THE UNIVERSITY DARRY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008
NEWS
7A
ELECTION 2008
McCain shines in Florida vote Victory launches Arizona senator ahead of Romney
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Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., celebrates his wife Cindy his primary victory in Miami. Tuesday.
MIAMI — Sen. John McCain won a breakthrough triumph in the Florida primary Tuesday night, gaining the upper hand in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination ahead of next week's contests across 21 states. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared ready to quit the race.
"It shows one thing. I'm the conservative leader who can unite the party," McCain said in a brief interview with The Associated Press.
"It's a very significant boost, but I think we've got a tough week ahead and a lot of states to come."
The victory was worth 57 national convention delegates for McCain, a winner-take-all haul that catapulted him ahead of Romney for the overall delegate lead.
Giuliani ran third, his best showing of the campaign but not nearly good enough for the one-time front-runner who decided to make his last stand in a state that is home to tens of thousands of transplanted New Yorkers.
In remarks to supporters in Orlando, he referred to his candidacy repeatedly in the past tense
— as though it was over. "We'll stay involved and together we'll make sure that we'll do everything we can to hand our nation off to the next generation better than it
was before," he said.
Former Arkansas Gov, Mike Huckabee trailed, but told supporters he would campaign on. Texas Rep. Ron Paul was fifth, and last.
Romney, who has spent millions of dollars of his personal fortune to run for the White House, also vowed to stay in the race.
"At a time like this, America needs a president in the White House who has actually had a job in the real economy," he told supporters in St. Petersburg.
Florida marked the end of one
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phase of the campaign, the last in a series of single-state contests.
The campaign goes national next week, with 21 states holding primaries and caucuses on Tuesday and 1,023 party convention delegates at stake.
Returns from 73 percent of the state's precincts showed McCain, the Arizona senator, with 36 percent of the vote and Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, with 31 percent.
The victory was another step in one of the most remarkable political comebacks of recent times. McCain entered the race the front-runner, then found his campaign unraveling last summer as his stands in favor of the Iraq War and a controversial immigration bill proved unpopular.
Campaign volunteer Mike Paradeise, Overland Park resident, reacts after republican presidential hopeful, former New City Mayor Rudy Gullani, spoke to the crowd after conceding the Florida Republican primary at his election headquarters in Orlando Tuesday.
The war gradually became less of a concern after President Bush's decision to increase troop deployments began to produce results. McCain also sought to readjust his position on immigration.
By the time of the New Hampshire primary, he was primed for victory, and got it. He won the South Carolina primary last week, taking first place in the state that had snuffed out his presidential hopes in 2000.
ELECTION 2008
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Clinton dominates Sunshine State
But Clinton promptly declared it a welcome victory.
DAVIE, Fla. — Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Florida Democratic primary Tuesday night, an event that drew no campaigning by any of her presidential rivals and awarded no delegates to the winner.
The New York senator, fresh off her lopsided loss to Barack Obama in last weekend's South Carolina primary, arranged a rally in the state as the polls were closing, an evident attempt to gain campaign momentum.
She and Obama collide next week in a coast-to-coast competition for delegates across 22 states.
Last year, the national party stripped Florida of its delegates as punishment for moving its primary ahead of Feb. 5 and the candidates pledged to bypass the state. At stake Tuesday were 185 delegates.
It is expected that the eventual nominee will try to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan, reversing the Democratic National Committee's punishment.
"This has been a record turnout because Floridians wanted their voices to be heard. I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure not only are Florida's Democratic delegates seated but Florida is in the winning column for the Democrats in 2008," she said.
Michigan also violated party rules by moving its primary to Jan. 15, and party leaders voted to strip the state of its 156 delegates as punishment. Clinton has also made a plea for Michigan delegates to be seated at the convention.
Exit polls of Florida Democrats conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks showed that the economy was the most important issue facing the country.
POLITICS
Wood said the trip, which he and the other students paid for themselves, was worth the money and time because he thought Ron Paul was one of the only honest men left in politics who could make changes in the country. He said there were problems with foreign policy, the economy and domestic issues, and Ron Paul was the only man who could fix them.
Students travel for Ron Paul
Wood said the days in Iowa were long. He and the other students campaigning stayed in a cabin in the rural part of the state. They would leave by 8 a.m., campaign door to door all day, take a quick break for dinner and make phone calls for Paul at night.
BY BRENNA HAWLEY
bhawley@kansan.com
"If we don't fix these problems now, we won't have much time to fix them," Wood said.
"Well, you be careful," he said. "I wouldn't want you to get shot."
Wood was campaigning for Republican presidential candidate Paul in South Carolina over winter break, and continued to canvass despite saying a gun was pulled on another campaigner in Iowa. Wood was one of four KU students who campaigned in iowa the last week of December, and one of two to later continue on to South Carolina in early January. These students were involved in a presidential campaign that is largely grassroots.
Adam Wood walked from door to door, each slamming in his face. He was in a far away state, yet every person in the Botany Woods suburb of South Carolina seemed to hate him. The police were called, and an officer motioned for Wood, Lawrence junior, to come have a chat.
Adam Wood, Lawrence junior, shows his support for Republican candidate Ron Paul. Wood was one of four KU students to travel to Iowa and one of two KU students to campaign in South Carolina.
Matt Hurd, oakley senior, who also campaigned for Paul in Iowa.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The police officer told Wood he needed a solicitor's license to canvass for Ron Paul, and Wood politely denied the statement. The police officer thought carefully then gave his reply.
said he liked Paul's economic plan. Paul has spoken out against the Federal Reserve, and also voted against the Iraq War and Patriot Act as a Texas representative. Hurd said his message has been consistent throughout the campaign and for the last 20 years.
"People have been able to see his message," Hurd said. "Even if he doesn't win, he's gotten the issues out there."
Paul's campaign wouldn't have been possible without the Internet, Hurd said.
Will Stewart, Whittier, Calif., senior and another campaigner for Paul in Iowa, said another the grassroots campaign was so large was because the media had not covered Paul. He said Paul's message appealed to both young and old.
"People who have never seen the point of voting are coming out in droves." Stewart said.
Stewart said many Paul supporters believe he's the only candidate who follows the Constitution today and votes in the House of Representatives accordingly.
Colin Barnes, Overland Park sophomore, who also campaigned for Paul in Iowa, said Paul is one of the only candidates standing up for the civil liberties promised in the
Constitution.
Barnes continued on to the South Carolina primary after returning home from Iowa. Wood said that he and Barnes were disappointed with Paul's poor showing in Iowa, where he received 10 percent of the Republican vote. After driving home from Iowa, the two slept for part of the day and then drove the 20 hours to South Carolina, where they spent another ten days campaigning.
Jeff Frazee, the national youth coordinator for Paul's campaign, said students came to Iowa from all across the country to campaign for Paul. He said that during a two-week period in Iowa before the state's primaries, more than 300 students went door to door and made phone calls for Ron Paul. Wood said some came from other countries, including New Zealand and Canada.
Frazee said at least 40 college students campaigned for Ron Paul in South Carolina. He said that 20 percent of the people in the 18-30 age voting bracket voted for Ron Paul.
"Young people are definitely the lifeblood of our campaign," Frazee said.
Edited by Patrick De Oliveira
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