New York Sen. Hillary Clinton clung to a slight delegate lead nationally but Barack was best among the nearly 500 Democratic voters who caucused in Winfield on Super Tuesday.
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama was the choice of 70 percent of those who lined up in below-freezing temperatures outside the First Christian Church for a chance to be counted. A final tally showed that 323 supported Obama, 136 backed Clinton and one held out for Sen. John Edwards, who has already left the race.
Those who participated in the evening caucus were Democrats registered in Sen. Greta Goodwin’s 32nd state senate district. The turnout easily eclipsed expectations of local party officials who on Monday had hoped to draw 150 to 200 voters.
The newly registered alone numbered that many.
“I didn’t know there were this many Democrats in the 32nd district,” Goodwin joked with the crowd as the event got underway.
The results of the vote mean six of nine local delegates – which were also chosen at the caucus – will support Obama when Democratic delegates from all over the state meet in April to pick a candidate. The remaining three delegates from Goodwin’s district will support Clinton.
The 32nd reaches well into Sumner County, making a long drive for some. A blast of rain that turned to snow made the trip treacherous and an ice scraper mandatory. Party officials earlier warned of a strict cutoff of 7 p.m. for voters to sign up to be counted at the caucus but backed off that deadline some to accommodate those who had far to travel on slick roads.
Inside though, tightly packed bodies made for a warm, or even hot and humid, environment that was helped only slightly by an open doorway.
None of it fazed Michael Colling, 24, who made the hour-long drive from Caldwell to voice his support for Sen. Obama. Colling had originally backed Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who has withdrawn from the race and now backs Obama.
Weather didn’t make Colling think twice about making the trip with a group of friends.
“The ride home is going to be terrible,” he said. “But it’s worth it.”
The local caucus was an alternative to primaries held in many other states. Kansas legislators last year decided against holding Democratic and Republican primaries in an effort to save money. Todd Moore, chairman of the Cowley County Democratic Party, was critical of the Legislature’s decision and passed a hat to raise funds to offset the cost of the caucus.
But if the event was a less formal and binding vote, it also offered a more hands-on experience than many might have previously experienced. There were no paper ballots to count and instead Moore walked into the crowd, pointed to a voter and asked them to count out loud in sequence until a total was reached.
The undertaking offered some a lesson in civics and group counting. Participants were counted a first time then allowed to shuffle around the room and change their vote, if they so desired, for a second count. Only viable candidates – those who received at least 15 percent of the overall tally during the first vote – advance to the second vote.
One holdout remained loyal to Edwards during the second count.
Bill Eikleberry, a 49-year-old man from Arkansas City, was at the church in support of Hillary Clinton. He made that decision because he fears Obama is not electable.
“I hate to say it,” he said. “But Kansas seems to be a very racist state to me.”
Eikelberry said he was not sure such a conservative state would ever support an African American candidate. He said he heard some Clinton supporters say as much as they left the caucus.
But Winfield attorney Mark Krusor, who spoke in favor of Hillary Clinton during pre-vote statements, said that the candidates Democrats have fielded for 2008 prove that the country is ready for a woman or black man as president.
He pledged his support for Clinton but said Democrats must unite once a final decision on a candidate is made. Krusor suggested Clinton supporters will back Obama if the Senator is the Democratic pick for president.
“We’ll be on your side,” he said.
