Special Report: U.S. presidential election 2008
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has won Florida primary on
Tuesday, further boosting her White House bid.
As of 80 percent of precincts' ballots were counted, Clinton led Barack Obama by 50 percent to 33 percent, and John Edwards ended at the third place with 14 percent.
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Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) poses for a photograph with supporters at a campaign rally in Davie, Florida Jan. 29, 2008, after the polls closed on the Florida primary election. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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Clinton appeared at a victory rally in Florida and
expressed her gratitude to voters for their support although she can not win any
delegate to the Democratic nomination convention.
"I am convinced that with this resounding vote, and
with the millions of Americans who will vote next Tuesday, that we will send a
clear message that America is back," Clinton said.
The state Democratic party was stripped of all its
210 delegates by the Democratic National Committee for it violating party rules
by holding its primary earlier than "Super Tuesday" on Feb. 5.
The committee also extracted a pledge from the
Democratic candidates not to campaign in the southern U.S. state, although the
candidates are on the ballot for the voting on Tuesday.
However, analysts believe that the result of the contest could still provide momentum which will help the winner on Feb. 5.
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Democratic presidential candidate, US Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), attends a campaign rally in Davie, Florida, after the polls closed on the Florida primary election, Jan. 29, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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Clinton has promised that if she is the Democratic
nominee, she will make sure Florida delegates are not left out on the street.
"I promise you I will do everything I can that not
only Florida's Democrats get seated (at the convention), but that Florida is in
the winning column for the Democrats in November 2008," she told the rally.
CNN political analyst Bill Schneider said, when
answering the question who would benefit from the punishment imposed on Florida,
"probably Hillary Clinton, the best-known contender."
In addition, she was also boosted by female voters
who account for 59 percent of Democrats in Florida, and voters at 60 or over who
take up 40 percent, according to the CNN exit polls.
Among Democratic voters, both self-styled liberals
and moderates preferred Clinton over Obama.
Due to the rule of the closed primary in Florida,
independent voters, who are Obama's backbone supporters, are not allowed to vote
as Democrats.
Although no delegate was yielded, Florida Democratic
voters recorded high turnout. The state party said that nearly 400,000 people
cast early or absentee ballots ahead of the primary, and Tuesday's vote was
estimated to reach 1 million.
CNN exit polls showed 55 percent of Democratic voters
said that economy was their top issue, compared with 25 percent citing Iraq and
17 percent who said health care.
Crucial Republican primary opens in
Florida
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The people of Florida, the
fourth most populous U.S. state, headed to the polls Tuesday to vote in a
contest that could produce a clear front-runner for the presidential nomination
of the Republican Party.
The polls opened at 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT), but over a
million ballots had already been cast, either through early voting or in
absentee ballots. Full story
Backgrounder: Florida: major
battlefield for Republican presidential candidates
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Republican
presidential race will take a clearer shape as Florida primary, the first battle
that all major candidates play in, comes to the end on Tuesday.
The following are some key facts about the state and
its primary:
* As of 2006, Florida's population was about 18
million, the 4th biggest, with the whites account for 78 percent, the blacks
14.6 percent and Hispanic 16.8 percent. Full story
