Kennedy did help Obama
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Thursday, February 07, 2008
By JO-ANN MORIARTY
Jo-ann.moriarty@newhouse.com
WASHINGTON - Super Tuesday exit polls indicate that Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's endorsement benefited Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, even though the veteran Massachusetts senator was not able to deliver the state to the presidential candidate.
As a result of Tuesday's presidential primary in Massachusetts, Obama netted 37 delegates, compared to 54 for his main rival for the Democratic nomination, U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, of New York, according to CNN's Web site. To secure the party's nomination, a candidate will need 2,025 delegates nationwide.
In Massachusetts, the ground game of Clinton backers such as U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, may have proven more powerful than the combined support for Obama of Kennedy, Gov. Deval L. Patrick, and U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry.
The Kennedy and Kerry camps said yesterday that the senators' endorsements significantly closed the huge 37-point advantage that Clinton had enjoyed in Massachusetts a week ago.
Neal's counter response was a blunt, "She won the state by 15 (percentage points)." Clinton received 56 percent of the vote and Obama 41 percent.
That fact was not lost on former President Bill Clinton, who after the polls closed called Neal to personally thank him for helping his wife carry the state.
"One of the things in a campaign of this nature, you have to make sure your supporters got to the polls," said Neal, who organized a huge rally for Clinton at Springfield College a week before the state primary.
U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, also endorsed Clinton and organized a massive rally at Clark University for her last week. U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Newton, was a point person for the Clinton campaign in national conference calls.
Reid Cherlin, the Massachusetts spokesman for the Obama campaign, said he saw how Kennedy's work helped the campaign, especially by closing the margin in Massachusetts and contributing to the win in neighboring Connecticut, where U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who has close ties to the Clinton family, endorsed Obama.
No House members from Connecticut worked for Clinton. Obama received 26 delegates in Connecticut, compared to 22 for Clinton, according to CNN.
In a press conference with reporters in Chicago yesterday, Obama credited Kennedy with closing the gap in Massachusetts, where Clinton is popular. There is "a lot of familiarity and fondness for the Clintons in Massachusetts," said Obama.
"And you know, I don't think we would have won Connecticut, for example, without Senator Kennedy," Obama added, "I don't think we would have done as well in California without Senator Kennedy." Clinton carried California.
Neal credited women for Clinton's victory in Massachusetts.
"About 10 percent more registered women showed up on primary day than men," Neal said, adding that the trend was obvious when he visited the polling place at Our Lady of Hope, where he votes.
For Neal, there was a defining moment when the former first lady campaigned at the rally at Springfield College.
"When she talked about what it is to have a baby-sitter cancel and you have a sick child and you are expected to be at work, those women came out of their seats," Neal said.
"Bill Clinton called me last night, he is the happiest guy around," Neal said, "He was stunned by the size of the victory and said thanks so much."
Obama supporters said their candidate did better than expected in Massachusetts, splitting the delegates with Clinton in a state that gave her husband the largest margin of victory in 1996 when he ran for re-election.
Kennedy's high-profile endorsement of Obama came the same day as Neal campaigned with Clinton in Springfield on Jan. 28. With a week and a day, a Kennedy insider said, the veteran senator helped energize the growing support for the Illinois Democrat.
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