2008 Kansas Democratic presidential caucuses explained

Election Name:2008 Kansas Democratic presidential caucuses
Country:Kansas
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2004 Kansas Democratic presidential caucuses
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2016 Kansas Democratic presidential caucuses
Next Year:2016
Image1:Barack Obama Senate portrait crop.jpg
Candidate1:Barack Obama
Colour1:800080
Home State1:Illinois
Delegate Count1:23
Popular Vote1:27,172
Percentage1:73.98%
Candidate2:Hillary Clinton
Colour2:D4AA00
Home State2:New York
Delegate Count2:9
Popular Vote2:9,462
Percentage2:25.76%
Map Size:200px
Outgoing Members:IL
Elected Members:MA

The 2008 Kansas Democratic presidential caucuses took held on Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, with 21 delegates at stake. The remaining 11 delegates were selected at the Kansas Democratic Party District Conventions on April 12.[1] The state, and a majority of its delegates, were won by Barack Obama.

Process

The Kansas Democratic Caucus was open to all registered Democrats, non-Democrats, 17-year-olds eligible to vote by the general election, and new voters who could register or re-register at the door. Surrogates were permitted for religious observance, military service, legislative service, or physical disability. At the caucus, participants gathered into preference groups. There was a 15-percent minimum threshold required for viability at the precinct level, with re-caucusing among all participants permitted. After re-caucusing, the results were tallied and reported to state party headquarters, and delegates were selected to Congressional District Conventions on April 12, who then selected delegates to the Kansas Democratic Party State Convention on May 17.[2] In Kansas, delegates' pledges are binding to congressional districts at the precinct level, unlike most other caucuses, where delegates are unpledged up to the Congressional District Convention level.[1]

Results

See also: Results of the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

Local Unit Convention Results

Convention Date: February 5, 2008

National Pledged Delegates Determined: 21 (of 32)

Kansas Democratic Presidential Caucus Results – 2008
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageDelegates
DemocraticBarack Obama27,172 73.98%23
DemocraticHillary Clinton9,462 25.76%9
DemocraticJohn Edwards53 0.14%0
DemocraticDennis Kucinich35 0.10%0
DemocraticBill Richardson1 0.00%0
Totals36,723100.00%32
Voter turnout%

District Convention Results

Allocation of delegates to candidates was pre-determined by the results of the local unit conventions on February 5. Only the persons filling the roles of delegates and alternates were chosen at this event.

Convention Date: April 12, 2008

National Pledged Delegates Determined: 0 (of 32)

Kansas Democratic Presidential District Convention Results – 2008
PartyCandidateDistrict Delegates PercentageNational Delegates
DemocraticBarack Obama15 71.43%23
DemocraticHillary Clinton6 28.57%9
Totals21100.00%32
Voter turnout%

State Convention Results

Convention Date: May 17, 2008

Analysis

As he did throughout all other states that held caucuses, Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton by a nearly three-to-one margin in Kansas, one of the reddest states in the nation. Obama, however, had roots in Kansas, as it was the state where his mother was born and raised. Obama also received a huge endorsement from former Governor Kathleen Sebelius who was at the time a very popular Democratic Governor in a very Republican state. The endorsement by Sebelius, who went on to serve as Secretary of Health & Human Services in the Obama Administration, along with Obama's roots in the state, may have contributed to his large victory in the Kansas Democratic Primary. He won a majority of counties and carried all four of the state's congressional districts. Clinton only carried three counties in the state - Franklin, Linn and Miami (both Miami and Linn are situated along the state's border with Missouri where Clinton did far better). Clinton also tied Obama in 16 counties but these were relatively rural and far less populated areas that could not be overweighed by his margins in the more populated, urban areas including Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, and Wichita.

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/KS-D.phtml Kansas Democratic Delegation 2008
  2. Web site: Super Tuesday FAQ Kansas Democratic Party . 2008-02-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080220204055/http://www.ksdp.org/SuperTuesdayFAQ . 2008-02-20 . dead .