AP: The Dream Pays Off
Jan 24, 10:35 PM CST
Close contest may mean Nebraska Democrats have a chance to matter
By ANNA JO BRATTON
Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. – When Nebraska Democrats decided to hold their presidential nominating contest earlier than ever before, it was with the long-shot dreams of candidates campaigning in the state.
Those dreams could be coming true.
The national race for delegates is so close in both parties that it is mathematically impossible for any candidate to lock up the nomination on Feb. 5, according to an Associated Press analysis of the more than 20 states in play that day. That means the states that come after so-called Super Tuesday may be launched into the national spotlight.
Nebraska Democrats decided to hold caucuses for the first time Feb. 9, hoping to have a say in the national race while drawing people into the political process.
“There’s no doubt we took a chance,” said Eric Fought, spokesman for the state Democratic Party. “We knew that when we went in.”
But party leaders say it seems to have paid off.
Barack Obama’s campaign manager has said that if the Democratic nominee isn’t decided Feb. 5, the Obama campaign will compete in all the states that come after, including Nebraska.
Several candidates, including Obama, were here last year for fundraisers. Even that is unusual in a state where the sparse population, coupled with the fact that a Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t carried the state since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, have made Nebraska easy for the national party to forget.
State Democratic leaders have spoken with Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and were told if the race is in play, she’ll campaign here, Fought said. And if John Edwards is still competitive, they expect he’ll compete in the state as well.
Nebraska still has to compete for attention with Washington and Louisiana on the Feb. 9, and both states have more than double Nebraska’s 31 delegates – Louisiana with 66 and Washington with 97.
But Fought said momentum is building in Nebraska.
“We’re seeing record crowds at these events in areas where a Democratic meeting doesn’t always draw a lot of people,” he said.
– by eric | Send this to a friend
