Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is making tremendous strides as he beat primary challenger Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the Potomac primaries, which consist of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
In addition to besting Clinton in Virginia, a Southern state, what has seemed to surprise many is that Obama is also gaining the support of Clinton’s voter base – women, blue-collar workers and individuals aged 65 and older. According to exit polls which question voters after they’ve cast their vote, Obama not only won, but by large margins. Here’s a breakdown of some of the polls and my analysis of the results. Note, there were no exit polls conducted in Washington.
Poll result: Female Voters — Obama won 60 percent of the female vote in Maryland and Virginia.
Analysis: Whether it’s his good looks, charisma or his skill, Obama is taking Clinton’s female voters for some reason. Studies show that while women are the ones most likely to be discriminated against because of their sex, they are also the most likely to discriminate against one another. Perhaps in this modern-day world we’re living in, there are some females who actually feel women can’t be effective leaders, though I disagree tremendously.
Poll result: Latinos chose Obama over Clinton by six percent in Maryland and Virginia.
Analysis: This is a major stride for Obama considering many were uncertain which Democratic primary candidate Latinos favored. Even still, Obama’s margin is only a slight one, so he still has to work hard to gain a wider lead among this demographic.
Poll result: Independents favored Obama over Clinton.
Analysis: Those individuals who straddle the fence are in support of Obama, perhaps because he is a bit more liberal than Clinton and is more likely to give the country something new and different if elected president. The independents I’ve spoken with say they are tired of the old regime and want new, fresh ideas.
Poll result: Young voters flocked to the polls and cast Obama as their candidate.
Analysis: 75 percent of poll respondents under the age of 30 and 67 percent of those under 45 voted for him in Virginia and 68 percent and 71 percent respectively in Maryland. Surely Obama’s non-traditional methods of campaigning such as MySpace and YouTube were instrumental in getting the support of the young voters. In addition, the younger voters are more apt to change and that’s exactly what Obama’s campaign promises. Perhaps he said it best during this week’s speech in Wisconsin, “This is what change looks like from the bottom up.”
Poll result: Obama and Clinton split the white vote about 50-50; he edged her 50-49 in Virginia and 51-46 in Maryland.
Analysis: Obama’s defeat over Clinton, though narrow was striking considering that Clinton previously had a large lead over Obama among white Democrats. It’s also striking because again, Virginia is a Southern state and we all know the racial stereotypes that exist in the South.
Poll result: 90 percent of African-Americans voted for Obama.
Analysis: Not a surprise considering he is African-American. It is unfortunate however, if Blacks voted for him for that sole purpose. While it’s great to have a Black man as a viable candidate for president of the United States, it’s also somewhat of a double-standard if we vote for him simply because he’s Black because more often than not, we complain when we feel others receive preferential treatment based off the color of their skin. While I’m sure many Black voters voted for him simply because he’s Black, I hope most voted for him because they feel he’s the best person for the job.
Clinton and Obama are now headed to Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, which are delegate-rich states. At Recorder press time Obama led with 1,208 delegates compared to Clinton’s 1,185. Whoever gets to 2,025 delegates first wins the nomination. We’ll see if Obama can maintain his lead going into the next set of primary elections.
