Feb. 13, 2008: The Virginia Democratic Primary – Feb.12 was won by Senator Barack Obama. He secured 64% of the popular votes, followed by his nearest rival Sen. Hillary Clinton. Sen. Clinton has gained 35% of the popular votes, nearly 30% behind the votes secured by Sen. Obama. Obama also secured the support of 50 delegates out of the 83 pledged delegated from the states, whereas Clinton won 26 delegates.
The victory of Sen. Obama at the Virginia Primary is attributed largely to his increasing popularity among the white and the senior voters. He quite expectedly won the support of the majority of the Black voters. Nearly 88% of the total strength of Black voters voted for him. However, he also fared surprisingly well among the white voters from the state.
The senior section of Democrat voters, till date, was a more or less certain voting bank for Sen. Clinton. However, the Potomac Primaries saw a remarkable turnaround from Sen. Obama. A marked enhancement in his appeal was noticeable among the senior voters. Obama also overtook the former First Lady in the Hispanic vote counts, albeit narrowly. In Virginia, as in Maryland, Obama won in the so called ‘electibility count’: where most voters entertained the belief that he was someone to actually care for them.
