Clinton and Obama battle not just for votes, but for delegates

by Samuel King (king@wsbt.com)

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Indiana's Democratic delegates are divided up by congressional district.

Indiana's Democratic delegates are divided up by congressional district.

By WSBT News1

Story Created: May 5, 2008 at 4:11 PM EST

Story Updated: May 6, 2008 at 6:18 PM EST

Even if Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton wins the popular vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary, there is a slight possibility the other candidate could win the delegate count. And it's the overall delegate count that will decide the nominee.

Seventy-two delegates will be decided on Tuesday. Forty-seven will be allocated by the results by Congressional districts, 25 by an allocation of the results statewide.

Each Congressional district in the state gets a certain number of delegates. The number is determined by how the district voted in 2004. That's why both campaigns say every vote, no matter where it is, counts.

"I hope that you will do everything you can in the next two days to reach as many voters as possible,” Clinton told supporters in South Bend on Sunday.

While her opponent was going door-to-door in Elkhart.

"What's your name?" Obama asked a young Elkhart resident. "Hey Sam, nice to meet you."

Both candidates have blanketed the state with field offices.

Why? It's about winning delegate counts.

In Indiana, as in most states, Democratic delegates are split by congressional district.

The more Democratic the district, the more delegates they have.

6 delegates = 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th districts

  • The 2nd district includes South Bend, LaPorte and the City of Elkhart.

    5 delegates = 6th district

    4 delegates = 3rd, 4th and 5th districts

  • 3rd district includes Goshen, Warsaw and Bristol.

    The better a candidate does in each district, the bigger share of those delegates they receive.

    “The delegate map looks great for us in areas such as Northwest Indiana, South Bend, my hometown and Indianapolis,” said former Congressman Tim Roemer, who endorsed Obama.

    But Clinton could do well in other areas, such as the 3rd district or the 5th district, which includes the areas east of Indianapolis.

    They both may end up tied in the delegate count in other districts, including the 2nd.

    In some states where Obama won the popular vote, Clinton was fairly close behind in the delegate count, and vice versa.

    In Texas, because of its primary/caucus combination, Obama got more delegates, even though Clinton got more votes. In Missouri, the candidates finished tied. North Carolina also allocates its Democratic delegates the same way.

    Most observers project neither candidate will have enough pledged delegates to win the nomination, so the non-pledged superdelegates will likely decide the outcome.

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