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Edwards increases lead in campaign cash
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards reported having $1,288,190 cash on hand in his campaign account this week, up more than $271,000 from December.
Edwards, D-Waco, continued to enjoy a huge advantage in campaign dollars over his Republican challenger during the most recent reporting period, which covered fund-raising between January and March. Rob Curnock, a Waco video production business owner, has taken in $6,191 since entering the race in January, $3,125 of which came from a loan.
Neither Edwards or Curnock were opposed during March’s primary elections. Edwards is seeking a 10th term in Congress representing Waco.
“With over $1.28 million in the bank, we are well on our way to having the necessary resources to communicate Chet’s record of working effectively for the people of the 17th District,” said Elizabeth Connor, Edwards’ campaign spokesperson in a news release. “We are continuing to build a strong grassroots organization and look forward to running another great campaign.”
In an interview last week, Curnock said he was fine with being the underdog in the race.
“If my opponent wants to ignore me all the way through November that is fine. That is perfect,” he said. “We’re doing what we’re doing and he can do what he does, which is bring in all the money he brings in and to do his thing. But we are going to be an issue based campaign and that is what we are going to base the campaign on through the fall.”
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Edwards: Obama won Texas
Sen. Barack Obama has won Texas and the “game is over” in the state, said U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.
Five Democratic members of Congress from Texas who support Obama, including Edwards, joined the conference call to put their own spin on the results from this weekend’s regional county conventions. Their conclusion was that Obama had won Texas despite national media reports to the contrary based on the March 4 primary results.
On Tuesday the Associated Press released an analysis showing that Obama had won 58 percent of the regional convention vote, giving him a total of 99 pledged national delegates from Texas.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton had previously won 65 delegates based on the March 4 primary vote, which she won by 51 percent.
“In a football or basketball game what counts is how many points are on the score board at the end of the game,” Edwards said. “The final score in Texas is Obama 99 and Clinton 94. It appears the Clinton campaign declared victory at half-time, but neither super bowls or presidential nominations are decided at half-time.”
When asked by reporters about what effect Obama would have on Democrats in November running in down-ballot races if he was the party’s presidential nominee, Edwards, said independent voters would be key.
“And clearly Sen. Obama with his message of change has been able to reach out to independent voters,” he said. “I think for that reason that Sen. Obama will not only have long coat tails for Democrats in November, but his ability to convince independents and many Republicans to vote for him gives him the best chance to win in November.”
Edwards also answered a reporter’s question about a commonly repeated theory that if Hillary Clinton became the Democratic Party’s nominee that it could drive more Republicans to vote that would otherwise stay home.
“I think in some ways Hillary Clinton would unify Republicans in a way that John McCain cannot,” he said.
Edwards conceded that the overall result of the caucus results could change at the state convention, where all delegates can change their presidential preference. However, Edwards said he believed the result would only change by a single delegate.
After the conference call, the Burnt Orange Report, a liberal Texas political blog tracking the caucus results, reported that Obama’s lead in caucus selected national delegates had dropped by one.
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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.
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Hey old Fred. I do hate to shoot holes in your post but it isn’t the guns and crack that are out of control in East Waco, it’s the people. The guns and drugs just sit there being all inanimate and everything till some Zero picks them up.
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Don’t worry Rob, everyone else is ignoring you, too.
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