Hillary Rodham
Clinton told roaring partisans she's the candidate of
''dreams and practicality,'' Barack Obama packed in a
Nebraska crowd of more than 10,000, and Mike Huckabee
campaigned in Kansas like he never heard the
Republican race is supposed to be over.
So goes the
effort to win four Democratic and three Republican
presidential nomination contests this weekend -- a round
getting less than the full treatment by the remaining
hopefuls but plenty of attention still.
Suspense drained
from the Republican side when Mitt Romney suspended his
campaign Thursday. That left John McCain the prohibitive
favorite, Huckabee the long-shot, and Ron Paul even
more of an asterisk.
Nonetheless,
voters in Washington State, Kansas, and Louisiana take part
in GOP contests Saturday that, absent an improbable
insurgency against the one-time insurgent McCain, have
become his virtual coronation. President Bush nudged
conservatives Friday to unite behind the presumed
nominee.
There was plenty
of drama for Obama and Clinton, who are competing for
161 delegates Saturday in Washington state, Louisiana,
Nebraska, and the Virgin Islands, followed by Maine
caucuses with 24 delegates on Sunday.
Obama won the
last-minute endorsement Friday of Washington governor Chris
Gregoire, who is only the second female governor of the
state. Both candidates had courted her, Obama speaking
with her four times. ''He is leading us toward a
positive feeling of hope in our country and I love
seeing that happen,'' Gregoire said. Washington's senators,
both women, back Clinton.
In strongly
Republican and unevenly populated Nebraska, Obama spoke to
the huge crowd at an Omaha arena Thursday, exhorting:
''You're here because you don't want to just be
against something. You want to be for something.
Chris Slaughter,
20, heard the speech and said: ''He's a
once-in-a-generation candidate.''
Obama was the
only candidate campaigning in all four states. Clinton told
a spirited rally of 5,000 supporters at a Seattle cruise
ship terminal Thursday night that she's ''a fighter
and a doer and a champion for the American people.''
She also planned to campaign in Maine.
Clinton and Obama
both have an eye on the round that follows -- the trio
of races Tuesday in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of
Columbia -- and the New York senator in particular was
gearing her campaign toward the high stakes primaries
in Ohio and Texas on March 4.
Obama, an
Illinois senator, has proved a strong performer in the
complex logistics of caucuses and a candidate flush
with money, two advantages going into the weekend.
Clinton enjoys several notable endorsements in
Washington and Maine and a strong organization.
Huckabee
campaigned in Kansas even as GOP stalwarts said it was time
to close ranks and questions grew about how long the
former Arkansas governor would stay in the hunt.
''An election is
about a choice,'' he said in Olathe, Kan., on
Friday, ''not a coronation.''
___
A look at the
races:
WASHINGTON
CAUCUSES
The stakes: 78
Democratic delegates, 18 GOP delegates.
The campaign:
Obama and Clinton both stumped in the state, the Illinois
senator planning a rally Friday at an arena in the shadow of
the city's Space Needle. Across the Cascade Mountains,
Obama's wife, Michelle, planned to campaign Friday in
Spokane.
McCain planned an
event Friday evening in Seattle and Huckabee's wife,
Janet, was expected in the city's eastern suburbs Friday.
Lay of the land:
Obama is thought to have an advantage in the caucuses,
which are dominated by party activists. However, Washington
has a strong history of electing women.
Polls done
shortly before John Edwards dropped out indicated a tight
race between Clinton and Obama, with Edwards a strong
third. Since then, some of Edwards's strongest
supporters have endorsed Obama.
Social
conservatives have a history of packing the GOP caucuses,
which could boost Huckabee. But with McCain now a
shoo-in, some who would normally vote in the
Republican race might be drawn to the higher-stakes
Democratic contest. Washington voters don't register by
party.
Political
scientist Bryan Jones of the University of Washington says
of the voters: ''They're Obama-crazy here, even the
Republicans.''
___
LOUISIANA
PRIMARIES
The stakes: 56
Democratic delegates, 20 Republican delegates.
The campaign:
Obama spoke Thursday to a crowd of some 4,000 in New
Orleans. Bill Clinton was visiting the state Friday.
Lay of the land:
A heavy turnout by black voters would benefit Obama. The
state is close to one third black and has only a small
population of Hispanics, a group that has favored
Clinton.
The 20 GOP
delegates are only awarded if a candidate gets a majority of
the votes, a prospect enhanced now that Romney has suspended
his campaign.
___
NEBRASKA
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES
The stakes: 24
Democratic delegates.
The campaign:
Obama was the only candidate visiting Nebraska. Michelle
Obama was rallying for her husband Friday in Lincoln. Obama
has run TV ads in Omaha and Lincoln as well as a
radio spot in rural areas.
Clinton
introduced a 30-second ad that features a testimonial from
former Nebraska senator Bob Kerrey. Her daughter,
Chelsea, spoke to university crowds.
Lay of the land:
The Clinton campaign claimed a strong grass-roots
organization. Obama has been endorsed by state party leaders
and lawmakers as well as by Sen. Ben Nelson, the only
Democratic member of the state's congressional
delegation.
___
KANSAS REPUBLICAN
CAUCUSES
The stakes: 36
Republican delegates.
The campaign:
McCain planned to speak in Kansas City, Kan., on
Friday, en route to Seattle. Huckabee had events in Olathe,
Wichita, Topeka, and Garden City.
Lay of the land:
McCain was favored even before Romney's departure, but
Huckabee also hopes to do well on the strength of social
conservatives. State party leaders have split
endorsements between McCain and Romney.
The state's
largest antiabortion group endorsed Huckabee on Thursday.
___
MAINE DEMOCRATIC
CAUCUSES
The stakes: 24
Democratic delegates.
The campaign:
Clinton has planned to campaign at the University of Maine
in Orono, and Obama has planned a rally in Bangor. Both
events are scheduled for Saturday. Bill Clinton was
the advance man for his wife, rallying Thursday in
Portland.
Lay of the land:
Gov. John Baldacci is backing Clinton and led several
dozen state lawmakers in a rally for her Thursday.
Clinton
introduced a 30-second ad asserting: ''I intend to be a
president who stands up for all of you'' after seven
years with a president who stood up for ''oil
companies, the predatory student loan companies, the
insurance companies and the drug companies.''
___
VIRGIN ISLANDS
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES:
The stakes: 3
Democratic delegates.
The campaign:
Alas, no fun in the sun for any candidate.
Lay of the land:
In November, Obama attracted more than 100 supporters to
a one-hour reception in St. Thomas that cost up to $2,300 to
attend. (AP)
