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Thursday, January 3, 2008
Biden drops presidential bid
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delaware Sen. Joe Biden abandoned his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday after a poor showing in the state’s caucuses.
Biden was expected to announce his decision to withdraw from the contest at his campaign caucus rally in Des Moines, according to advisers who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The veteran lawmaker and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee received less than 1 percent of the vote in Iowa’s caucuses despite a spirited campaign in which he emphasized his international policy credentials and long career in public service.
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First post-Iowa shot fired
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As Mike Huckabee was still delivering his victory speech in Iowa, the first attack of the post-caucus era was leveled.
The Club for Growth, which has never hid its enmity for Huckabee, issued a statement late Thursday on the caucus results.
“The Club for Growth PAC urges New Hampshire voters to reject Mike Huckabee and his big-government policies next Tuesday,” Club president Pat Toomey said. “Republican voters should nominate a leader who will return the party to the principles of economic conservatism, not an economic liberal who wants to be the John Edwards of the Republican Party.”
Huckabee and the Club for Growth have tussled often over the course of the campaign, with the conservative economic group blasting Huckabee for his record while governor of Arkansas, and Huckabee responding by calling the group the “Club for Greed.”
The organization accuses Huckabee of raising taxes while governor and opposing other programs it holds dear, such as school choice.
It’s an influential organization in Republican circles, but it’s record Thursday was less than stellar in Iowa. Along with bashing Huckabee, the Club for Growth has had no love for John McCain, who was in a tie for third in Iowa, a state he barely campaigned in.
AP says Dodd drops out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut has ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, The Associated Press is reporting.
Dodd managed to get less than 1 percent of the vote in Thursday’s Iowa caucus. With nearly 97 percent of precincts reporting, Dodd had the support of 0.02 percent.
CNN is also reporting that Dodd will drop out of the race, ending what was always a long-shot bid for the affable chairman of the Senate Banking Committee who went so far as to move his family to Iowa and enroll his young daughter in Iowa schools.
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Iowans sent a message, Lowery says
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Voters in Iowa sent a message to the world tonight by delivering the state for Barack Obama, the Rev. Joseph Lowery said.
Lowery, the legendary civil rights leader from Atlanta, celebrated his candidate’s victory at an Atlanta pizza parlor with 300 others.
“I’m as happy as a bird flying in the breeze, a worm in his mouth and a whole bunch of worms on the ground waiting for him,” Lowery said.
Lowery said the Iowa results are hugely important.
“I just thank God I’ve lived long enough to see a state like Iowa overlook the issue of race and vote for the best candidate,” said Lowery, 86. “People are tired of the old politics and the good old boys and the old guard have been sent a message. They want change. And they see Barack as an agent of change. And I thank God that they saw him irrespective of his color and his name, frankly.
“It’s a great day for America.”
McCain ‘on the scorecard’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While it appears clear that Mike Huckabee will finish first in Iowa and Mitt Romney will finish second, the real action on the GOP side is for third place.
And the real question is whether John McCain can capture that third place despite running not one television ad and all but abandoning the state some months ago.
With about 67 percent of the precincts reporting, McCain is in fourth place, about 350 votes behind Fred Thompson who current occupies third.
A third-place finish for McCain would be quite the accomplishment and his supporters are “thrilled to be on the scorecard at all,” said South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, McCain’s campaign chairman in the Palmetto State, where Republicans will vote Jan. 19.
“We didn’t do any TV ads (in Iowa), we did not do very much campaigning there,” McMaster said. “And McCain has been steadily coming up in all the polls. No one expected that even three weeks ago.”
McMaster said this strong finish, and they’ll take fourth place as a strong finish, will pay good dividends for McCain in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Huckabee rallies Georgia supporters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
His huge victory in Iowa still fresh, Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee issued a call to his supporters in Georgia.
In the video, released Thursday night, Huckabee asks Georgia Republicans to support “leadership that will help the country go up and not down.”
He invokes the name of Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and says Perdue won a long-shot campaign in 2002, the kind of campaign Huckabee is now making for president.
“I hope you’ll join us in Georgia because February the 5th is coming up quickly,” Huckabee said in the video. “By the time we get there, we would like to secure the nomination. And with your help, that is exactly what we are going to do.”
Huckabee will be in Geoergia on Jan. 22, for a fund raiser and the Georgia Right to Life march.
CNN and Fox project victory for Obama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With about three-quarters of the precincts reporting, both networks say Barack Obama has won the Iowa caucus, with second place still up in the air.
John Edwards holds a tiny lead over Hillary Clinton for second place.
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AP and NBC call it for Huck, too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That makes three networks projecting Mike Huckabee the winner in Iowa: CNN, Fox News and NBC/MSNBC, plus The Associated Press.
Starting to look like a done deal and a major, major victory for Huckabee and a serious blow to Mitt Romney who spent millions in Iowa only to fall short.
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Half way home …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While the GOP side looks like a rout, it’s still neck-and-neck-and-neck on the Democratic side.
With just about 50 percent of the precincts reporting, Barack Obama is enjoying a lead of about 3 percentage points over John Edwards and Hillary Clinton.
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Huckabee supporters thrilled, cautious
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shawn Davis, Mike Huckabee’s Georgia communications director, warns that word they’re getting from Iowa is that only one of the four major counties there have reported results.
And while cable networks Fox News and CNN have projected Huckabee as the winner, Davis said they’re holding off on celebrations just yet.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Davis said. “But, of course, we’re delighted with the early projections.”
Obama takes the lead
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Iowa Democratic Party site shows Barack Obama now holding a slim lead.
With more than 35 percent of precincts reporting, Obama has 33.2 percent to John Edwards’ 32.11 percent and Hillary Clinton’s 31.71 percent.
Is this the start of the Obama run? Or a momentary lapse for Edwards? And when, or if, does that Clinton surge start?
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CNN, Fox declare Huckabee winner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fox News and CNN are both calling Mike Huckabee the winner in Iowa and Mitt Romney is acknowledging the possibility of defeat.
“Congratulations on the first round to Mike,” Romney told Fox News moments ago.
Over on CNN, anchor Wolf Blitzer, was jazzed:
“We can now project that Mike Huckabee, Mike Huckabee, who only weeks ago seemingly came out of nowhere, Mike Huckabee will win the Iowa caucuses.”
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Huckabee pulling away?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With 15 percent of Iowa precincts reporting, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is leading 36 percent to 23 percent for Mitt Romney.
Fred Thompson is holding on to third with 14 percent.
Those numbers please Shawn Davis.
Davis, Huckabee’s communications director in Georgia, said via e-mail that the early results look good.
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Richardson backer keeping the faith
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bob Beer, a Marietta immigration attorney and Bill Richardson supporter, isn’t giving up hope.
The New Mexico governor is currently pulling about 2 percent of the vote, according to the Iowa Democratic Party results. That’s good for fourth place, but way off the pace.
“Well, I still think it’s a little early,” Beer said. “But I’m optimistic.”
Still, Beer said, Richardson was always realistic and knew a first- or second-place finish was unlikely.
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15 percent there
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
About 15 percent of the results are now in on the Democratic side, and John Edwards has led the entire way.
What’s more difficult to gauge at this point is where those 15 percent are coming from. In other words, if it’s from more rural counties, Edwards’ perceived base in Iowa, then it makes sense, and could swing when the more urban areas come in. Those are expected to be stronger for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
But if the results hold, Edwards could be having a big night.
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Romney at Iowa caucus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is at a GOP caucus outside Des Moines where the room is apparently packed and the doors haven’t even closed yet, despite the fact that voting was supposed to start 30 minutes ago, according to a reporter on the scene.
Former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas is also there on behalf of John McCain.
If this is a common scene across Iowa, it could signal a long night ahead for the Republican candidates.
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Real results coming in
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over at the site of the Iowa Democratic Party, the real results are coming in already.
The site updates automatically every few seconds, but a snapshot a moment ago: Clinton 35.52 percent, Edwards 35.15 percent, Obama 27.12 percent.
Goodness, technology has changed politics.
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Go Braves!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Proving true that there are Braves fans everywhere, there’s a guy at a Democratic caucus in Persia, Iowa, on CNN just a minute ago wearing the familiar blue and red lid of the Atlanta Braves.
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Entrance polls show close race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Associated Press has just released what’s known as entrance polls, where caucus-goers are asked for their picks as they entered the caucuses Thursday evening.
The results, which are far from scientific, show bad news for John Edwards, but a tight race overall for the Democrats. The AP found that Obama and Clinton leading among Democrats and Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee ahead among Republicans.
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And they’re off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DING, DING, DING
The caucuses have officially started in Iowa.
Here we go …
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