Pundits: Romney may be out soon

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/politics/2008/view.bg?articleid=1071675

Pundits: Romney may be out soon

Democratic decision could take months

By Jessica Fargen | Wednesday, February 6, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | 2008 Campaign News

Photo by Nancy Lane

The Super Tuesday shake out has left Arizona Sen. John McCain riding high with more than twice as many delegates as GOP rival Mitt Romney, who despite spending millions of dollars of his personal fortune was left out in the cold yesterday.

McCain, who won the big-delegate state of California, has 613 delegates, followed by former Bay State Gov. Romney with 269 and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 190 delegates, according to the Associated Press. It takes 1,191 to win the GOP nomination.

“I think Romney will probably not be in the race that much longer,” said Republican media consultant Todd Domke, who is not affiliated with any GOP campaign. “He performed below expectations. Romney has rasied the expectations so high that when he failed it was all the more devastating.”

Romney’s campaign is reportedly meeting this morning to talk about strategy going forward after longshot candidate Huckabee came in a not-so-distant third, winning five Southern states. Romney, who handily won Massachusetts and Mormon-heavy Utah, was dealt a crushing defeat when he lost the one that mattered most - the delegate-rich state of California.

On the Democratic side, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton won eight contests, plus American Samoa, bringing her total to 845 delegates. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama won 13 Super Tuesday states, giving him 765 delegates, according to the latest tally by the Associated Press. It takes 2,025 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.

Clinton won the biggest state, California, capitalizing on backing from Hispanic voters. Obama won in Alabama and Georgia on the strength of black support, and won a nail-biter in Missouri.

Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic political strategist from Boston, said the Democratic race is far from over.

“This now becomes an even longer and more protracted fight when you look at the delegates that are left,” said Marsh, who is not affiliated with any campaign, but has given money to both Clinton and Obama.

Marsh said the nomination might not be decided until April 22, when the last “big-bucket” delegate state, Pennsylvania, holds its primary. Ohio and Texas still have primaries to go as well.

Marsh believes the tipping point in the Democratic nomination could be allotment of super delegates and possible consideration of Michigan and Florida delegates, who won’t have a say in the nomination because their states bumped up their primaries. Clinton won primaries in both Michigan and Florida.

Marsh said Clinton and Obama appeared to split votes yesterday, not based on race or ideology, but gender.

“More women are voting for Hillary Clinton and more men are voting for Barack Obama,” she said. “That seems right now to be the split.”