Obama wins more delegates from Iowa
The US primary process remains a mystery to many this side of ‘the pond’, and as this particularly long campaign continues it’s not hard to see why. Fresh from news that Texas was won by Obama and not Clinton, because it’s a delegate race and Obama won more delegates, comes news that the final tally in Iowa also looks to be favourable to Obama.
Iowa selects it’s delegates based on a caucus first - which was held in January - and then later fine tunes it with conventions. After the caucuses the results were: 16 Senator Obama; 15 Senator Clinton; 14 Senator Edwards. But Edwards has suspended his campaign since then, so there was the opportunity to convince previous Edwards’ supporters to switch to either Obama or Clinton.
Well, those conventions have just been held and it’s a stunning victory for Obama. The final pledge delegate count is now: 25 Senator Obama; 14 Senator Clinton; 6 Senator Edwards. In other words, the narrow delegate win in January is now a commanding lead for Obama, who won nine more delegates, Clinton lost one, and six still backing Edwards.
To put this into context, the ten extra delegate votes (nine plus the one lost by Clinton) is more than the number Hillary Clinton won in Iowa in her so-called ‘come back’.