Although Clinton won a majority of delegates in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island, the popular vote was close enough to only put a very small dent in the delegate margin Sen. Barack Obama had leading up to Tuesday's primaries.
Democrats award delegates according to proportionality, so a close popular vote has kept Obama ahead. According to an Associated Press count quoted in Wednesday's Reno Gazette Journal, Obama had a total of 1,466 delegates and Clinton 1,376 delegates (including committed super delegates).
But there are still several hundred uncommitted super delegates. With the race still close, and neither candidate near the 2,025 total needed for
nomination, this has some people anxious.
"What worries me is the super delegates," said Sparks resident Trish Swain, who has been supporting Obama. "If we don't have a clear nominee by May, they will be politicking to get delegates on their side. That makes me nervous because it is very important to me for Obama to win."
Washoe County Democratic Party Executive Director Amy Weber-Curtis is also concerned.
"I would be just as happy if doesn't get to a point where we have to worry about this," she said. "The popular vote ought to tell us who the nominee should be."
Galata says he isn't worried about McCain getting a head start on a national campaign.
"The general election doesn't start until after the conventions," he said.
Furthermore, according to Galata, a tight race will prevent citizens from becoming complacent or lethargic and keep them involved from now through the convention.
Weber-Curtis observed that a continuing close race will give the presumed Republican forerunner an advantage.
"It gives McCain a little time to look at ways of building a war chest for the national contest," she said.
She said Tuesday's results really didn't change things much.
"Yes, (Clinton) did win pretty big in Ohio," she said, but the delegate spread is almost the same as it was before Tuesday. "Now that she has won, ...(the media) is emphasizing the closeness of it," she said.
But the tight race has given the Democrats some advantages, the executive director said.
"The turn out is unprecedented," Weber-Curtis remarked.
Swain agreed and said that although she feels the Democrats should be united rather than divided, in order to beat McCain, it is encouraging to see the record turnouts and the huge number of new voter registrations.
But hearing people say that the ongoing contest is resulting in negative campaigning, which could turn voters to Nader, Swain laments that they might decide not to vote for anyone.
Galata said he has been troubled by the role of the media in the close contest.
"The mainstream media has worked very hard and gone out of its way to encourage people not to vote for Sen. Clinton," he said. "I think last night America said to the mainstream media, don't tell us what to do."
Meanwhile, the Republicans are also watching the Democrats as two candidates continue a close race for the nomination.
"It helps us," said Michele Beard, a Washoe County Republican Party volunteer. "We can focus our energies on one candidate. Right now, the Democrats are pretty much divided."
When asked if Tuesday's primary results surprised her, Beard said,
"Nothing surprises me anymore."
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