Updates will all be on top, the latest first.
[Update #2] Huckabee takes West Virginia after second round of voting with 51.5 percent of the vote. It seems when McCain didn't have the 50 percent needed he asked his supporters to vote for Huckabee over Romney.
[Update #1] Reports from CBS are that Mitt Romney received a very "enthusiastic" response at the West Virginia convention.
Todays the day folks- 24 States are having 43 presidential nominating contests.
Alabama
Alaska
American Samoa
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Utah
West Virginia
For those that wish to share, let us know in the comment section who you voted for if you voted in a primary today.
Some last minute numbers from a few different places today, starting with Chris Bowers at Open Left who has done up the figures and has written that Super Delegates will be the determining factor in the Democratic race that finally decides who the Democratic nominee will be.
Superdelegates, also known as unpledged delegates, are delegates to a presidential nominating convention in the United States who are not bound by the decisions of party primaries or caucuses. Superdelegates are elected officeholders and party officials.
How the Super Delegates Work:
Delegates at stake on February 5:
Republicans have 948 delegates and 133 super-delegates, meaning a total of 1 081.
Democrats have 1 692 delegates (including 11 delegates representing Democrats Abroad) and 392 super-delegates, with a total of 2 084.
Voting:
To be chosen through primary election or caucus.
Superdelegate:
Party official or luminary; they are unpledged to any candidate and vote as they like.
Democrats:
A Democratic presidential candidate requires 2 025 of the total 4 049 delegates available to win the nomination.
Through four contested nominating contests, Democrat Barack Obama has piled up 59 pledged delegates, Hillary Clinton has 57, and John Edwards, who folded his campaign last week, had 26.
Republicans:
A Republican candidate needs 1 191 of the total 2 380 delegates available to become his party's presidential candidate in November. (Source)
How delegates are chosen
Democrats require states to apportion pledged convention delegates among all contenders who draw at least 15% support in a primary or caucuses. That can make a second-place finish in congressional districts and states almost as rewarding as a victory.
The GOP leaves that decision to state party organizations. Most divide delegates to the Republican National Convention, being held Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul, among candidates with significant support. But some of Super Tuesday's biggest prizes — including New York, New Jersey, Missouri and Arizona — are winner-take-all.
Through seven early Republican nominating contests, Arizona Senator John McCain has amassed 162 pledged delegates, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has 105 delegates, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has 29.
According to Bowers:
My instincts tell me this is a complete disaster, since it will shine light on complicated bylaws and the questionable democratic nature of the delegate selection process instead of on voters. As fascinating as it might be for political junkies, it is not the kind of image Democrats need. We need to figure a way out of this situation in a hurry.
Read his whole post, the basic point is, no matter who the public picks as the Democratic favorite, the "Super Delegates" can determine who actually gets chosen as the nominee.
He is right, that could very well be a disaster....we shall see.
On the Republican side, despite the controversy over whether McCain is "conservative" enough, the Reuters/C-Span/Zogby poll says that McCain is Dominating the GOP races.
The one place McCain is not dominating according to Reuters, is California where they show that Romney holds the lead.
In the Republican race, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney held a 7-point advantage on Arizona Sen. John McCain in California, while McCain added to commanding double-digit leads in New York and New Jersey.USA Today gives us the latest polls, when the precincts are opening and closing in each state and generally just alot of information, so head over.
PJM has a nice roundup going.
More coming.......
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