“In the modern primary era, this is the first four-way split in Iowa and New Hampshire in the Republican and Democratic races. In other words, there is no precedent for what’s taken place in this election — not in the generation since Iowa and New Hampshire have mattered together. Since 1976, when there have been winners in all four states, there has never been four different candidates who have won these two states.”
13% of eligible Iowans under the age of 30 turned out an increase from 4% in 2004. Most interesting turned out not just for Senator Barack Obama but for Governor Mike Huckabee as well. (Remember in 2004 the Iowa Caucus was not held for Republicans as George W. Bush was the incumbent).
The turnout rate has historically been low in Iowa caucuses, but the youth turnout rate
was much higher tonight than in recent years. This result continues a trend observed in
other elections since 2000. In the 2006 congressional elections, the voter turnout rate
among 18-to-29-year-olds increased by three percentage points compared to the previous
congressional election of 2002. And in the 2004 presidential election, the national youth
voter turnout rate rose 9 percentage points compared to 2000, reaching 49 percent. In
2004, under-30-year olds were registered to vote at the highest rate in 30 years.
Not long ago Edwards and Obama pulled a 1-2 punch on Senator Hillary Clinton looking to knock her off the “front-runner” status. Now with a win in Iowa, newfound media attention, millions raised and the front-runner status on his back, Barack Obama is the new target.
Today John Edwards campaign manager David Bonior launched into the Illinois Senator charging that he was once a “sell-out for corporate interests” making the charge on MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough program.
“Barack Obama’s kind of change is where you sit down and you cut a deal with the corporate world,” Bonior said. “If you look at his record in Illinois when he had a major — sponsored a major health bill that’s what he did. He watered down with the help of the corporate lobbyist and they got a weak product out of that.”
“We can’t have false hopes. We’ve got to have a person who can walk into that Oval office on day one and start doing the hard work that it takes to deliver change,” she said.
Senator Joe Biden has ended his bid for the Democratic nomination after a poor showing in Iowa.
Statement:
“I am not going away. I’m returning to the Senate as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and will continue to ensure that we protect the nation’s security and show our country that Democrats know how to keep America safe, keep our commitment to our troops and restore our country’s respect in the world.”