Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama Win First 2008 Election Races
04 January 2008
Voters turn out in record numbers to participate in Iowa caucuses
Washington -- Nearly a year after the 2008 U.S. presidential race began, Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama are the first campaign victors after winning the Iowa caucuses January 3.
In their celebratory speeches, Huckabee and Obama thanked Iowa caucusgoers, who participated in record numbers. Both candidates emphasized their campaign themes of change, and their victories suggest that Americans are looking for a nominee who will bring fresh ideas to the presidency.
"In lines that stretched around schools and churches, in small towns and in big cities, you came together as Democrats, Republicans and independents to stand up and say that we are one nation," said Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois. "We are one people. And our time for change has come."
"Tonight, the people of Iowa made a choice and their choice was clear. Their choice was for a change," said Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas.
With comparatively little money and few staff members, Huckabee, who until a few months ago was relatively unknown and polling in the single digits, pulled off a surprisingly large victory, defeating former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney by a 9 percent margin.
"Tonight, we've proved that American politics still is in the hands of ordinary folks like you … who believe that it wasn't about who raised the most money, but who raised the greatest hopes, dreams and aspirations for our children and their future," Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, said. "And tonight, I hope we will forever change the way Americans look at their political system and how we elect presidents and elected officials."
AS PREDICTED, THREE-WAY RACE FOR DEMOCRATS
As polls had suggested for weeks, it was a three-way race on the Democratic side. Obama finished with 38 percent of the vote, followed by former North Carolina Senator John Edwards with 30 percent and New York Senator Hillary Clinton with 29 percent.
"Hope is what led me here today, with a father from Kenya, a mother from Kansas, and a story that could only happen in the United States of America," said Obama, an African American who won in a state whose population is 90 percent white.
"Hope is the bedrock of this nation, the belief that our destiny will not be written for us but by us, by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is, who have the courage to remake the world as it should be. That is what we started here in Iowa, and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond … that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things."
Throughout his campaign, Obama has received strong support from young voters, but many political experts had wondered whether these young people would show up to caucus. It seems many youth turned out to vote -- and 57 percent of the 18- to 29-year-olds who participated in the Democratic caucus selected Obama.
MORE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES JUDGED VIABLE BY IOWANS
Republicans spread their votes a little more broadly. Following Huckabee and Romney, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson came in third, with 13 percent of the vote. Arizona Senator John McCain also took in about 13 percent, only a few hundred votes behind Thompson. Texas Congressman Ron Paul received 10 percent of the vote. Even though former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been a front-runner in many national polls, he finished sixth, with 3 percent of the vote. This was not surprising, however, because Giuliani has been focusing his efforts on winning later state races.
Iowa traditionally holds the first nominating event in the U.S. presidential campaign. Unlike most states’ voters, Iowans select their presidential candidates in caucuses, neighborhood meetings where people gather in schools, libraries and other public places and voice their preferences in front of their peers. (See related article.)
Many of these sites exceeded capacity when turnout for both parties was much higher than expected, setting records for participation. More than 239,000 Democrats voted, compared to 124,000 in 2004. About 114,000 Republicans caucused, an increase of about 26,000 from 2004.
With the Iowa caucuses behind them, most candidates are now heading to New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary on January 8. With only five days until the next votes are cast, Huckabee and Obama will try to capitalize on their momentum, while other candidates will try to show they remain electable.
As is often the case, Iowa was the end of the campaign trail for some presidential candidates. Democrats Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd both ended their bids for the presidency after failing to gain Iowans' support.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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