Nelson: Get Ready for Super Saturday
Jan 31, 08:42 PM CST
Nebraska caucuses could gain importance in Democratic presidential race
By Robert Pore
The Grand Island Independent
The announcement on Wednesday of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards dropping out of the race could give Nebraska’s Democratic caucuses next month a boost, said U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.
Earlier this month, Nelson announced his backing of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for the party’s presidential nomination. Edwards dropping out of the race narrows the field to the two principals, Obama and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton.
The Nebraska Democratic Party will hold caucuses across the state on Feb. 9.
Prior to that, however, 24 states will hold presidential primaries or caucuses next Tuesday. Fifty-two percent of all pledged Democratic Party delegates and 41 percent of the total Republican Party delegates will be at stake.
“It is really anybody’s guess as to what is going to happen on Super Tuesday,” Nelson said. “I don’t think anybody is absolutely certain.”
If the race between Obama and Clinton tightens with no certain winner for the nomination emerging, Nelson said, “Super Saturday in Nebraska becomes very important and a bigger day than we initially anticipated.”
“Nebraska may have a bigger role than anybody could have predicted,” he said. “It’s obviously a jump ball going into Super Tuesday, and we will know a lot more, obviously, in a week.”
Along with Nebraska’s 24 delegates at stake on Feb. 9, other states choosing Democratic presidential candidates will be Louisiana with 56 delegates, the U.S. Virgin Island with three delegates and Washington with 78 delegates.
According to the Nebraska Democratic Party, the last time Nebraska’s May primary had a role in determining a nominee for the party was in the 1960s.
Under state law, political parties can choose a caucus system to elect delegates to county conventions.
Nebraska’s caucus is open to any registered Democrat age 18 or above and those who will be 18 on Election Day, Nov. 4.
The state Democratic Party said that the caucus does not eliminate the May primary. Democrats can still go to the polls on May 13 to vote in local, county, legislative and statewide races. While the presidential candidates will remain on the ballot, the results of the presidential portion of the election will just be a popularity contest.
– by Eric Fought | Send this to a friend
