The Democratic Delegate Count After Nevada

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 07:04:00 PM EST
Tags: Nevada 08 (all tags)

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Bump and Update: A Democratic party official disputes Obama's claim he won more delegates. National delegates from Nevada won't be decided for months. The Washington Post has a similar report.

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The AP has the newest delegate count after the Nevada caucus results.

Clinton won 13 delegates in Nevada on Saturday, compared to 12 for Obama, an AP analysis of caucus results showed. All of Nevada's 25 Democratic delegates have been awarded.
Clinton leads the overall race for delegates with 237, including separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates. She is followed by Obama with 135 and former Sen. John Edwards with 50. A total of 2,025 delegates are needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

Update: CNN just read a statement from Barack Obama saying he has more delegates than Hillary Clinton. Maybe he's not counting the Superdelegates? If so, that's a big mistake. They are there and they count. [More...]

Update: Interesting stats on the at large casino caucuses. The Democratic Party provided these delegate counts for the casino caucuses today:

Staff members from the Nevada Democratic Party have counted the number of eligible caucus goers in the nine at-large precinct caucuses on the Las Vegas Strip. The number of delegates that will be elected at today’s at-large caucuses will be:
Wynn: 79 delegates
Bellagio: 62 delegates
Mirage: 69 delegates
Paris: 61 delegates
Luxor: 77 delegates
New York New York: 34 delegates
Rio: 28 delegates
Flamingo: 49 delegates
Caesars Palace: 33 delegates

Obama won the Luxor and Caesars' so he has 110. Hillary has the rest.

These delegates have been allotted based on attendance at each individual at-large precinct caucus. The at-large delegates will be awarded today in addition to the 10,446 delegates already allocated to Nevada’s 1,754 neighborhood precincts.

I think the point is that no delegate awards are final until after the county and state conventions meet and vote.

Also, the AP has revised its numbers to match those for CNN and NBC, saying 13 for Obama, 12 for Clinton, but again, the party says there will be no delegate awards until April and it's far too early to say what the final numbers will be.

Update: Via Hot Air, here's the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kirsten Searer
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Statement by Nevada Democratic Party Chair Jill Derby

Regarding the Nevada Caucus
(Las Vegas, NV)

“Today, two out of three Nevadans who caucused chose a Democrat instead of a Republican for president. That is an overwhelming majority vote for a new direction. Just like in Iowa what was awarded today were delegates to the County Convention. No national convention delegates were awarded. The calculations of national convention delegates being circulated are based upon an assumption that delegate preferences will remain the same between now and April 2008. We look forward to our county and state conventions where we will choose the delegates for the nominee that Nevadans support.”

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The Democratic Delegate Count After Nevada | 28 comments (28 topical)

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From what I've read, (none / 0) (#1)
by oculus on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:22:11 PM EST

at least in Iowa the super delegates are free to vote at the convention for whomever they wish, as are regular delegates whose candidate is no longer viably at the convention. So, how can we count all the super delegates as being for Clinton at the end of the road?

it's that you (none / 0) (#2)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:26:17 PM EST

can't ignore them to claim you are winning.

Well, he can, but will be (none / 0) (#3)
by oculus on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:29:22 PM EST

called on it.


Delegates (none / 0) (#4)
by Grey on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:29:42 PM EST

Not only that, but she is ahead even when you don't count the superdelegates. She is up by 1, but she is still up. And that is not counting Michigan.

I have no idea what Obama is trying to peddle, but it's absurd.


: Axelrod... (none / 0) (#6)
by Grey on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:35:49 PM EST

just said, on MSNBC, that Obama won 13 delegates in Nevada and Clinton won 12.
So, she wins the state and loses in the delegate count? I don't undertand how that can be.

In Nevada (none / 0) (#5)
by PlayInPeoria on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:34:56 PM EST

He just said on CNN they won 13 delegates in Nevada and Sen Clinton won 12 delegates.

and on the gop side (none / 0) (#7)
by skippybkroo on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:36:32 PM EST

it's interesting to note that romney has been ahead in delegate count since the beginning but the multi-millionaire media insists that there's no front runner in the gop race.

i write about it here (done last week before today's contests, but romney is still way ahead on delegates).

Sorry for posting a Fox article (none / 0) (#8)
by SFHawkguy on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:37:18 PM EST

But this is the only source I can find in a quick search.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314568,00.html

Hillary is ahead in the superdelegate count and I don't see them breaking for anyone else. More so than other delegates these are the people who are bought and paid for and will reap the most from a Hillary win. They will not change their vote.

They already met in a smoke-filled parlor and Hillary is the establishment choice--it's a reality as Jeralyn has noted.

Hillary just won the nomination today. She has the money and the establishment forces behind her.

Which is the problem (none / 0) (#9)
by Bob In Pacifica on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:42:09 PM EST

A lot the opposition to Clinton is that she is viewed as the face of the status quo in Washington. To have a pool of delegates not selected by party members but given by, what, closed door deals? is not something to be bragged about. If the delegates chosen by the primaries is trumped by party bosses throwing extra delegates her way, that only further alienates progressives.

In fact, if Obama is saying that he leads the delegate race (however he counted it) and I were Clinton I wouldn't brag about chits that she's collected away from the polls. Everyone knows the score. Don't rub it in.

Adam B has a recc'd diary at big Orange (none / 0) (#10)
by Klio on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:45:24 PM EST

quoting Ari Melber of the Nation, and reporting that Obama won 13 delgates to Hillary's 12, because of the weight given to the rural vote.

SuperDelegates aren't Pledged (none / 0) (#11)
by converse on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 05:46:41 PM EST

In the case of PLEDGED DELEGATES, Obama and Clinton are now, post Nevada, tied at 37 each.

delegates count (none / 0) (#12)
by talkingpoint on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 07:43:52 PM EST

I received official word that Hillary received 14 delegates, Obama 14, however Hillary will get the super delegates from Nevada in April, because she won the state.

: "official word"? (none / 0) (#13)
by oculus on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 07:46:02 PM EST

Re: Official Word (none / 0) (#14)
by talkingpoint on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 08:06:24 PM EST

The information was given to the media and they will be reporting it. Watch your television.

reported by Nevada Democratic party (none / 0) (#15)
by athyrio on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 08:08:48 PM EST

Statement by Nevada Democratic Party Chair Jill Derby
Regarding the Nevada Caucus

(Las Vegas, Nev.) "Today, two out of three Nevadans who caucused chose a Democrat instead of a Republican for president. That is an overwhelming majority vote for a new direction. Just like in Iowa, what was awarded today were delegates to the county convention. No national convention delegates were awarded. The calculations of national convention delegates being circulated are based upon an assumption that delegate preferences will remain the same between now and April 2008. We look forward to our county and state conventions where we will choose the delegates for the nominee that Nevadans support."


: Oh, that makes it all perfectly clear. (none / 0) (#17)
by oculus on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 08:25:51 PM EST

obama puts himself above the party and voters (none / 0) (#16)
by sammiemorris on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 08:21:02 PM EST

The state democratic party clearly repudiated OBAMA for saying he won 13-12. The fact is no delegates were awarded today because they are nonbinding. The delegates will shape out at the nomination. The other fact is that a SOLID MAJORITY of voters who showed up today at the Nevada Democratic Caucus supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. To claim victory using your own intrepretation of the rules shows that you think you are ABOVE the Democratic Party and the overwhelming majority of the voters.

The spin (none / 0) (#18)
by andreww on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 08:34:32 PM EST

It makes sense to me that Obama would remind people how close this race is from a delegate standpoint. But I agree, it's pretty lame to try an claim victory when he lost the majority of voters.

Instead, he should have said that after being 20 points behind for most of the last couple months his showing shows the momentum he's gaining.

On another note, we should all be worried about a McCain v. Hillary general. Hillary can't battle McCain on ideas related to the war the way Obama could. She'll have to convince people that she's more competent than McCain. An entirely different argument - and a difficult one for Hillary to make.

: Here is what Hillary Clinton should (none / 0) (#19)
by oculus on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 08:45:19 PM EST

emphasize:
MCCAIN ON DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE

here's my understanding (none / 0) (#20)
by Satya1 on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 09:00:59 PM EST

Sen. Obama has 38 pledged delegates to Sen. Clinton's 36. Edwards has 18.

But agree with you as you note:
I think the point is that no delegate awards are final until after the county and state conventions meet and vote.

I believe most caucus states have a similar process - possibly even Iowa.

IMO (none / 0) (#21)
by athyrio on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 09:08:23 PM EST

Obama, in my humble opinion, is making himself look worse by not acknowledging the Hillary win in Nevada and that might very well upset alot of democrats watching....Poor sportsmanship isn't attractive....

From the NYT - an Obama mistake (none / 0) (#22)
by RalphB on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 09:31:46 PM EST

This paragraph that is appearing to NY Times readers is a reflection of a major mistake by the Obama campaign:

"There was no call of congratulations to Mrs. Clinton from Mr. Obama, who flew out of Nevada as the caucuses were convening. In a statement, Mr. Obama did not acknowledge defeat and noted that he had received one more delegate in Nevada than Mrs. Clinton because of a strong performance in precincts outside Las Vegas."

That's a stunning breach of common courtesy and shows a quite astonishing lack of respect for the electoral process. It's also the mark of a very immature young man. Nobody likes a sore loser. I hope he gets his head handed to him from here on out!

Is this a Sunday paper op ed? (none / 0) (#23)
by oculus on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 09:40:32 PM EST

Not, it (none / 0) (#24)
by RalphB on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 09:45:25 PM EST

was in the coverage of the caucus earlier. They also explained that the delegates had not been selected yet so Obama's spin was just that.


Hope this works (none / 0) (#25)
by RalphB on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 09:49:26 PM EST

Here's a link to the story.

: what am I doing wrong? (none / 0) (#26)
by RalphB on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 09:50:44 PM EST

I cant do it either so dont feel bad....RalphB (none / 0) (#27)
by athyrio on Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 10:12:35 PM EST

Let's not get too sensitive here (none / 0) (#28)
by Bob In Pacifica on Sun Jan 20, 2008 at 10:57:52 AM EST

I'm not sure if I recall candidates giving concession speeches (and/or congratulations phone calls) for every primary lost, and if you do come up with more delegates based on a system that weighs rural voters higher (because a rural voter is less able and less likely to attend a caucus than a city dweller) it's not quite a loss if you come out with more delegates. This is politics. I don't think if you win more delegates you necessarily have to concede anything. It's only one state.

On Super Tuesday, if someone wins some states, comes in second in others and third in others, does he/she congratulate/concede from a list? From my memory, if you get a big win you make a victory speech, claim the best for your close races and say on to the convention.

So far the Dems have had one primary that didn't count (Michigan), two caucuses that split between Clinton and Obama, although so far Obama seems to have come out the winner in delegates between those two states, and a Clinton win in New Hampshire where the Diebolds gave her the vote count but the race was still close enough to give the two leading candidates the same amount of delegates. And there is a third candidate with somewhere around 15-20 percent of the delegates.

Next week with have the execrable touchscreens in South Carolina, meaning whoever wins that will have a cloud of doubt over his/her head.

At least until Super Tuesday I don't see anyone in the catbird seat.