Obama, McCain are caucus favorites

Wahkiakum County voters got the ball rolling in the Washington version of the 2008 presidential campaign process in caucuses action on Saturday.

In the Democrat caucuses, 109 participants awarded 17 delegates to Senator Barak Obama and 10 to Senator Hillary Clinton.

Statewide, Obama received 67.51 percent of the delegates, 21,629, to 31.2 percent of Clinton, 9,992 delegates.

Wahkiakum Democrat spokesperson Krist Novoselic said there were five caucus locations throughout the county. The 27 elected delegates will attend the Wahkiakum Democrats County convention on April 19. Attendees will elect delegates to the respective congressional district and state conventions.

Also on April 19, delegates will consider three resolutions submitted last Saturday--opposition to liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the Columbia, how "Super Delegates" vote for the nomination, and state democrats utilizing the public primary for presidential nominations.

The Eagle didn't receive a caucus report from Wahkiakum County Republicans in time for publication this week.

The Republican race statewide was very close, Senator John McCain led with 25.6 percent of the delegates; Gov. Mike Huckabee followed with 23.3 percent, and Rep. Ron Paul had 21.4 percent. Gov. Mitt Romney, who announced he was dropping out of the presidential race, picked up 15.3 percent of the delegates.

The Republicans are allocating 51 percent of their delegates based on the February 19 primary election; caucuses will determine 49 percent of the delegates.

A voter can participate in both the party caucus and the presidential primary as long as both are for the same political party.