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9:48pm
(IA City Precinct 8) Mayhill reporting: Clinton and Edwards tie for second, Obama wins. Mayhill writes, "Obama got six of the eight delegates in IA City 8. Redlawsk, the caucus captain, had predicted two to three. Clinton got two delegates, Edwards, too. HRC would've have had at least one more delegate except that her org was so outclassed in backroom dealing. Obviously JE should have had no delegates here. The people making up half his count are not really supporters."
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9:37pm
(IA City Precinct 8) Mayhill writes, "Redlawsk runs back and forth between the two rooms with a bullhorn. Five minutes to realignment. O and E leaders trading in hall putting noses into calculators. Edwards leader would like to get enough Richardson peeps to make 2 delegates but doesn't want to threaten Obama dominance. I overheard him say, 'If you guys are only two over don't give us any.' The sad consequence of bussing in all these really old people for Clinton is that they are scared and out of it what with the heat and noise and confusion and packed room. The guy who drove the van refuses to consider taking them home."
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9:30pm
Redlawsk runs back and forth between the two rooms with a bullhorn. 5 mins to realignment
O and E leaders trading in hall putting nos into calculators.
Edwards leader would like to get enough Rich peeps to make 2 delegates but doesn't want to threaten Obama dominance. "If you guys are only two over don't give us any."
The sad consequence of busing in all these really old people for HRC. They are scared and out of it what with the heat and noise and confusion and packed room. The van. guy refuses to consider taking them home. Wonder if this is going on elsewhere. Having nursed my mom and motheriaw, I'm upset about it.
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9:26pm
CNN now projects that Barack Obama will beat Hillary Clinton and John Edwards tonight.
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9:23pm
CNN's Political Ticker gives us this explanation for Huckabee's win: "Mike Huckabee's victory in Iowa's GOP caucus can be largely attributed to his overwhelming support among evangelical voters and women, our entrance polling shows. Evangelicals constituted the majority of Republican caucus goers (60 percent), and our entrance polling shows Huckabee won 45 percent of that group. Mitt Romney, who has heavily courted social conservatives only drew 19 percent of those voters."
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9:20pm
CNN's Election Center gives us their latest breakdown:
Obama - 35%
Edwards - 31%
Clinton - 31%
Richardson - 2%
Biden - 1%
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9:18pm
IA City Precinct 8: : The Obama and Edwards supporters are in cahoots to thwart Clinton, Mayhill writes me. The leader of the Obama group finds enough Richardson folks to make Edwards viable. The Obama team will keep the rest....
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9:06pm
IA City Precinct 8: Only 2 are viable. Obama's got 267 and Clinton's at 131.
Otherwise, Edwards is at 75, Dodd's got 11, 24 are there for Biden, Kucinich supporters number four, 48 for Richardson, and two remain undecided.
According to Mayhill, "Horse trading begins. Richardson supporterss refuse to follow order and go to Obama. Trying to get folks to join their team."
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9:04pm
Des moines 12 GOP:
Final
Huck 67
Romney 26
(Hompson 16
Paul 16
Mccain 15
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9:01pm
Precinct 102 in Des Moines:
It's a "moment of reckoning for team Biden." Team Biden acknowledges that Biden isn't viable.
Apparently sandwiches work better than handshakes, and Hillary's group stays put. Not a single Obama supporter has budged.
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9:00pm
Fox calls it for Huckabee.
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8:58pm
We've got a winner over at Des Moines #9: Obama!
Fifty nine stuck it out for Obama. Clinton gets second with 40, and Edwards finishes third with 26.
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8:56pm
Here's a report from Coralville 6: "first round: obama 312, clinton 186, edwards 132, all the others are out and they're going to for 2nd choices now, but sounds like Barack is in."
Just how many people showed up for this caucus? 762....
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8:55pm
The caucus captain over at Precinct 102 in Des Moines tells the crowd they total 322.
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8:52pm
IA City Precinct 8: It's getting really hot. Evidently a supporter wants out of the sweatlodge and skip the final rounds on account of the heat. Tempers are flaring.
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8:48pm
Precinct 102 in Des Moines: The first round is almost over. The precinct captain is double-checking his numbers, making sure that he didn't miss an Obama supporter.... First round tally:
Obama 108
Edwards 93
Clinton 74
Biden 25
Gravel 2
Dodd 0
Kucinich 0
Richardson 15
I can overheard a Biden support trying to convince a Gravel supporter... Stay tuned...
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8:45pm
Fox News gives us these numbers with 13 percent of Dem precincts reporting: Edwards 32%, Obama 31%, Clinton 31%, and Richardson 2%.
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8:43pm
Just checked over at Daily Kos for any preliminary Dem results. Of course, they've got 'em and they're up at the top of the page. The Democratic Party is the source. Kos posts:
191 of 1,781 districts reporting
Edwards 33.38
Clinton 32.40
Obama 30.76
Richardson 2.03
Biden 1.16
Dodd 0.15
Uncommitted 0.12
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8:40pm
Des moines #9 PRELim count: Edwards 20, Clinton 39, Obama 55. Now a few mins of negotiating.... Let's see what the second rounds brings us.
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8:37pm CNN reports that ten percent of Democratic caucuses are reporting results. The breakdown among Republicans: 11% for McCain, 33% for Huckabee, 17% for Thompson, and 24% for Romney.
Among Dems, we're looking at: 34% Edwards, 32% Clinton, 31% Obama, and 2% Richardson. It's important to keep in mind that rural caucuses report first on account of fewer attendees. Edwards plays better in rural areas.
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8:34pm
Webster Township Precinct 1: Marc Cooper writes, "Hillary supporters are in shock here. They started with about 15 and immediately shrunk to three."
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8:32pm
Precinct 102 in Des Moines: The lone Dodd supporter has joined Biden's group. Most attendees are divided among Edwards, Clinton, and Obama. We're waiting to hear the first count.
Webster Township Precinct 1: One hundred people in attendance, and a preliminary caucus count breaks down into 75 Obama supporters, 22 Edwards supporters, and three for Clinton.
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8:30pm
Over at Precinct 102 in Des Moines the precinct captain suggested the Hillary supporters move to the spillover room because they've run out of space. They objected because they didn't want to carry the sandwiches and cookies that they brought with them. Others complained, and they're now complying.
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8:28pm
IA City Precinct 8: Last time 299 people showed up. Mayhill Fowler tell us that they've run out of attendance cards, which puts attendance at more than 500. Redlawski, the caucus captain, is busy writing new cards by hand. More than 100 are in line outside to get in. A pregnant woman fainted on account of the heat, and Mayhill says the room is getting incredibly hot.
Des Moines Precinct 9: Marc Cooper - Huge line full of Obama stickers. Running out of reg forms for first timers. Already ran out of chairs. Poll workers says "its huge." Never seen a turnout like this.
Corralville Precinct 6 ... Not sure the number precinct, but 762 have shown up.
Precinct 102 in Des Moines: Attendee at Dem caucus passes by camera, and tells Shelby Highsmith that the Republican caucus is already over, only 15 people showed up. People are still milling out, finding their places. Btw, you can watch this caucus live right here.