McCain Attempts to Unite GOP

In a statement made yesterday, Senator John McCain appears to be reaching out to all factions within the GOP to bring unity to a divided Party. McCain has recognized his status as the Presidential front-runner and is clearly aware of the fact that he cannot win the general election without the support of moderate Republicans and Independent voters.

From the AP:

“I think they’ve made their case against me pretty eloquently,” he said,
adding wryly, “if that’s the right word.” He asserted that the pundits’
conservative hero Ronald Reagan — and his — reached across the aisle to
Democrats just like he wants to do as president.
“I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there are areas that we can agree on for the good of the party and for the good of the country,” he said.

Today McCain and Romney both address the annual CPAC (Conservative Political Action Committee) Conference, where McCain is expected to make his case of why the far-right conservative wing of the GOP should support him.

Updated Delegate Allocation

We're still waiting on complete allocation numbers from several states-- the largest being California, though the state was called for McCain who brought in 42% of the vote. Please visit the presidential spotlight section for more details.

McCain – 559 total (including early primary states)
Alabama: 13
Alaska: 3
Arizona: 53
California: processing…
Connecticut: 27
Delaware: 18
Georgia: 3
Massachusetts: 17
Illinois: 55
Missouri: 58
New Jersey: 52
New York: 101
North Dakota: 6
Oklahoma: 32
Tennessee: 15

Romney – 265 total (including early primary states)
Alaska: 12
Colorado: 22
Illinois: 3
Massachusetts: 22
Minnesota: 38
Montana: 25
North Dakota: 8
Tennessee: 9
Utah: 36
West Virginia: 1

Huckabee – 169 total (including early primary states)
Alabama: 14
Arkansas: 25
Georgia: 45
North Dakota: 5
Oklahoma: 6
Tennessee: 21
West Virginia: 18

Paul – 16 total (including early primary states)
Alaska: 5
North Dakota: 5

California Called for McCain

California was called for Senator McCain; the exact delegate count is still unknown. California allocates its delegates on a winner-take-all system by Congressional district, as opposed to by the entire state. This means that although McCain won the most delegates, his opponents may have won their fair share of the 170 delegates available today.

The current delegate count stands at:

McCain – 475 total (including early primary states)
Arizona: 53
California: 11 (still processing…)
Connecticut: 27
Delaware: 18
Illinois: processing...
Missouri: 58
New Jersey: 52
New York: 101
Oklahoma: 29

Romney – 151 total (including early primary states)
Colorado: processing…
Massachusetts: 21
Montana: processing…
North Dakota: processing…
Utah: 36

Huckabee – 93 total (including early primary states)
Alabama: processing…
Arkansas: 10
Georgia: 33
Oklahoma: 6
Tennessee: processing…
West Virginia: 18

Paul – 6 total (including early primary states)

More States Polls Closed; Results Called

Mitt Romney just finished speaking in Massachusetts, one of only 3 states he's won tonight. He vowed to stay in the race and delivered an uplighting speech despite his 'failure' thus far tonight.

McCain – 383 total (including early primary states)
Arizona: 53
Connecticut: 27
Delaware: 18
Illinois: processing...
Missouri: processing...
New Jersey: 52
New York: 101
Oklahoma: 23

Romney – 135 total (including early primary states)
Colorado: processing...
Massachusetts: 5
North Dakota: processing…
Utah: 36

Huckabee – 54 total (including early primary states)
Alabama: processing…
Arkansas: 10
Georgia: processing...
Tennessee: processing…
West Virginia: 18

Paul – 6 total (including early primary states)

New York, Delaware Called for McCain

New York, a hugely delegate-rich state, has been called for McCain. He adds 101 delegates to his total. Delaware was also called for McCain, with 18 delegates.

Total Delegates to Date:
McCain – 208 total (including early primary states)
Connecticut: 27Delaware: 18
Illinois: processing..
New Jersey: 52
New York: 101

Romney – 99 total (including early primary states)
Massachusetts: 5

Huckabee – 54 total (including early primary states)
Arkansas: 7
West Virginia: 18

Paul – 6 (including early primary states)

Arkansas Called for Huckabee

The state of Arkansas has been called for Mike Huckabee. Delegate allocation is still being processed. The current counts stands at:

McCain – 190 total (including early primary states)
Connecticut: 27
Illinois: processing..
New Jersey: 52

Huckabee – 54 total (including early primary states)
Alabama: processing..
Arkansas: 7
West Virginia: 18

Romney – 99 total (including early primary states)
Massachusetts: 5


Georgia has become a three way race between Huckabee, McCain and Romney. The crucial area comes down to the Atlanta suburbs.

Several States Called in GOP Primary

Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey have been called for John McCain. Alabama has been called for Huckabee. Massachusetts was called for Mitt Romney.

Georgia, one of the more conservative states participating in a primary today, is still too close to call. McCain and Huckabee are just points apart there. Stay tuned for more...

Huckabee Declared Winner in West Virginia

Mike Huckabee has been named the winner in the West Virginia caucuses this afternoon. West Virginia is a winner-take-all state, so Huckabee will pick up 18 delegates, bringing his grand total to 47 delegates.

The current delegate standing is:
John McCain: 111
Mitt Romney: 94
Mike Huckabee: 47

1st Round of WV Caucuses Complete

The first round of caucuses in West Virginia is complete. Because there was not a clear majority, voters will enter a second round of caucuses.

The results of the first round of delegate apportionment were:

Mitt Romney: 40
Mike Huckabee: 33
John McCain: 15

Stay tuned for results from the second round of votes.

Today is Super Tuesday!

Twenty-one states will hold GOP Presidential contests today. With over 1,000 delegates at stake, we may see a nominee by the night's end.

California is being reported as one of the states to watch closely--John McCain and Mitt Romney are running neck and neck in polls there. California is expecting an unprecedented turnout today. Last week Senator McCain scored the endorsement of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger-- a factor that may prove to benefit him today. What is even more interesting about the California primary is that voters will be using paper ballots. It may not be until late into the night or early tomorrow that we have an official result. Polls close at 8pm local time in the state. 173 delegates in total are up for grabs in California alone.

Stay tuned to this blog throughout today and tonight for up-to-the-minute news from around the country. The presidential spotlight page of our site has current polls, primary processes and more. Please check it out!