Wrangle for Delegates Takes Over Primary Race

District-by-district battle awaits on road to national conventions
By Lucas Laursen,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 28, 2008 10:05 AM CST
Wrangle for Delegates Takes Over Primary Race
Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who endorsed McCain for president, speak to reporters during a campaign stop at the First Watch Cafe ahead of Florida's presidential primary election in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles...   (Associated Press)

Candidates are taking a much closer look than they used to at the arcane art of winning delegates, not states, in this year’s presidential primaries, reports the New York Times. For the first time in 20 years, the headline-grabbing early races haven’t determined the national outcome, and candidates now face a complex and costly race to win delegates district by district.

"At the end of the day, this is a delegate contest," said Barack Obama's campaign manager. Democratic rules mean closely matched candidates could share a district’s delegates, so the campaigns are focusing on districts with odd numbers of delegates. Republicans are courting the few registered Republicans in heavily Democratic districts in California, where securing a win will cost less. (More Election 2008 stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X