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Obama To Return To Iowa - Possibly To Claim Victory

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The New York Times

Published: May 18, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama has chosen to spend Tuesday night not in Kentucky or Oregon, the two states that will be holding their primaries that day, or even at his home in Chicago. Instead, Obama's staff announced Saturday, he will return to Iowa, where he won the Democratic caucuses way back in January and has at least two good reasons to revisit now.

Much more than nostalgia seems to have motivated that decision. If things continue to go as well for Obama this week as they have so far this month, with a romp in North Carolina, a strong showing in Indiana and daily growth in his support among superdelegates, he could end up with enough pledged delegates to proclaim, without fear of contradiction, that he is now the Democratic nominee for president.

Obama's ability to declare victory for the nomination will depend in large part on his performance in the Kentucky and Oregon votes. He has all but conceded Kentucky to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the clear favorite when the race started last year, spending little time there, but is favored in Oregon, where he is making a strong effort.

There would be a certain symmetry if Oregon proved to be the state to put Obama over the top and he can indeed celebrate that victory in Iowa.

It was his triumph in the Iowa caucuses, a state whose population is virtually all white, that established him as a viable contender. Oregon is another state whose population is overwhelmingly white.

Clinton, of New York, has argued recently that one of the reasons she should be the Democratic nominee, despite his lead in delegates and the popular vote, is that she has more appeal to white voters who will be crucial to Democratic hopes in November. For Obama to be in Iowa to celebrate a victory in Oregon would allow him, without having to say a single word, to undermine that argument.

DELEGATE COUNTS

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama inched closer to securing the Democratic presidential nomination with delegate pickups in Nevada, Kansas and Maryland.

In Nevada, Obama stole a delegate from rival Hillary Rodham Clinton by drawing more supporters at the state Democratic convention Saturday.

A vote of more than 2,500 convention delegates broke 55 to 45 percent in Obama's favor, giving Obama 14 of Nevada's 25 pledged delegates to the National Democratic Convention in Denver this summer, to Clinton's 11.

Kansas Democrats also held their state convention Saturday, selecting Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson as an add-on delegate. He endorsed Obama in February.

Obama also won the endorsement of a Maryland superdelegate Saturday. Superdelegates are the elected officials and party leaders who are automatic delegates to the national convention because of their positions.

The pickup brings Obama's delegate total to 1,907, to Clinton's 1,718. The number needed to secure the nomination is 2,026.

The Associated Press

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