Month: February 2004

TENNESSEE (2/10 primary): Kerry Nabs Double-Digit Win; Gore’s Endorsed Candidate Comes In Fourth from The Hotline

ÊÊÊÊÊ John Kerry won the TN primary. By AP’s count, Kerry won 31

delegates, while John Edwards won 20 delegates and Wesley Clark

won 18 (AP, 2/11). Results with 100% of precincts reporting (AP, 2/11).

Ê

WH '04 Dem Primary Results

                    votes  %age

    Kerry          151,436  41%

    Edwards         97,746  27

    Clark           85,182  23

    Dean            16,094   4

    Sharpton         6,105   2

    Lieberman        3,191   1

    Uncommitted      2,708   1

    Braun            2,435   1

    Kucinich         2,277   1

    Gephardt         1,406   -

    LaRouche           297   -

    

Exit Polls — 51% Of Voters Decided In The Last Week

ÊÊÊÊÊ The National Election Pool exit poll; conducted 2/10 by Edison Media

Research/Mitofsky Int’l; surveyed 2,513 Dem primary voters as they left randomly

selected polling locations across the state; margin of error +/- 3% (AP, 2/11).

Ê

WH '04 Dem Primary Vote

                     Men Wom Dem GOP Ind Lib Mod Con Wht Blk

    All              46% 54% 75%  5% 20% 38% 45% 17% 74% 23%

    Kerry            41  42  46  20  31  46  41  31  40  47

    Edwards          27  27  25  26  32  23  28  32  31  15

    Clark            22  23  22  30  25  20  24  26  21  28

    Dean              4   4   4   4   7   5   4   4   5   3

    Sharpton          21  2   51  21  21  6

    Kucinich       1  -1  21  1   -1  1   -

    Lieberman      1  1   -   5   21  -   21  -

    Uncommitted    1  1   -   2   21  1   -1  -

                    18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ Union Military

    All               7%   22%   49%  23%  15%     24%

    Kerry            36    42    39   49   43      46

    Edwards          25    28    27   26   25      24

    Clark            22    20    25   20   21      22

    Dean              8     5     4    4    5       3

    Sharpton          3     2     2 1   4       2

    Kucinich       1    2     -    -    -       1

    Lieberman      1 1 1   -    -       1

    Uncommitted       3  1 1   - 1      1

    When Did You Finally Decide Who To Vote For?

                           All Clark Dean Edwards Kerry Kucin Lieb Sharp

    Today/Last 3 days/

     Last week             51%  19%    4%   31%    43%     1%   1%    1%

    Last month/Before that 48   25     5    24     41   11    2

    Did You Vote For Your Candidate More Because You Think:

                           All Clark Dean Edwards Kerry Kucin Lieb Sharp

    Can defeat Bush        37%  17%    2%   21%    59%     -%   -%    -%

    Agrees with you on

     the major issues      55   27     5    31     31   11    3

    Which Comes Closest To Your Feelings About The Bush Admin:

                           All Clark Dean Edwards Kerry Kucin Lieb Sharp

    Angry                  39%  20%    5%   25%    47%     1%   -%    1%

    Dissatisfied, but not

     angry                 45   26     4    24     43      -    -     2

    Satisfied, but not

     enthusiastic          11   24     4    37     27      -    2     2

    Enthusiastic            3   14     7    35     14      5   10     5

    How You Feel About The U.S. Decision To Go To War With Iraq:

                           All Clark Dean Edwards Kerry Kucin Lieb Sharp

    Approve                26%  22%    4%   32%    34%     1%   2%    2%

    Disapprove             69   23     4    25     44   1   -     2

    Issue That Mattered Most In Deciding How You Voted Today:

                           All Clark Dean Edwards Kerry Kucin Lieb Sharp

    Economy/Jobs           39%  18%    3%   32%    42%     1%   -%    2%

    Health care/Medicare   19   19     5    27     45      - 1    2

    The war in Iraq        15   29     6    16     47   1   -     -

    Education               9   25     5    28     36   1   -     2

    Taxes                   6   28     8    19     41      -    2     2

    Nat'l sec./Terrorism    4   28     4    23     31      -    5     3

    Candidate Quality That Mattered Most In Deciding How You Voted Today:

                           All Clark Dean Edwards Kerry Kucin Lieb Sharp

    Can defeat Bush        25%  15%    1%   18%    64%     -%   -%    -%

    Cares about people

     like me               19   23     2    40     29      -    -     3

    Has right temperament   5   23     9    41     17      -    2     5

    Stands up for what he

     believes              20   27    11    19     34      2    2     3

    Has right experience   10   37     2     8     50   11    -

    Has a positive message 14   19     4    42     34   11    1

    He understands TN       2   20  1   49     28      -    -     2

    

ÊÊÊÊÊ ABC’s Langer notes “some Southern soft spots” for Kerry — he

won whites “by a comparatively narrow nine points”; “did much less well with

conservatives”; and “did less well with independents.” However, “Kerry’s

strengths more than compensated” (release, 2/11).

Ê

LOCAL RACES:

ASSESSOR OF PROPERTY – DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY – MEMPHIS

277 of 283 prec. reporting

Rita Clark, 24,174 – 59 percent

Michael Hooks, 16,827 – 41 percent

ASSESSOR OR PROPERTY – REPUBLICAN PRIMARY – MEMPHIS

277 of 283 prec. reporting

Harold Sterling, 3,155 – 59 percent

Bob Kahn – 2,216 – 41 percent

GENERAL SESSIONS COURT CLERK – DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY – MEMPHIS

277 of 283 prec. reporting

Roscoe Dixon – 21,697 – 56 percent

Rebecca Clark, 17,287, – 44 percent

GENERAL SESSIONS COURT CLERK – REPUBLICAN PRIMARY – MEMPHIS

277 of 283 prec. reporting

Chris Turner – 7,459 – 87 percent

Charles Fineberg – 1,136 – 13 percent

City councilman Rickey Peete introduced Gert Clark to a small but adoring crowd at the downtown Marriott Tuesday night as “the next First Lady of the United States.” Gert, in turn, introduced husband Wes as “the next president of the United States.” And Clark, in his turn, proclaimed joyously, “It doesn’t get any better than this!”

These were all lines that belonged to another script, however — not the one that was about to be enacted. Having finished third in both the Tennessee and Virginia presidential primaries, the former NATO commander would speak eloquently and thankfully to this supporters, as defeated candidates (at least, up until Howard Dean’s much misunderstood “I Have a Scream” concession speech in Iowa) have ever done. Then he would work his way out of the room, confer with Gert, with son Wes Jr., and with assorted aides, and let it be known, an hour or so later, that he’d be going back to Little Rock in the morning to announce his withdrawal from the presidential race.

It was a gracious passage, and Clark’s last stand had surely been an act of grace for Memphis, which had not yet experienced something quite as unique as this bowing out of a warrior who might, but for a few mischances, have indeed become the next president of the United States. The closest thing to it in the city’s history was the 1982 Liberty Bowl, in which legendary Alabama football coach Bear Bryant coached his last game, a defeat, and then gallantly took his leave.

There were cries of “Don’t go, Wes! Don’t go!” But Clark, who had once thought he’d be fighting with North Carolina Senator John Edwards for the right to be the South’s answer to Howard Dean, had been consigned to the role, instead, of Edwards’ rival for distant second to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, he of the irresistible — and largely unresisted — bandwagon. So he would go.

The final percentages in Tennesse were: Kerry, 46: Edwards, 26, Clark, 23; with single digits going to everybody else that was still in, including erstwhile frontrunner Dean. The figures for Virginia were: Kerry, 52; Edwards, 27; Clark, 9.

Besides showcasing the exit of Wesley Clark, Shelby County saw other winners and losers Tuesday. In local races, Harold Sterling beat four opponents for the Republican nomination for assessor, his onetime job, earning the right to have another go at incumbent Rita Clark, who beat Sterling eight years ago, and this time disposed of another former assessor, Sterling predecessor Michael Hooks, in the Democratic primary.

As expected, Chris Turner, the Republican incumbent, bested process server Charles Fineberg in the Republican primary for General Sessions Court clerk. State Senator Roscoe Dixon won the Democratic nomination over former deputy clerk Becky Clark.