Obama leads Clinton in Wyoming
With slightly more than half of the counties reporting, the Illinois senator is coming out ahead. Voter turnout exceeds expectations in the sparsely populated state.
CHEYENNE, WYO. — Sen. Barack Obama appears to have beaten Sen. Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, in a state no one thought would matter.
With 12 of 23 Wyoming counties reporting, including Laramie, the most populous, Obama is ahead with 56.6% of the vote.
Clinton's resurgence in the race this week -- thanks to her victories in Ohio and Texas -- means the fight for every delegate has become intense.
Wyoming Democrats: In an article about the caucuses in Sunday's Section A, the last name of the Wyoming Democratic Party Chairman John Millin was misspelled Mullin. Also, in some editions, the article incorrectly said that nearly 500 delegates remained to be awarded in upcoming contests and a little more than 100 superdelegates remained uncommitted. In fact, about 600 delegates remain to be awarded in the upcoming contests, and about 300 superdelegates have not indicated which candidate they back.
Wyoming, with only 12 delegates at stake, became a player for the first time in years. Both candidates campaigned here, which put a spotlight on the state's Democrats, who are unaccustomed to that sort of attention. Wyoming, where more than two-thirds of voters are Republican, is often an afterthought in the Democratic presidential campaign.
Although there is no official turnout number yet, anecdotal reports indicate that Democrats turned out in record numbers.
"Look at these lines!" exclaimed former Wyoming Secretary of State Kathy Karpan. "I feel like I died and went to heaven."
Here in the state's capital, Democratic Party officials said 1,532 voters cast ballots. The voting, which took place in the auditorium of the Cheyenne Civic Center, had to be conducted in waves, because the venue was not large enough to hold everyone. Some voters ended up waiting in line for more than two hours to vote.
"We have been waiting too long," said 47-year-old nurse Rebecca Crook, who had never been to a caucus. "But we'll stay. I find this really exciting."
Voters here in Laramie County cast paper ballots, which were then counted in a dressing room by four volunteers. They sat at brightly lighted makeup mirrors, under the eye of two out-of-state attorneys, one observing for Clinton, the other for Obama.
At precisely 9 this morning, Laramie County Democratic Chairman Mike Bell gaveled his county's caucus to order. The civic center, with a capacity of 1,500, was nearly full, and hundreds of voters were still lined up outside, in a relatively balmy 38-degrees, waiting to sign in to cast their ballots in the Democratic presidential contest.
"Good morning Wyoming Democrats!" said Bell. "I gotta question for you: Where in the hell did you come from?"
The crowd roared its approval. He was right to ask: in 2004, exactly 160 people turned up for the Laramie County Democratic caucus. Across Wyoming, where 23 county caucuses will determine whom the state's 12 delegates will support, turnout was beyond expectations.
