Former President Bill Clinton also stumped in the area, including nearby Killeen and, just this past weekend, College Station.
Snell ousts Crunk as commissioner
McLennan County Precinct 1 constituents have a new county commissioner.
With all precincts in the GOP primary reporting, Kelly Snell of Robinson, owner of an energy conservation company, was easily overwhelming Wendall Crunk, who has served as county commissioner for 11 years.
Snell had 2,217 votes while Crunk had 1,683 votes
Among other things, Snell had campaigned against the pay hike Crunk and other commissioners voted themselves more than a year ago.
Crunk, during his campaign, touted how he led the fight against the proposed Trans Texas Corridor in this area and actively opposed proposed coal-fired power plants for McLennan County.
Snell will take the commissioner’s office in January. Democrats did not field a candidate for the post.
No peace at Peace Lutheran Church
From what Tribune-Herald staff writer Erin Quinn reports, Peace Lutheran Church, 9301 Panther Way, was yet another local example of the somewhat chaotic situation involving primary election caucusing going on tonight.
In the Democratic presidential primary, Barack Obama won 13 of the precinct’s 20 delegates with 62 percent of the 134 caucusing voters, she said. It started at 7:53 p.m. and ended at 9 p.m.
Just before the polls closed, a line of more than 150 gathered outside Peace Lutheran Church. Some hadn’t voted yet and were directed to the front of the line.
Moments before 7 p.m, the site’s alternate election judge, George Tibbs, announced he was about to cut off the line to vote, which sparked confusion among voters and caucus-goers. He told caucus-goers it could be an hour before the caucus started.
The church then opened its sanctuary to hold the hungry and cold caucus voters.
Traveling Obama supporters set up their table at the front of the church and opened five bags of cookies that went over big with both Hillary Clinton and Obama supporters.
Among those who waited was Baylor employee Viola Osborn, who said she showed up for caucus four years ago and was the only one.
“I was the caucus,” she said, laughing. “I got to go to the county convention and everything, but I still have no idea how a caucus works.”
Clinton’s traveling supporters set up their table at the front of the sanctuary at 7:30 p.m.
Real estate agent Bobbie Tilton was just one of the anxious voters waiting to caucus at the church.
“They’d better hurry up before I turn Lutheran,” Tilton said . “I’m reading prayer books and songs over here.”
Once the signing started at 7:53 p.m., most voters left.
Fossie Hadley, a 60-year-old housewife, said she didn’t expect to wait at the caucus, but didn’t mind.
“I really didn’t have any idea what it would be like,” she said. “I just knew it was something Hillary needed us to do. As long as she’s in it, I’m in it with her.”
Hillary Blakeley, a 24-year-old Baylor graduate student, was surprised she could leave after signing in.
“Earlier in the day, I looked up a bunch about caucuses online because I didn’t know what to expect,” the Obama supporter said. “I read it could take a while, so I brought work to do and everything.”
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Obama, Clinton split vote 50-50 in Coryell County
If you’ve noticed how the election totals across Texas are almost 50-50 between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham, Coryell County may well mirror what’s frantically going on statewide.
Veteran Tribune-Herald staffer Mike Copeland, who’s been dissecting election returns, tells us Clinton and Obama each scored 2,434 votes in Coryell County, just below McLennan County.
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Huckabee: ‘We kept the faith’
The Associated Press
IRVING, Texas — Mike Huckabee bowed to reality Tuesday and out of the Republican presidential race.
“We kept the faith,” he told his end-of-the-road rally Tuesday after John McCain clinched the nomination. “I’d rather lose an election than lose the principles that got me into politics in the first place.”
The genial conservative went out as he had campaigned all along, with a quip: “It’s time for us to hit the reset button.”
Huckabee won the leadoff Iowa caucuses, making him a sudden but short-lived sensation, and then seven other states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana and Kansas. Meantime, McCain piled up big victories on his way to winning the prize on Tuesday night.
The writing was on the wall for weeks, but the former Arkansas governor hung on until McCain secured the necessary delegates.
“We started this effort with very little recognition and virtually no resources,” Huckabee told supporters. “We ended with slightly more recognition and very few resources.”
The crowd laughed. “But what a journey,” he said. “What a journey. A journey of a lifetime.”
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Local early voting gives edge to Obama, McCain
It looks like a long night for election officials, especially with oversized caucus meetings, but early votes for McLennan County are in. Local Democrats voting for Barack Obama slightly edged out those for Hillary Clinton, 51 percent to 47 percent.
Early vote totals from the McLennan County Elections Office showed Obama getting 4,229 votes to 3,876 for Clinton.
Complete returns may tell a different story.
On the Republican side, GOP nominee John McCain got 58 percent, while Mike Huckabee, who ended his presidential run tonight, got 33 percent.
Both candidates, of course, were in Waco in recent days. McCain stumped at the Heart O’ Texas Fairgrounds on Monday and Huckabee campaigned at the Waco Hilton on Thursday.
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Unexpected caucus crowds forcing change in plans
> Carver Academy
Large crowds participating in Texas’ confusing presidential primary caucus system are clogging local and area polling places and slowing counts, just as election officials statewide had feared.
At Lake Shore Methodist Church, 3311 Park Lake Drive in West Waco, between 300 and 400 people representing two precincts were milling around this evening, looking for a place to caucus. Problem: There was no room in the church big enough to accommodate all of them.
Members of one precinct finally managed to caucus, while members of the other precinct waited for them to finish. There was some confusion over whether people had to stay after they signed up.
Over at Crestview Elementary School, 1120 N. New Road, an overflow crowd of Democratic voters wanting to caucus were moved from one building to another. No one expected the crowd to be so large.
The same thing erupted at G.W. Carver Academy, 1601 J.J. Flewellen Road in East Waco, where more than 500 people were ready to caucus just after the polls closed while about 100 were still lined up waiting to vote. Election officials moved the crowd from the cafeteria to the gym to accommodate everyone.
It was 8:30 before the last voter at Carver voted in the primary election. Then election officials began signing people up to caucus. There appeared to be about 500 people waiting to caucus.
When, at one point shortly after the polls closed, word got out at Carver Academy about Barack Obama’s winning the Vermont primary election, about three-quarters of the crowd on campus cheered.
At another point this evening, Obama and Clinton campaign officials could be seen huddling with precinct officials over complicated rules for Texas’ primary caucus system. Observers expected what was supposed to be a brief meeting to stretch on for more than an hour.
At Crestview Elementary School, precinct official Jim Tom Speer, taking stock of the huge crowd of Democrats ready to caucus this evening and the current president, remarked drolly: “Well, I’ll tell you one thing. If George Bush did anything, it was getting people to come out and vote.”
Local election officials worried that many Democratic voters, to avoid having to vote during the day and then return to the polls to caucus at night, would just make one visit close to the end of polling, then wait around a few minutes for a presumably brief caucus meeting.
Then again, tonight’s caucuses may just be huge because of the equally large attention devoted to the Democratic primary caucus system in Texas and the tight race between presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Not every polling place experienced massive caucuses. University High School, 2600 Bagby Ave in south central Waco, saw four or five dozen people come to caucus after the polls closed, with those representing Clinton slightly outnumbering those for Obama.
However, the number caucusing at University High School — one family participating consisted of four generations — never forced any moves to another hall.
At Crestview Elementary School, 70 voters signed up during the caucus for Obama, while 49 signed for Clinton. That apparently means Obama gets 9 delegates plus their alternates while Clinton Hillary gets 6.
Caucus chairman Michael Long said that while 119 Democrats signed to caucus at Crestview Elementary this year, only 4 signed up in 2004.
At University High School, the results were flipped: 26 people signed for Clinton, meaning she gets 7 delegates and their alternates, while Obama got 14 signatures, which means he gets 4 delegates.
Even at University High School, some confusion arose. When the Arivzu/Mireles family arrived to caucus, they immediately looked for the person in charge. The problem, they said, was nobody in charge.
Election officials were shutting down the poll station when Maria Mireles asked them about caucusing.
“They didn’t have anybody and they were already closing the doors,” she said. So she and her brother, Armando Arivzu, found they had little choice beyond volunteering themselves.
Mireles had been to a Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign meeting a few days earlier explaining the caucus process.
“We weren’t going to let Clinton down,” she said.
Early voting results for McLennan County
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
President
Obama 4,229
Clinton 3,876
Commissioner / Pct. 3
Mashek 961
Anderson 584
Constable / Place 8
Cantu 277
Romero 96
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
President
McCain 3,538
Huckabee 2,021
State representative
Anderson 3,521
Sibley 1,913
Sheriff
Lynch 4,741
Gates 940
Commissioner / Pct. 1
Snell 771
Crunk 507
Constable / Place 1
Bailey 1,981
Culyer 1,480
Constable / Place 5
Geiger 202
Hickey 176
Witt 96
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Line swells to 200 at Carver Academy
From Trib reporter David Doerr:
With polling scheduled to end at 7 p.m., the line of expectant voters has grown to about 200 at the Carver Academy, site of Waco’s busiest voting precinct.
Because pollsters will let all those in line vote first, the planned caucus will likely be delayed from its planned 7:15 p.m. start time.
At least 100 people have gathered at the site to take part in the caucus.
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Voices at South Terrace: ‘Think of the children … of their future’
By staff writer Tommy Witherspoon
As of 5:30 p.m., 91 people had cast their vote at the South Terrace Neighborhood Center, Precinct 20.
Alicia Robles, 28, an HEB employee and first-time voter said she considers herself a Democrat and voted for Hillary Clinton. ” She is going to help us,” Robles said when asked why she voted for Clinton. “As a low-income person, I know she will help us with health-care. That is important to us who don’t make as much money.”
If she had a chance to speak to the next president, Robles said she would encourage him or her to “think of the children…of their future.”
Sharon Schilling, 57, a house-wife, said she voted for Barack Obama, even though she considers herself a Republican. Schilling said issues important to her include the state of the economy, health care and “finishing the war.”
“I like him, and we need a change, and I don’t like Hillary (Clinton),” Schilling said when asked why she didn’t vote within her party. “And I don’t like McCain. We’ve had enough of the Clintons.”
If she could say one thing to the next president, Schilling said she would tell him or her to be honest.
“Stop lying,” Schilling said. “Do what you say you are going to do and work with people instead of politicians.”
Another Obama voter, Mary Hicks, 60, retired, said she voted in her party for the person she thought was “young” and “fresh.”
“I think he’s young and fresh and has some good ideas for healthcare and helping the students,” Hicks said.
Hicks’ main issues include health care, the war and immigration.
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McCain wins Ohio GOP primary
CNN is projecting that Sen. John McCain will win the Ohio Republican primary. Here is the story
The Associated Press also has called Ohio for McCain.
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150 in line to vote at Carver Academy; 90-minute wait reported
From Trib reporter David Doerr:
At 6:40 p.m., 150 people are in line to vote at the Carver Academy, with 20 minutes left in polling.
The Precinct 12 voting station has the largest cache of delegates in the city, 59, and historically has the largest turnout. As of 5:30 p.m., 447 people had voted there.
People are still joining the line, the parking lot is overflowing and people are parking in streets. One person who just voted described waiting to vote for 90 minutes.
The wait could delay the caucus meeting, which is supposed to start at 7:15 p.m., but it will not start until all have voted.
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Obama, McCain win in Vermont
From the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Vermont primary Tuesday night, and the two Democratic rivals dueled in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island in their riveting race for the party’s presidential nomination. John McCain reached out for the Republican delegates needed to secure his triumph after a decade’s struggle.
The Vermont victory was Obama’s 12th straight over the former first lady, desperate to rebound later in the night in the other three states holding elections.
McCain added Vermont to his column in the Republican race, and pocketed all 17 delegates at stake. That put the magic number — 1,191 — within his reach.
The Associated Press made its calls based on surveys of voters as they left the polls.
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Voices at South Waco Elementary
By staff writer Tommy Witherspoon
David Hilton, a 45-year-old Waco auto mechanic, said he voted for John McCain, because he feels he is the strongest candidate.
Hilton’s chief issue is health care, which he called a huge issue.
If he could speak with the next president, he would say, “Get done with Iraq, not necessarily a total withdrawal, but get it finished. We’ve been over there too long.”
Manny Dowling, 38, self-employed, said he voted for Barack Obama.
Dowling agrees with his stance that it’s time for a change, not necessarily in the sense of having a minority or female president, but a change in policies and direction.
His one issue is the war. He said he feels President Bush started the war to vindicate his dad.
“I’m still waiting for them to find one weapon of mass destruction to justify all those lives lost,” Dowling said.
If he was to talk to the president he would say, “Stand on your word. Keep your promises and don’t just tell people what they want to hear.”
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Voices at Baylor: ‘Let the market work’
From staff writer Tommy Witherspoon
Greg McNew, a 21-year-old computer science junior from Granbury, Texas, said he voted for Barack Obama.
“I trust him most on foreign policy issues and I think his health care plan is the most reasonable.”
McNew said he thinks Obama is the most likely candidate to bring transparency to government. To him the most important issues are foreign policy (including handling of the war in Iraq), the environment and personal liberties.
He said if he could, he would tell whoever becomes president: “I think it is more important to protect our civil liberties than restrict them in the name of fighting terrorists.”
Jamaal Myles, 20, a information management systems major from Los Angeles said today was his first time to vote, and he chose Obama.
Myles said he likes the Democratic candidate’s plans on education and health care, and his anti-war policy. He also likes him because he’s not a “band wagoner,” when it comes to his stance on issues.
He said he likes Obama’s consistency in his policies.
For Myles, the most important issues this election are the economy, health care and taxes.
He urged whoever becomes president to remain faithful to the policies campaigned on.
Recent Baylor Law School graduate Rebecca Griffin, 23, of Phoenix, said she voted for Jonathan Sibley because she was in law shcool with him for a while.
Griffin, a Republican, said she voted for Ron Paul because she did not like McCain’s policies from when she was in Arizona.
Her top issues: immigration, defense and the economy. If she could talk to the president, she would say, “Let the market work. The free market will work itself out if you just leave it alone.”
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Voices in West: ‘Get out of Iraq’
In West, a heavily Democratic bastion of McLennan County, 21-year-old Coy Miller, who works for the city repairing water and sewer lines, voted for the very first time. Miller’s choice: Hillary Clinton.
“I just agree with her on most issues,” Miller said late this afternoon. “I feel strongly about her.”
Among the motivations: The conviction that Clinton, as president, would definitely do something to lower skyrocketing gasoline prices.
Debbie Polansky, 48, of West, a dental hygienist and the mother of two who can’t afford health insurance through her job, says she’s voting for Obama.
Her advice for the next president: “I’d say get people out of Iraq and do something about the rising cost of health care.”
Voices in Elm Mott: ‘Don’t let big business make the decisions’
Monica Ortiz found a line out the door when she arrived at Precinct 67 at about 4:30, and parking was at a premium.
Carl and Laura Patrick were there to vote for Republican Ron Paul, and his stance on immigration reforms was one reason.
But Paul’s economic views also attracted their vote. “The economy is important, mainly because money gets so tight nowadays,” says Laura, who at 60 is still working in order to help pay bills and keep health insurance.
Carl also likes Paul’s small-government point of view. “I’d like to see a reduction of government power,” Carl says.
Their message to the next president: “Mostly don’t let big business make the decisions,” Carl says. “Let the little people do it,” his wife chimes in.
Robert Kuykendell stopped at the Elm Mott precinct to vote for Mike Huckabee, whose views on the economy, abortion and the war he supports. “I don’t think we should just pull out of Iraq, give it to them and say, ‘I give up.’ “
He doesn’t trust the Democratic candidates, and if John McCain prevails over Huckabee for the GOP nomination, he’d have some advice for him: “He needs to listen to the people more.”
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Voices at Dewey Recreation Center: ‘Lower gas prices now’
Kwan Boggess, a 33-year-old school teacher at Meadowbrook Elementary, voted for Hillary Clinton at the Dewey Recreation Center, 925 N. Ninth St.
“Not just because she’s a woman,” she explained to staffer Tommy Witherspoon. “I just feel like she is better prepared for the position. I feel she has a bit more experience.”
The most important issues to her are the Iraq war and education.
“We need to be done with the war because too many people have lost loved ones. … It’s time for it to be over,” she said.
She said she’d tell the new president: “We need lower gas prices right now.”
Barack Obama was the choice of Raven Hawthorne, 25, a merchandising supervisor at Sam’s Club.
He represents a change in the direction that the country moving in, she said. “We need somebody who is strong about making decisions, not afraid of confrontation or debate, and with strong leadership abilities.”
Children’s health insurance and the Iraq war are top concerns for her.
She would tell the next president to look out for kids and the middle class, those trying to make it in life, and “not those sitting down and capable, but not willing to work.”
Another vote for Obama came from Julie Holt, 75. Why? “Because I like him,” she said.
Health care and getting out of the war are priorities for Holt.
She said she would tell the next president: “Good luck and God bless you. I’ll be praying for you daily.”
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Clinton, Obama campaigns allege election rules violations
Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s campaigns alleged that supporters of their rival candidates were trying to circumvent Texas Democratic Party rules by circulating sign-in sheets before tonight’s precinct conventions.
The sign-in sheets are crucial because they are the documents precinct chairmen will use to calculate how many delegates each candidate will win from tonight’s caucuses. Both campaigns alleged numerous reports across the state of such activity.
The Texas Democratic Party distributed a memo today repudiating the practice of campaigns filling out sign-in sheets in advance, which the Clinton campaign described as “underhanded tactics.”
“We want every Texas voter to know that sign-in sheets distributed before the primary polls close, will not count,” said Ace Smith, state director of the Clinton campaign, in a statement. “We encourage them to participate in their precinct convention by showing up at their polling location at 6:30 p.m.”
The Obama campaign alleged that Clinton supporters had solicited signatures on sign-in sheets in Dallas, El Paso, Jefferson and Tarrant counties.
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Voices in Chalk Bluff: ‘The war has been handled just right’
Monica Ortiz talked to two voters who cast their ballots at Chalk Bluff Baptist Church this afternoon.
Kenneth Dunn, 54, is a maintenance worker for the state. His top concerns are the economy and immigration.
Dunn, who voted for John McCain, said experience was the deciding factor.
“I think he’s the man for the job,” Dunn said. “He’s been around a long time and he knows what he’s doing.”
Dunn said comprehensive immigration reform is needed.
“It’s kind of a sour note,” he said. “(The immigrants) are already here. Let’s get them legal and keep them working. That will help the economy.”
Dunn said he likes McCain’s military background and hopes to see the war effort continue.
“I think the war has been handled just right up until now, and we should keep at it rather than withdraw,” he said.
Erica Smith, 29, is not currently working. She said she’s on medicaid and kidney dialysis, and is waiting for a kidney transplant.
Smith said she’s happy with her medical care, but is concerned about education.
“I want to go back to school,” Smith said.
She was studying to be a nurse before suffering from kidney problems, and financial hardships forced her to stop attending college.
Smith said she voted for Barack Obama because “I like his plan about helping college students.”
She said she was originally planning to vote for Hillary Clinton.
” But I sat down and listened to the candidates, and I could feel what (Obama) was saying.”
Voices at Provident Heights: ‘Don’t want more of the same’
Suzanne White, 34, a stay-at-home mother of two, said she cast her ballot at Provident Heights Elementary for Barack Obama because she believes he stands for change, including changing the way elections are run.
She told staffer Tommy Witherspoon that Hillary Clinton represents “the establishment.”
“I don’t want more of the same,” she said.
Another important issue to her is the Iraq war and trying to find a way to end it.
If she could speak to the next president, she would suggest election reform, especially campaign finance reform.
“The way we run our elections determines what kind of democracy we have,” White said. “Right now it runs representative of big money. I support Obama because he seems to represent the citizens.”
GOP candidate John McCain was the choice of Clarice Barron, a 62-year-old employee at Texas State Technical College.
The Iraq war is an important issue for her.
“I think we should finish it up and bring our guys home safely,” she said. “But not just retreat and leave the terrorism to continue.”
She added that she believes McCain is sincere, which appeals to her.
Barron said she would tell the next president, which she presumes will be McCain, “to follow his heart.”
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Voices in Lacy-Lakeview: Obama ‘new and enthusiastic’
For Jamal Akhter, a naturalized U.S. citizen voting this afternoon at the Lacy-Lakeview Civic Center, the economy is driving his vote for Barack Obama, he told reporter Monica Ortiz Uribe.
“When gas prices go up, all poor people suffer and it’s a big problem,” said Akhter, 47, who is originally from Pakistan.
The convenience store owner said that the high gas prices affect sales negatively at his business. Obama appeals to him because “he’s new and he’s enthusiastic,” he said.
His wife, however, supports Hillary Clinton because of the New York senator’s political experience, he said.
The war also is a concern, he said. “American people don’t like war,” he said. “We want our troops to come back safely.”
Because he works 18-hour days, Akhter said he won’t go to the caucus tonight.
If he would be able to talk to the next president, he would suggest a flat-tax rate, he said.
Gay Lynn Shaffer, 58, a housewife, said she voted for Hillary Clinton.
“I think that she has a lot of experience from being so many years in politics,” she said. “I think she’s very intelligent and I think she’s very well qualified for this job.”
The economy is her biggest concern.
She will not attend the caucus because she doesn’t drive at night.
If she could tell the next president something, she said she’d say: “Hillary, take care of people in this country before giving anything away to other countries.”
For ABX Air employee Tanya Little, 33, the big issues for her are abortion and gay marriage. That led her to vote for Mike Huckabee, although she said she’d support John McCain if he’s the GOP nominee.
“Sorry, I don’t agree with (gay marriage) … it ruins the family, it messes up the family relationship.”
Little said she’d tell McCain, whom she figures will be the next president: “I hope you stand for what you say you’ll stand for.”
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Voters banging on the door at 6:50 a.m. in Riesel
Trib staffer Tim Woods didn’t find anyone at Riesel City Hall, the Precinct 73 polling place, when he arrived, but it is the middle of the afternoon.
Election workers there told him that they have had a pretty steady flow all day, with 112 voters by the 1:30 p.m. accounting. Of those, 53 voted Republican and 69 Democrat, which might be the most balanced party voting we’ve seen thus far.
The workers also said they had a line of people waiting before the polls opened. Some even banged on the door at 6:50 a.m. wanting to be let in, even though the site can’t open until 7 a.m. They probably wanted to get out of the cold.
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Voices at Central Christian: Going with the GOP
From Tribune-Herald reporter Erin Quinn:
Judy Sirbasku walked into the Central Christian Church at 2:30 p.m. hoping her vote would count toward changing the likely direction of the Republican presidential primary.
“I think it’s going to be fun to see what happens tonight,” said Sirbasku, the owner of an Arabian Horse Farm.
“I’m a conservative Republican,” she said. “Huckabee is conservative, shares my family values and wants to get rid of the IRS.”
Her first choice for president, she said, was Mitt Romney.
“If McCain gets elected, he better decide quick who his vice president would be, and it’d better be a conservative Republican,” she said.
She said she didn’t attend any of the candidates’ visits to Waco, but said she could tell “they were here for a reason.”
Orville and Alma Bridges also voted Republican, but shared a different view on McCain.
Orville Bridges, 83, didn’t stop to talk as he entered the church, but said he was voting for McCain.
“We’re voting for McCain because I like him,” he said.
Alma, 80, laughed at her husband’s terse response, saying she probably wouldn’t have had if a choice if she didn’t like McCain in their household.
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Voices at Pleasant Grove Baptist: ‘My wife has cancer and it’s been hard’
Tribune-Herald reporter Monica Ortiz Uribe was able to talk to three voters at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, each of whom say they support Barack Obama.
The Rev. Leno Bush, who is retired after working for 46 years at a local auto dealership, said there is a strong need for change in Washington, D.C.
“We need a new president,” he said. “I hope I voted for the right person. I really wish I could have voted for both (Hillary Clinton and Obama). It was a tough decision.”
Bush said he likes what Obama has to say.
“I like the way he talks,” Bush said. “We’ve been needing a change from the same old thing all the time.”
Bush said what he’d like to tell the next president is “to do what they say — especially about lowering taxes.”
Henry and Brenda Williams are both retired, and say health care is the most important issue to them.
Brenda has battled cancer twice, which has put a financial strain on the family.
“My wife has cancer and it’s been hard,” Henry said. “Bill collectors are still calling from the first time she had cancer.”
Brenda said her insurance will expire in July, which is a huge concern.
“You can’t get help if you don’t have insurance,” she said.
Henry said he voted for Obama “because he seemed the most sincere.”
Both Henry and Brenda Williams said they plan to caucus tonight.
“I’m more excited this year,” Brenda said. “It’s been a close, close race.”
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‘Grey’s Anatomy’ actress makes house calls for Obama in Waco
Kate Walsh may have been more than an hour late for duty, but when she finally got to Waco late this morning, she worked like a real trouper, knocking on doors, stumping for Barack Obama and pumping up his local volunteers.
Best-known for the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy” and, more recently, “Private Practice,” Walsh was due at Obama campaign headquarters on Columbus Avenue at 9:30 a.m. However, her busy schedule across Texas resulted in her arriving at 10:45.
After rallying the troops, she went off on her own and began canvassing a neighborhood, an Obama campaign official told the Tribune-Herald. The official said he didn’t know what neighborhood Walsh visited but he said she was gone several hours.
She finally left town a little before 3 p.m., he said.
The campaign official said everyone was impressed.
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Dem County chair: Beware cable news reports, pundits calling election
John Cullar, chairman of the McLennan County Democratic Party, said caucus goers should ignore reports on MSNBC that say that the polls in Texas will close at 9 p.m.
That’s only in El Paso and the polls will close at the regular time in Central Texas, which is 7 p.m., Cullar said. And Waco’s Democratic Party’s precinct conventions, also called caucuses, will be held at 7:15 p.m. or as soon as the last person in line to vote has cast his or her ballot, he said.
It will also be interesting to see how the pundits on national television try to explain the outcome of Texas’ primary-caucus hybrid election system. Out of the 228 delegates up for grabs in Texas 126 will be determined based on the primary vote. Another 67 will be based on the results of the caucuses held at precinct, county and state conventions.
The Texas Democratic Party has never tried to collect all of the results of the precinct conventions on election day, Cullar said. And because the precinct chairmen have until Friday to send in the caucus results to the state party, it could be days before the state has a handle on who won the most delegates.
“It is just guess work,” he said. “The (precinct convention) is the first step and you really can’t tell from that.”
But that is not not going to stop candidates from declaring victory tonight, Cullar said.
“(The candidates) want an immediate spin on what is going on,” he said.
The delegates who are elected at the precinct conventions can change their preference for presidential candidates at the county and state conventions, Cullar said. So the final results on the delegate counts won’t be official until the state convention in early June, he said.
But the campaigns of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are putting pressure on state and local county Democratic officials to produce at least a preliminary determination on who won the most delegates, Cullar said.
The Texas Democratic Party is asking precinct chairmen to call in results so they can be posted on the state party’s Web site tonight.
“We expect some precinct conventions to not take any longer than an hour, but some may be taking up to two or three hours,” said Hector Nieto, a state party spokesman. “It’s just a matter of communicating with these precincts and how they fast they can get the results back to us.”
Cullar said he is encouraging precinct chairmen to turn their results in tonight. But he said it remains unclear when the results of the caucuses will be known.
And how quick the results come in might depend on the organization of the party, which often varies in rural and urban areas, Cullar said.
“It is going to be impossible to tell the percentages until a day or two,” he said.
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Voices in Mart: First-time voter for Hillary
At the Mart Community Center, where residents in Precincts 71 and 92 come to vote, staffer Tim Woods reports that 198 have voted as on 1:30 p.m.
Election officials told him that it’s about 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 Democratic voters, but that’s to be expected in Mart.
Sandra Boyd said she cast her ballot for Hillary Clinton.
“I’m 38 years old and I’ve never voted for anyone,” she said. “I came to vote for Hillary, not just the fact that she’s a woman, but the fact that she’s got the strength to be commander in chief.”
She said a big issue for her is health care, which has long been a mainstay in Clinton’s platform.
“I work in Waco and I can’t afford the health care that my work offers,” Boyd said. “It’s a horrible situation not to be able to pay for your health care if something would go wrong.”
One man was outside the center handing out Ron Paul fliers. A voter commented to him that he knew a few people who said they backed the GOP candidate.
“I wish there were a few million more of them (Paul supporters),” he sighed.
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Voices at Lake Shore Baptist: Voting comes before doctor
Douglas Pitts, 84, shuffled with a walker into Lake Shore Baptist Church just before 2 p.m. with purpose. He hurt his back earlier this week, and has no choice but to use the walker. “It takes me 20 minutes to put my shoes and socks on,” he said. “I haven’t even been to the doctor yet. I came here first. This is more on my mind.” Pitts, who is retired from Merrill Lynch, said he planned on casting his ballot for Sen. John McCain. Larry Harder, 70, was also Republican-minded when he headed into the church, but his presidential vote was going to Gov. Mike Huckabee. He said he wasn’t able to attend Huckabee’s rally Thursday at the Waco Hilton, but said his and the appearances of other candidates and big-name supporters to Central Texas is telling of the closeness of the race. “They’re scrounging for every vote they can get apparently,” Harder said. “In most elections, Waco doesn’t seem to matter as much.” Outside the church, three supporters of local candidates Jonathon Sibley, Sheriff Larry Lynch and Constable Travis Bailey stood with signs of support. They said they had been touring Waco’s polling places all morning. Most interesting: Bruce Scott, 36, of Austin and a friend of Sibley, said at Tennyson Middle School early this morning a Hillary Clinton campaign representative told every voter she could to meet back at the school at 6:45 p.m. to caucus.
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Voices in Bellmead: ‘Words won’t cut it. We need real change.’
Tribune-Herald reporter Monica Ortiz Uribe was on the scene at the Bellmead Civic Center, and got these comments and observations from voters:
Donna Carroll made quite a drive to vote. The Bellmead resident works in Groesbeck, so she took a two-hour lunch break to return to her hometown to pick up her son and to cast her ballot at the Bellmead Civic Center.
The economy is her top issue this election. “Gas prices are eating me alive,” she says, adding that she’s had to cut back on food purchases so she can afford fuel.
She’s backing Barack Obama. “I’m hoping if he does get elected, I want him to create change — real change, not good-old-boy change like we would get from other people.”
But she wants action. “Words won’t cut it. We need real change.”
Alex Moorman, an international studies major at Baylor University with an emphasis on the Middle East, said foreign policy is his top issue.
He supports Barack Obama.
“The United States has spoken like we’re one way and then acted another way,” Moorman said. “We say we’re for peace and then act with aggression.”
Moorman said he supports Obama because, “I really believe he has the convictions to help people that are less fortunate than he.”
He said he plans to attend the Democratic caucus this evening, and afterward will watch election results with Obama supporters at Treff’s.
Tom Heaton, a retired construction worker, said he voted for Hillary Clinton.
“I think she’s experienced,” he said. “She’ll also have her husband there beside her. She’s been around the world and she’s talked to everybody.”
Heaton said the main issue for him is the war in Iraq.
“The main thing I’d say is that we need to stop this war, and get some of that money over here,” he said. “I’ve been in the service and I think this war is useless.”
Obama supporter Ryan Young puts out a sign outside the Wiethorn Visitors Center polling place on the Baylor campus Tuesday.
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Downsville site staying busy
Trib photographer Jerry Larson reports seeing a steady stream of voters at Downsville, which probably makes sense because four precincts go to that location, the most of any site.
Election officials told him that they’ve seen more voters come through today than they can ever remember.
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Voices in East Waco: Turning out the vote
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama supporters hold signs outside Precinct 3, Wiethorn Visitors Center, on the Baylor campus.In one of the most delegate-rich parts of Waco, Sen. Barack Obama claimed the support of several voters this morning.
At G.W. Carver Academy, voters turned out in force with 179 by 11:30 a.m. High turnout in this precinct in previous elections has given precinct 12 59 delegates to send to the Democratic Party’s county convention, the highest number in McLennan County by far.
Billy Outley, a minister at St. Paul’s Church of God in Christ, said he didn’t accept Hillary Clinton’s argument that is more experienced than Obama because of her time serving as first lady during her husband’s presidency.
“How can she say she has the experience, when it was Bill (Clinton) running things,” he said.
Outley said he planned to turnout to participate in tonight’s precinct convention at at G.W. Carver Academy.
He said this is the district where many voters have historically shown up to vote for U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco. He said he expected them to do the same for Obama, whom Edwards has endorsed.
Mike Pezzano, who described himself as an independent, said he was attracted to Obama because he is the only candidate that inspires people like Ronald Reagan did in the 1980s.
“Right now we need a leader,” he said. “I don’t care what politician we put in there. We need someone to guide this country in the 21st Century. Like it or night none of the politicians are going to give you all of what you want. But good solid leadership is a good start.”
R.J. Robinson, who took his 93 year-old mother to the polls to vote today, said he supported Obama today. However, he acknowledged that he worries about his security.
“You don’t know if people are ready to accept a black president,” Robinson said. “You don’t know if something would happen to him like J.F.K.”
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Voices in Speegleville: ‘If you want a job done right…’
From Erin Quinn, on the scene in Speegleville:
Gracie Gonzales and her mother, Jovita Martinez, 87, walked into the Speegleville Baptist Church during the lunch hour thinking: girl power.
“If you want the job done right, you’ve got to have a woman do it,” said Gonzales, a 49-year-old in customer support at a database processing firm.
Neither were able to see their pick, Sen. Hillary Clinton, when she spoke Friday at the Waco Convention Center because Gonzales couldn’t get off work.
Gonzales plans to attend a caucus tonight, and then go home to watch the returns come in on TV, she said.
“I think she’s better qualified than Obama,” she said. “She’s worked behind-the-scenes for a long time.”
She said Clinton’s plan for health reform is her primary issue of concern.
Pam Minter, a 68-year-old retired grandmother of 11, said she cast her vote for Gov. Mike Huckabee.
“He represents my values,” she said. “He’s my candidate.”
She said she regrets not going Thursday to hear Huckabee speak at the Waco Hilton, saying she didn’t know about it in time.
She said her No. 1 deciding issue in favor of Huckabee was abortion.
“And pretty much all the issues,” she said. “Immigration, economics, the war — they’re all so important.”
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Clinton supporter considers bright side
This report from Bill Whitaker in the field:
Marcia Kimball isn’t a local but she says she’s getting to know Waco and finds its people engaging.
Certainly, some of the people here are nicer than a few encountered in parts of South Carolina, where Kimball and her friends from North Hampshire traveled to stump for Hillary Clinton earlier this year.
She and her friends travel about the nation, working as volunteers in Sen. Clinton’s campaign to win the Democratic nomination for president.
At one point, while in South Carolina, Kimball says she strolled up to a house, knocked on the door and asked for the woman of the house. The man who answered the door refused her request.
What’s more, she says, the man stepped out of his doorway and tried to drive home how much he detested Hillary Clinton.
“I gotta tell you something,” he told Kimball, practically nose to nose. “I am a member of the Ku Klux Klan and the John Birch Society.”
Well,” Kimball replied, “at least that means you’re probably not voting for Barack Obama.”
Voices at Dean Highland: Michelle Obama ‘a tough cookie’
As of 12:15 p.m. 100 voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary and 39 voted Republican at Dean Highland Elementary, 1800 N. 33rd St.
Adrienne Haliburton, 29, works at the Texas Youth Commission in Mart. She voted for Barack Obama because she likes what he stands for, she said. Haliburton said she also likes Obama’s wife, Michelle, because she’s “a tough cookie.”
Her main issues are the economy and the war in Iraq. She said she would tell whoever is president to “Be true to what he said while he was campaigning.”
She said she will not be able to attend the caucus because she’s working tonight.
Paul Blankenstein, 82, of Waco voted to Hillary Clinton. He said he mainly voted Democratic because it’s time for a change.
Blankenstein said if he could, he would tell the next president: “Try to get good health care and keep jobs instead of (going overseas).”
Rebecca Carroll, 25, a state employee, said she came to the polls to vote for Jonathan Sibley in his District 56 state representative race against Charles “Doc” Anderson.
She cast her presidential ballot for Huckabee, she said.
The main issues for her are immigration and taxes. She said she would ask, “Where our money is going and why is it not being spent on more productive things?”
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Voices in B-Eddy: Iraq, security are main issues
From Tim Woods, on the scene at the voting precinct in Bruceville-Eddy:
By 11:30 a.m., 200 people had voted. Volunteers say numbers are pretty evenly split among Republicans and Democrats, with Republicans holding a slight edge.
Donald Musel and his wife, Toni-Rae, said they both voted for John McCain. The Musels said they moved to Texas from Minnesota about a year and a half ago,
“We’re new to Texas, but the main thing is the presidential race, and the only choice is McCain,” Donald Musel said.
He said that the biggest issue for him is “Iraq and the security of the country.”
He added: “I also don’t trust the Democrats as far as gun control. I think they’re going to take our guns away.”
Toni-Rae Musel said the key issue for her was “winning the war over there and not just walking away from it. We’ve lost too many of our boys over there to not give them the respect they deserve.”
Toni-Rae said she was also concerned about the Democrats raising taxes if elected.
John Burns said the issue he is most concerned about is “doing something for the veterans that are coming back.”
He said he planned to vote in the Republican primary, but he will vote for the candidate and not for the party in November.
Burns said he supported McCain, but if he had to choose a Democrat, “I give Hillary (Clinton) the edge over (Barack) Obama.”
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Old guard defends Clinton camp
This report from Bill Whitaker in the field:
Most volunteers supporting Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign were out stumping for their candidate during today’s noon hour, leaving 82-year-old, lifelong Democrat T.D. Steinke, of Waco, to keep an eye on things.
He says that’s T.D., as in “Tough Democrat” or “Tenacious and Dangerous.”
T.D., who grew up on a farm near Mart during the Great Depression, sees Sen. Clinton as part of a long line of Democrats championing the common man. Actually, he also sees former President Bill Clinton and former first daughter Chelsea Clinton as part of that tradition. He got to meet Chelsea yesterday when, bad cold notwithstanding, she stopped by the office to encourage and rally volunteers.
He thinks Franklin Delano Roosevelt hung the moon, closely followed by Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy.
“If there’s a bad Democrat, they’re few and far between,” he said. “And even if they’re bad, they’re still a lot better than the best Republican.”
T.D. figures he’ll vote for the ticket if Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination, but he’d be far more enthusiastic if Sen. Clinton clinches it.
All things considered, the local Clinton office on Lake Air Drive and its supply of Hillary for President campaign materials seemed safe. Incidentally, campaign officials echo what others have already noted — Waco voters are out in record numbers today.
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Voices in East Waco: ‘Voting became like a sacred privilege to me’
Cindy Culp visited the city of Waco’s Multi-Purpose Facility on Elm Avenue, where she talked to a couple voters.
Alex Williams, a member of the Waco Independent School board, said he votes in every election. He noted that when he graduated from Paul Quinn College — a historically black college that used to be located on land where the multi-purpose center now sits — he was not able to vote because of his race.
When Williams and other black Americans got the right to vote, “voting became like a sacred privilege to me,” he said. He went on to explain that because of that, he doesn’t tell people whom he votes for.
However, the 74-year-old, said the war, the economy and the price of oil are all issues of concern for him.
Flora Hampton, 46, said she voted for Obama and is hoping he will make a good president. Asked what her main concern is this election, Hampton, said it is the war.
“The war should never have been,” said Hampton, who does not work because of a disability. “All it’s doing is destroying stuff. And it’s costing too much money.”
Two Obama campaign workers were at the site to give people information about how to caucus.
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Voices in Lorena: ‘Whiskey for my friends, water for my horses!’
There weren’t many voters out when Trib writer Tim Woods got to Lorena High School just before lunch. But by 11:30, the precinct had recorded 266 voters, about 2-1 voting Republican.
When he heard that the GOP voters were turning out in such proportions, George Morgan was ecstatic. “Whiskey for my friends, water for my horses!”
Morgan was at the polling place trying to drum up support for Kelly Snell, who’s running for Pct. 1 county commissioner.
Voter Bob McKenzie was there to cast his ballot for John McCain. The economy was on his mind, but so was the war.
What would he tell his candidate if he could talk to him face to face? “I’d tell him to go win that war in Iraq, if we can. And we can. The trouble with our country is that we don’t go into wars to win, we go into wars to fight.”
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Voices in Woodway: ‘We’ve got a true health-care crisis’
By the 1:30 p.m. tally, 384 people had come to vote at Precinct 23 at First Baptist Church of Woodway, 13000 Woodway Drive.
Betty Still and Karen Mackinnon told Trib staffer Jeff Osborne that they came out to vote for the presidential primary. “It’s our patriotic duty to vote for the president of the United States,” said Still.
Both women said they voted for John McCain.
“I feel like he has the experience,” Still said. “He served in war and knows a lot more about Iraq and what to do than the other candidates.”
The important issues for Still? “There’s so many things. The number one concern is continuing with the war in Iraq. Number two, to get the economy back on an even keel, to get the dollar value back up where it belongs. I also don’t feel like it’s the government’s responsibility to bail people out for their mistakes and troubles. We also need to do something about our borders. If people come to the United States they need to come legally. We also need to be careful with the welfare system. I believe in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”
Mackinnon said she agreed with Still’s statements.
Donald Varner said his vote went to GOP candidate Mike Huckabee, “He’s the closest candidate we’ve got to a real Christian,” Varner said of the ordained Baptist pastor.
He said he receives e-mails from the Huckabee campaign every day. “I pretty much believe in what he stands for. He’s the closest to what I consider to be presidential material,” Varner said.
The security of our country, including the war in Iraq, Varner said, is important to him.
If Huckabee is elected president, Varner said, “If he holds true to his promises made during the campaign, he’s going to get a lot of support from me and other people than think the way I do.”
Betsy Reeder said she took her 16-year-old daughter with her to the Hillary Clinton and McCain campaign events in Waco, calling it a great experience that showed the contrast between the candidates.
She liked the style of McCain’s townhall meeting format, she said. McCain also got her vote.
Top issues for Reeder are the economy, security and immigration. She emphasized the need for a strong military, adding that her son served in the Army in Korea for two years and she has a daughter who is shipping out to Iraq in July.
Reeder also approves of McCain’s stand on health care.
“We don’t want the government to run it because they can’t even get Social Security right,” she said. “So how are they going to figure out health care?”
She would tell the next president: “We’ve got a true health-care crisis. My husband is a physician and I see it every day. But there’s a better solution than the government running it.”
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Voices in Crawford: ‘We need to protect our country’
This from Trib staffer Erin Quinn, who’s talking to a lunchtime crowd voting at Crawford’s fire station.
As John and Amanda Devorak pulled into the Crawford Fire Station, they were still deciding who to vote for.
“This might take us a while in here,” said John Devorak, a 36-year-old contractor, who lives in the Crawford area.
Both described themselves as independents. John Devorak said they planned to look at the ballot, and weigh out the pros and cons on each candidate before marking the box — sometimes he said, it’s going to be the lesser of two evils.
“I’m real big on mudslinging,” John Devorak said. “So, sometimes it’s just the candidate who did it the least.”
Keith Louis, a 48-year-old Valley Mills roofing contractor, said he would vote for Sen. John McCain or president.
“Thompson was my first choice, but he’s not in it anymore, so I have to go with McCain,” Louis said. The main issue that drove Louis to the polls today, he said, was simple: “We need to protect our country.”
Just after him, a Crawford woman who declined to say her name, walked into the site where President Bush has historically cast his vote and proudly said she was voting for Obama.
She sighed, before giving her reason: “We just need a change.”
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Voices in McGregor: ‘Keep us in line and cut the pork chop stuff’
Staffer Jeff Osborne found a voter with a connection to John McCain while visiting Fellowship Bible Church in McGregor. Maggie Wallace says she was in the communications center in Japan, where she served with the Marine Corps, when McCain was shot down in 1967 over North Vietnam.
Immigration, national security and the economy are her top issues. She feels McCain has the experience to be commander in chief and to make the decisions that are necessary. He also knows when it’s time to be bipartisan, she says.
David Davis voted for McCain, too. “He’s a little liberal for my taste,” Davis says, “but he’s going to become the nominee.”
Davis lists the economy, the war and health care as his top concerns. And his advice to the next president: Keep taxes down.
Another McCain backer, who gave her name only as Frances, wants McCain to provide some fiscal discipline: “Just keep us in line and cut the pork chop stuff.”
Jeanne Hinckley is also concerned about the war and health care, but she feels education is getting short shrift and would like to see more emphasis on the issue.
She’s behind Hillary Clinton and likes her experience. “She’s been around the block a few times, then kicked in the teeth and bounced back.”
She and her husband will be attending the caucus tonight. And as for what she’d tell the next president? “Try as hard as you can to keep up with your campaign promises.”
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Chet Edwards stumps for Obama on MSNBC’s Hardball
U.S. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, made an apperance on MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” to stump for Sen. Barack Obama.
Matthews asks Edwards whether Obama has peaked in his campaign and is on the way down. Edwards, who has endorsed Obama, continued his refrain of saying that the Illinois senator is the best candidate to win independent voters during November’s general election.
In responding to one of Matthews’ questions, Edwards says that the North American Free Trade Agreement needs to be revised so that the trade treaty is “enforced more fairly.”
Read the full transcript on MSNBC’s Web site by clicking here.
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Voices at Tennyson: ‘Help the retirees, and bring our boys back’
At Tennyson Middle School, 6100 Tennyson Drive, two Clinton volunteers were busy helping people understand the intricacies of caucusing. Apparently, it’s still creating a lot of confusion.
Elizabeth Gordon, 51, a customer service representative, said her vote went to Hillary Clinton because of her “years and years of experience.”
She likes Clinton because of her health care plan and that the New York senator is against the war in Iraq. But when asked whether she thinks Clinton’s message is getting out to voters, she said, “No, and I’m afraid. That scares me. I’ve heard too much about the other side (Obama),” she said.
That “other side” includes retired nurse Dorothy Long, 75, who voted for Obama.
She said she likes Obama and is excited about the possibility of having the first black U.S. president.
“It’s a historic moment for everyone,” she said.
Obama also picked up the vote of Betty Cooper, 65, who is retired from working for an oil company.
She thinks Obama would be a good change for the country. She lists the economy and the Iraq war as two important issues for her.
Long said it doesn’t bother her that Obama didn’t come to Waco like Clinton, Mike Huckabee and John McCain did.
“It’s pretty hard to cover Texas,” she said.
What she would say to Obama: “I’d tell him to push forward. And I’m a retiree, so help the retirees, and bring our boys back.”
Another vote for Obama came from Chiree Wooden, 30. She works at the Texas Youth Commission facility in Mart.
She said she likes him because he policies will help both young and old. “I think he wants to embrace the whole country.”
Like Long, it doesn’t bother her that Obama didn’t make a stop in Waco. He went to Dallas, which is close enough for those who want to drive, she said.
Chad Carr, 32, a medical salesman, voted for McCain.
He said he agrees with the Arizona senator on “pretty much everything” except the school voucher issue. He also supports McCain’s plan to keep troops in Iraq.
Carr said he believes McCain is the only qualified candidate for the presidency.
“I don’t think Obama or Hillary have really done anything that qualifies them for president,” he said.
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Obama’s message well-received in East Waco
Elizabeth Daniels, 44, of Waco, a volunteer for the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, says she’s found those voters who are most receptive to her phone pitches for Obama are in Precincts 12 and 14 — right in the heart of East Waco.
Voters in those precincts today are voting at G.W. Carver Academy, 1601 J.J. Flewellen Road, and the Multi-Purpose Community Center, 1020 Elm St.
Daniels, who is black, said at least part of the reason for Obama’s popularity is the heavily black demographics of East Waco.
Daniels also said while calling voters this morning that she’s finding many people are still uninformed about tonight’s pivotal caucus meetings.
But then, manning the phones and talking to potential voters often means educating them about campaigns, elections and the entire U.S. political system. On the other hand, sometimes they can’t get a word in edgewise.
Daniels, a McLennan Community College student, said she was making calls last weekend on behalf of her candidate when she reached one woman on the phone.
“I asked her if she was a Barack Obama supporter,” Daniels said, “and she yelled, ‘Doc Anderson!’ and hung up.”
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Voices in West Waco: ‘It gives me hope for America’
At Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 1624 Wooded Acres Drive, Martin Ginnane said he voted for Barack Obama in the Democratic primary.
“I just like his personality. We need some changes,” the 75-year-old said. He also is pleased that Obama wants to get the U.S out of Iraq.
Bob and Virginia Crilley said they cast their votes for Obama. Bob, 73, is a retired pastor. His wife, Virginia, 70, is a retired secretary.
Bob Crilley said he’s impressed Obama has attracted a lot of younger voters. “It gives me hope for America,” he said, adding that having new leadership like Obama might lead to an end of the way things have always been done in the past.
They said they have their tickets for tonight’s caucus.
Kevin Felkner, 35, a salesman, said he cast his vote for Obama.
The Illinois senator resonates with him on a number of things, especially in changing the rules for lobbyists.
He added that he believes government is too focused on big business and overlooks the average person.
“It would change things for me so differently,” he said of having Obama in the White House.
While Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee and John McCain all made the trip to Waco, Felkner said he’s not upset that Obama didn’t make a personal visit.
“It seems like they’re grasping at straws” by coming to Waco, he said.
The economy also is a reason he’s voting Democratic, he said.
“It’s been proven that Democrats always give people more money to spend,” Felkner said.
If he had a comment to Obama as president, he said: “Stay true to what you’ve been saying. Let’s have four years of that.”
Retiree Gwen Luikart, 59, also voted for Obama. She said she likes the fact that Obama is against the Iraq War and that he received Congressman Chet Edwards’ endorsement.
She said it was a tough choice between Obama and Hillary Clinton, but went with Obama because “I think he’s a leader.”
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Voices in McGregor: ‘We have too many prisons’
The five voters who talked to staffer Jeff Osborne at Isbill Junior High in McGregor were blue. In the Democratic sense, that is.
Billie Zacharias was voting for Hillary Clinton, saying she likes her experience and integrity.
The economy is an important issue for her, but so is the war in Iraq. “I’d like the war in Iraq to be over,” she says, “but I don’t know how to do it.”
Connie Dorrell, Bernice Danforth and Otis Webb all also voted for Clinton and say they want the war over. Webb’s message to the next president: “Bring the boys home.”
Dorrell also had a few other things on her mind. “We have too many prisons. And we need to provide help to the poor and middle class and take care of our veterans.”
Danforth likes Clinton’s experience. So does Webb, and he also says that he likes the idea of former president Bill Clinton bringing his experience to the table.
James Daniels was thrilled that Texas’ vote could be decisive this year. “We’re part of history,” he says. “This has been a Republican state, but we need to let people know that there are some Democrats in Texas.”
Daniels’ pick is Barack Obama, and he was happy to see local congressman Chet Edwards back the Illinois senator. “I think this is a very important election if people want to see change.”
What he’d tell the next president: “Don’t forget the issues you were elected for. A lot of times candidates get elected and then forget what the platform was.”
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Santa stumps for Obama
Actress Kate Walsh was at least an hour late showing up at Waco’s Barack Obama headquarters this morning, but several of the almost two dozen folks willing to knock on doors for the candidate kept busy.
For instance, there was a big guy with a bushy white beard who went into a side room at Obama headquarters on Columbus Avenue and began making phone calls, trying to get people to both vote today, then caucus this evening.
Dan Short, 64, an Obama volunteer from Oklahoma City, says his stout appearance and white beard do break the ice with voters, even if they’re Republicans in the heart of “Bush Country” and not ordinarily inclined to vote for Democrats.
“It’s worked pretty good,” Short joked of his beard and appearance. “It warms them up.”
While waiting for Walsh to arrive and rally campaign volunteers for a day of canvassing neighborhoods, Short told a funny story about he and two other Obama volunteers standing out near a school, trying to get voters to consider Obama. At one point, he said, he had to take a restroom break and so secured permission to use the campus bathroom.
While in the stall, he heard two boys come in, arguing whether it was Barack Obama or Barack Osama.
In the thick of their sometimes heated argument, Short thundered from the stall in a deep voice: “IT’S OBAMA.”
Which, whatever else, settled the matter on that campus. Too bad most of those there couldn’t vote.
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Backed up at Precinct 58
Shortly after 9 a.m. at Precinct 58 at the Lacy-Lakeview Civic Center, more than eight people were in line to use the eight machines available, staffer Terri Jo Ryan reports.
Democrats appeared to outnumber Republicans at least 3-to-1.
The poll workers accepted the thanks of one voter for staffing what was sure to be a long day at the polls. The said they anticipated a 14-hour day, but thus far it had been smooth.
Poll workers had to correct a few confused souls who showed up in the morning for the precinct caucuses. One elderly woman who had voted early (and shown up today at the wrong precinct) said she had been told “by the man on the phone” that she had to vote again today “for it to count.” Another person in line explained the caucusing process to her.
British news crew at Baylor
Trib political reporter David Doerr, over at the Wiethorn Visitors Center on the Baylor campus (Precinct 3) says a crew with Sky News from Britain is on campus interviewing young voters.
News reader (that’s what they call them in England) Jeremy Thompson will go live with an international telecast at 11:30 a.m. CST interviewing a Baylor student who supports Hillary Clinton and a BU graduate who backs Barack Obama.
The British news crew spent yesterday in Dallas and is now traveling down Interstate 35 for its stories. The crew will be in San Antonio for Obama’s rally there tonight.
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Lynch laments effects of primary system
Sheriff Larry Lynch, who is out at Robinson City Hall greeting voters, said he thinks the interest in the Democratic presidential race is affecting the numbers of people voting Republican.
“That kills us on the down ballot, it really does,” said the sheriff, who is a Republican. He is being opposed by Randy Gates in the GOP primary. The winner will face Charles Hutyra, who is unopposed on the Democratic side, in November.
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Voices in Robinson: Looking for change
Trib staffer Cindy Culp talked with a few of the voters at Robinson City Hall, 111 Lyndale Ave.
Lori Boyett, 36, a registered nurse, said she’s voting for Barack Obama because he represents change. She doesn’t like Hillary Clinton, she said, and added that Hillary in the White House would just be a continuation of her husband’s presidency.
She dismissed Clinton’s contention that Obama lacks leadership experience. “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Boyett said.
She also backs Obama because she believes “I think he’ll do what he says he’ll do.”
Joanna Iturbe, 23, said she feels Obama and Clinton are similar on a lot of issues, but Obama gets her vote because of his immigration policy.
Her husband, she said, is a Mexican citizen who is in the United States on a green card.
“It’s just something that’s really important to us,” she said.
Other issues of important to her are the economy and the war in Iraq.
Suzy Seitzler, 50, whose husband Wendell is running uncontested for the Democratic nomination for Precinct 1, Place 1 justice of the peace, said she’s out there to vote for her husband but believes the presidential race to be important this year.
A court administrator for Waco Municipal Court, she declined to say who she voted for in that race, but said the important issues to her are the education of children and the Iraq war.
“I think we need to get it over with,” she said of the war in Iraq.
Other important issues for her are the economy — “gas prices, grocery prices, property taxes, senior citizens in general have to pay too much taxes. They (seniors) need some relief.”
Rachael Rogers, 38, an occupational therapy assistant, said she voted for GOP candidate Mike Huckabee because of his values.
She added that she believes he still has a chance despite John McCain’s near-lock on the Republican nomination.
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Robinson City Hall voting backed up
At least 12 voters were lined up outside the doors at Robinson City Hall, 111 Lyndale Ave., which hosts precincts 59 and 74, the Trib’s Cindy Culp reports.
She’s been told it’s taking some people about a half-hour to vote. The holdup appears to be on the front end of processing voters, not the actual voting. Culp, who is not allowed inside, has been told that several voting machines are open but that there’s a backup as people check in initially.
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Voices in Hewitt: Ron Paul has a supporter
We know of at least one voter for GOP candidate Ron Paul at First Baptist Church of Hewitt, 301 S. First St.
Staffer Jeff Osborne talked with Richard “you don’t need to know my last name,” who said his main issue is: “Everything that Ron Paul stands for — limited government, kicking out the crooks, getting back to the Constitution, and restoring the freedom this country was founded on.”
The man said Paul will restore integrity in government. “Without integrity it doesn’t matter what the people do. We need to get the CFR (Council for Foreign Relations) out of government and completely overhaul the current tax system.”
On the question of what he would say to the next president: “It depends on who the president is. If it’s Obama, Hillary or McCain, I’d say, “I don’t support you. Except for Ron Paul, there’s no difference between the candidates, who get the same old stuff.”
For voter Tom Anderson, the main issues that brought him to the polls today are the war in Iraq and budget spending.
He said he voted for John McCain because of his military career as well as his past voting on the issues.
Anderson said he’s happy to see Waco have a number of the candidates come to the city to campaign, like McCain did Monday night.
“It’s good to be a part of our nation’s history,” he said. “It‘s important for people to feel like they make a difference.”
His words to the next president: “Take care of our soldiers. They’re the lifeline of our country.”
Vernie and Billy Martin said they voted to Clinton.
“She’s the one who can get things done,” Vernie Martin said. “She’s the best on all the issues.”
Her husband said the issues important to him are the economy, insurance, security and the ability to handle a crisis. He said he likes the experience and dedication of Clinton.
Both said they plan to attend the caucus.
And what would Vernie like to tell the next president? “I’m fully behind her and all she stands for,” she said.
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Anderson asks ‘Whose 50 point plan is this?’ in ad
Charles “Doc” Anderson is asking “Whose 50 point plan is this?” in a half page ad in today’s Tribune-Herald, pointing to similarities between mailers his opponent in the Republican contest for House District 56 and another candidate running for election in Fort Worth.
According to the Anderson campaign 40 out of the 50 items on the two mailers are almost identical.
One of Jonathan Sibley’s first mailers was a “50 point state rep. action plan” that he has said he created to put his positions in writing and then ask voters to hold him accountable. It covered several categories of issues including, “citizen responsiveness,” “restoring commitment to education” and “cracking down on illegal immigration” to name a few.
But Anderson’s ad asks whether this plan is Sibley’s creation or state representative candidate Bob Lenoard, who is running for the Republican nomination for House District 97 in Fort Worth. It also asks whether the ad is the creation of Sibley and Leonard’s political consultant, who works for both candidates.
Anderson’s ad asks “Will Jonathan Sibley really represent McLennan County’s conservative values?”
Sibley responded with the following statement:
“After months of dodging questions about his record on issues important to McLennan County, Doc is once again trying to deflect the fact he sponsored more legislation benefiting his own business than legislation on the district’s number one issue — illegal immigration reform. Additionally, he has received most of his campaign contributions from the Austin lobby during this campaign, including $50,000 from wealthy pro-voucher advocate Jim Leininger, and $10,000 from a PAC that is funded by Midland Speaker Tom Craddick who was criticized recently by the Waco Tribune for his dictatorial rule over the Texas House.”
Voices in Robinson: Huckabee getting votes
At the Robinson ISD administration building, Nadine Butler was there to vote for Mike Huckabee. She attended Huckabee’s appearance in Waco last week, but had to settle for listening to the candidate from an overflow room. “I would have loved to have seen him, ” she says.
Butler, 74, backs Huckabee because of his anti-abortion stance.
Some Republicans may be counting the former Arkansas governor out because rival John McCain has a large delegate lead, but not Butler. “I think he has a chance.”
Tammy Williams, 36, came out to vote for her friend, Kelly Snell, who is running against Republican incumbent Wendell Crunk for a seat on the McLennan County commissioners court.
Atop the ticket, she’s voting for McCain. “I know Mike Huckabee stands no chance, so why waste my vote?”
DeWayne Curtis was excited to be at the polls to vote for Democrat Barack Obama. His No. 1 issue: the economy, including the rising cost of gas. He said he thinks Obama will bring jobs that have gone overseas back to America.
“He’s a wonderful man,” says Curtis, 30. “I believe he has the people’s hearts in mind. I hope he brings about change. I want to see the country unite.”
A 34-year-old woman who didn’t want to be named is not so hot on Barack. In fact, although she’s a Republican, she crossed over to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary in a bid to keep Obama from winning. “I think he’s all smoke and mirrors.”
A Kelly Snell campaign supporter who was out at the polling place said she wishes the primary were more like the general election, where voters could choose candidates from both parties. She says she knows people who want to vote for Snell, but who would like to vote Democratic for president. “It’s messed a lot of people up,” she says.
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Sibley at Fellowship Bible Church polling site
Jonathan Sibley, who is running against Charles “Doc” Anderson for state representative, was seen at Fellowship Bible Church, 5200 Speegleville Road (it intersects with Highway 84). The site is Precinct 63.
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Lines at Fellowship Bible
A Trib staffer tells us there were lots of people lined up to vote this morning at Fellowship Bible Church on Speegleville Road.
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Voting picks up at Lake Shore Baptist
About 20 voters have entered Lake Shore Baptist Church, 5801 Bishop Drive, to cast their ballot in the last half-hour, reports Trib photographer Rod Aydelotte. That’s been the busiest he’s seen of the four locations he’s been by this morning already.
Lake Shore Baptist is the site for precincts 32 and 33.
Wanda Miller, 67, who is supporting Sheriff Larry Lynch in his re-election bid, said she arrived at 7 a.m. when the polls opened, but left to get some extra clothes because of the mid-30-degree temperatures. She’s back out with her sign backing her candidate.
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Voices at Brazos Meadows: ‘Listen to the people’
Trib assistant city editor Jeff Osborne talked with three voters at Brazos Meadows Baptist Church, which is hosting Precinct 62.
Scottie and Emory Isham were there to cast votes for Democrat Hillary Clinton. They say they’re especially concerned with health care, the national debt, Social Security and Medicare and think Hillary is the one to tackle them.
They both plan to attend caucuses tonight. Texas Democratic delegates are partially given based on the primary vote results, with the rest being awarded based on who shows up for whom at tonight’s caucuses.
Asked what they’d tell the next president if they got the opportunity, Emory said he’d push for an end to the Iraq war. “Try to end this conflict and get our boys home,” he said.
Scottie had lobbyists on her mind. “Concentrate on the people as a whole rather than special interests.”
Bill Northern had health care on his mind when he got to Precinct 62 to vote, too. He’s also concerned about border security and the war in Iraq.
He said he wasn’t set on a candidate, but his plans for the day didn’t include caucusing tonight. But he had some thoughts for the next president: “Listen to the people. Do what the people want. Don’t follow a preset agenda or lobbying groups.”
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Voices at Peace Lutheran: ‘Just do a good job for the country’
Trib assistant city editor Jeff Osborne talked with four voters this morning at Peace Lutheran Church, 9301 Panther Way, which is Precinct 51.
David and Marcia Whitten said they both voted for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. “The eradication of the GOP from office,” David said is the most important issue to him.
His wife didn’t have one particular issue, though she said health care is important to her, and she thought that Clinton has the most experience both for domestic and international issues.
For David, getting national health care established is important, he said, and he believes Clinton is best able to do that. He also wants to see the evacuation of U.S troops from Iraq during the next presidency.
Both said they plan to attend tonight’s caucus.
Another voter, Otis (who declined to give his last name), said he voted for Clinton. He doesn’t have a particular issue, but said it runs the whole gamut. “Just do a good job for the country,” is what he would tell the next president.
The fourth voter interviewed, Laci Charlton, said she cast her vote for GOP candidate John McCain, who was in Waco for a townhall meeting last night.
The biggest issues for Charlton, she said, are health care and the economy. She said she’s drawn to McCain because of his military background, but believes he will do the right thing in regard to health care and the economy.
She added that there were things about the other candidates she didn’t like, which made them less appealing.
Charlton asks the next president to “listen to the people. We have a country built on what people believe in. Each president has to listen instead of following their own agenda.”
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Sheriff out at Robinson City Hall
Sheriff Larry Lynch is out greeting voters this morning at Robinson City Hall, 111 W. Lyndale Ave., which has precincts 59 and 74.
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Follow the money in the Anderson/Sibley state rep race
Below is a Tribune-Herarld analysis of how much money each candidate has raised for their campaigns since July.
Challenger Jonathan Sibley leads the fund raising race with $352,790 compared to Anderson’s $319,622.93. However, $150,000 of that comes from loans and another $152,000 came from contributions from former state Sen. David Sibley’s campaign account.
David Sibley, Jonathan’s father currently works as a lobbyist. Jonathan Sibley has said he signed a pledge that he would not be lobbied by his father.
For incumbent Charles “Doc” Anderson, much of his money, $109,000, has come from individuals known to have special interests in state affairs. Another $93,331 came from political action committees.
Here’s the break down:
Jonathan Sibley
Political action committees: $9,250
Individuals in county: $18,565
Individuals out of county:$21,675
Loans: $150,000
Jonathan Sibley has taken out $150,000 in loans to finance his campaign. Anderson has said financing a campaign with loans allows a candidate to delay the reporting of which contributors might pay off the loans until after the election.
Family: $153,300
Jonathan’s father, David Sibley, gave him $152,000 from his senatorial campaign account. Anderson has said some of the funds in David Sibley’s campaign account came from local donors upset to see the money used against a local incumbent.
Total raised: $352,790
Charles “Doc” Anderson
Political action committees and businesses and law firms: $93,331.93
Many political action committees, which often have an incumbent friendly policy, have given to Anderson’s campaign. Tom Craddick, speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, controls a political action committee that gave Anderson $10,000.
Individuals in county: $23,981
Individuals out of county: $58,560
Individuals with special interest: $109,000
Several donors considered to have special interests have given to Anderson’s campaign. James Leininger, a San Antonio-businessman who has given millions of dollars to candidates that support private-school vouchers, gave Anderson $50,000. Bob Perry, owner of Perry Homes and a prominent giver to Republican candidates, has given Anderson $32,000. Perry’s wife Doylene has given Anderson $10,000.
State representatives: $9,750
Several state representatives supported Anderson with financial contributions, including: Dennis Bonnen, Angleton; Burt Solomon, Carrolton; William Callegari, Katy; Vicki Truitt, Southlake; and Beverly Woolley, Houston.
Rick Perry: $25,000
For the first time, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has written large checks from his campaign account to several candidates supportive of House Speaker Tom Craddick. Anderson got a $25,000 check last week from Perry.
Total raised: $319,622.93
FAQ on Democratic Party’s Tuesday precinct conventions
Here’s a memo distributed Sunday with some answers to those with questions about how Tuesday’s precinct conventions, also called caucuses, will work.
Memorandum
To: SDEC members, County Chairs, Prct. Chairs, Prct. Convention Chairs, and Interested Parties
From: Jim Boynton, Primary Director, Texas Democratic Party
Re: Frequently Asked Questions about the Precinct Convention Process
Thank you for all you are doing to ensure the proper and fair administration of a Democratic Primary that will involve a record number of participants in our Democratic Precinct Convention process. The Texas Democratic Party has devoted unprecedented resources to educating and training all interested parties in the proper procedures for conducting precinct conventions under the Rules of the Texas Democratic Party and the Texas Election Code. In response to inquiries we have received regarding the precinct convention process from many of you, the following information below is provided to clarify some of the more important and most frequently asked questions that have been brought to our attention.
1. Precinct Convention Sign-In - Tex. Elec. Code 174.022 (c), Texas Democratic Party Rules Article IV, Section B (6)(b)
Participants may NOT begin signing in until the precinct convention has been called to order. The call to order may not occur until 7:15 pm or until the last voter has voted (whichever is later). If, after the convention has been called to order and participants have signed in, any participant who wishes to leave may do so, and their sign in WILL count toward the delegate allocation for each candidate. Sign-In ends when the last person present waiting to sign in has done so.
2. Poll List Provided - Tex. Elec. Code 172.1141
After the polls close, the Election Judge is required to provide a marked poll list to the Temporary Precinct Convention Chair for the purpose of verifying who has voted in the Democratic Primary. If you are the Temporary Convention Chair and you did not receive this list when you picked up your packet, you should ask the Election Judge for it. TDP has also asked the Secretary of State to communicate with Election Officials and have them direct election judges to provide the poll list as required. If they do not provide it to you, call the TDP Help Line at 1-800-336-3254.
3. Identification - Tex. Elec. Code 63.0101
Voters who present a stamped voter registration card or voting receipt from their polling location shall be accepted for participation in the precinct convention. Voters who do not have these items but who appear on the poll list as having voted in the Democratic primary shall also be accepted for participation in the precinct convention upon presenting identification. For those voters whose participation is based on the poll list, all forms of identification acceptable for voting under the Texas Election Code shall be acceptable as proof of identification for participating in the precinct convention. Those items include: a voter registration card, Texas driver’s license, written communication from a government agency, utility bill, etc.
4. Provisional Voters - Tex. Elec. Code 174.003, Tex. Elec. Code 174.024
Anyone who does not have a stamped voter registration card or voting receipt from their polling location, and is not indicated as having voted on the poll list, shall be accepted for provisional participation in the precinct convention. Provisional voters are listed separately and are not indicated as having voted on the poll list. Once it has been determined whether or not the provisional participants are or are not qualified voters in the Democratic Primary, adjustments to the delegation will be made by the Credentials Committee at the County or Senatorial District Convention.
Provisional participants will be treated consistently with the way provisional voters are treated under the election code, pending verification of their eligibility. After sign in’s are complete, the Precinct Convention Chair will establish the threshold and presidential preference calculation without including the provisional voters, and that will be the official calculations included on the Minutes.
NOTE: In the event provisional voters do participate in your precinct convention, the Chair will then make a second calculation including provisional participants, as detailed in the scenarios on the attached addendum entitled “Handling of Provisional Participation at Precinct Conventions”.
5. Electing Delegates and Alternates who are not present - Texas Democratic Party Rules Article IV, Section B (8)(b)
Any qualified voter in the Democratic primary is eligible to be elected as a delegate or alternate, even if they are not present at the convention. If a person wants to be elected but can not attend, we recommend that they let someone who will be attending know so that their name can be placed in nomination.
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County’s Democratic early vote turnout 7.3 times higher than 2004
Democratic Party primary voting in McLennan County is up — way up. In fact, it’s 7.3 times higher than 2004.
It’s up on the Republican side, too, at 1.8 times higher than 2004. But the red hot presidential nomination contest between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton is driving Democrats to the polls in droves.
When early voting ended on Friday, 8,238 Democrats had cast a ballot in the primary. That’s 634.9 percent higher than 2004’s 1,121 Democratic early vote turnout. On the Republican side 6,124 early voters turned out, totaling an 87.2 percent increase from 2004.
Of course, the big difference from 2004 is that Crawford resident George W. Bush is not seeking another term in office and neither Obama or Clinton has enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination. In 2004, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., was already deemed the presumed nominee of the Democratic Party by the time Texas held its primary.
Out of the county’s five early vote locations, Democrats beat Republican turnout by the largest margins at the Multipurpose Community Center in East Waco and the McLennan County Elections Administration Office in downtown Waco. Republican turnout bested Democratic turnout at the First Assembly of God Church voting location in West Waco and at Robinson City Hall.
Here’s the breakdown for this year’s early vote totals:
Mailed ballots
D: 443, R: 283
First Assembly of God Church, 6701 Bosque Blvd.
D: 3,171, R: 3,769
Multipurpose Community Center, 1020 Elm St.
D: 944, R: 41
Lacy-Lakeview Civic Center, 503 E. Craven Ave.
D: 829, R: 355
McLennan County Elections Administration Office, Records Building, 214 North Fourth St., Suite 300
D: 2,179, R: 1,020
Robinson City Hall, 111 W. Lyndale Ave.
D: 622, R: 656
Grand total 2008:
D: 8,238, R: 6,124
Grand total 2004:
D: 1,121, R: 3,271
Will Huckabee win the evangelical vote?
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s campaign stop in Waco this week focused the spotlight on how Central Texas evangelicals will figure in the selection of the Republican nominee.
Some assume that Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and an ordained Southern Baptist minister, will do well in the Waco area given the presence of Baylor University, the world’s largest Baptist university. However, the candidate himself dashed the notion that Baptists would automatically support him.
Below is his full response from a press conference after his rally at the Waco Hilton hotel on Thursday.
“I always said in Arkansas people had this assumption that because so many people in Arkansas are Baptist that they would assume they would vote for me. I always reminded them that if they asked how many of the Baptists are active in your campaign, I would say all of them. Half are for me and half are against me but they are all active.”
“Baptists are about the most independent people in the whole world. So anybody who thinks they march in lock step doesn’t know the denomination very well. Baptists love a good fight. If there isn’t one going, they will create it. Don’t ever expect Baptists to line up together. I think I probably have more universal support among Catholics than I do Baptists. It is just the nature of the beast. But I am willing to take every last Baptist vote there is, whether it is in Waco or any other part of Texas. I’d love to have it.”
Last week, Tribune-Herald reporter Cindy Culp asked Barry Hankins, a Baylor University history professor who researches the intersection of politics, religion and American culture, to ask her about how the evangelical vote will figure in the Republican primary election.
Hankins said he believes quite a few local evangelicals will vote for Huckabee even though U.S. Sen. John McCain seems poised to clinch the Republican nomination. They tend to vote their conscience no matter what, he said.
Some evangelicals are attracted to Huckabee because he is not tethered to the traditional Christian conservative platform and that his ideas go beyond issues such as abortion and prayer in school, he said.
The fact that Huckabee has some social justice components in his campaign makes him particularly attractive to young evangelicals, Hankins said.
“Evangelicals, I think, resonate with a politician who is a serious politician who is also comfortable talking about his faith,” Hankins said. “(Huckabee) is just authentic. He doesn’t have to stop and say, ‘Let’s talk about religion now.’ His whole life is infused with Christian commitment.”
And Tribune-Herald reporter Terri Jo Ryan got Rev. K. Randel Everett, recently named as executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, to weigh in on Huckabee.
“Mike and I are friends, when we were pastors together in Arkansas,” Everett said.
Everett was pastor of the First Baptist Church of Benton, Ark., from 1984-88, when Huckabee was pastor of Beech Street Baptist Church in Texarkana (1980-86) and then Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Ark. (1986-1992).
“I applaud the fact that he is running, and the incredible support he’s received from around the country,” he said.
“I’m proud of the campaign. He has a right to run as far as he wants to in this race.”
He credits Huckabee’s innate charm and like-ability for getting people involved in the election who haven’t been political party animals in the past.
“Mike grew up in a modest family,” Everett. “A lot of people in this country resonate with him,” and the kind of Abe Lincoln log cabin origins “that makes representative democracy attainable.”
