Presidential showdown draws record crowds to the polls
Hillary Clinton dominated South Texas in Tuesday’s primary on her way to winning the statewide race, proving that talk of “Clinton Country” is grounded in the preferences of the local electorate.
In Cameron County, Clinton won 32,788 votes to Obama’s 14,809 as the county saw a turnout that more than doubled 2004’s numbers. In that primary, 22,761 votes were cast for the Democratic nomination. Tuesday, 49,606 out of 167,000 registered voters cast their ballots, 29.7 percent of the electorate. In Hidalgo County this year, Clinton won 61,581 votes to Obama’s 21,978.
But most of those votes were made in a senatorial district that contained only 3 of the state’s 228 delegates. In Texas, Clinton won by a margin of 100,000 votes, or 3 percent, as voters came out in record numbers with 4.2 million ballots cast, according to the Texas secretary of state’s office.
Cameron County’s primary results, though significant, didn’t tell the whole story. The real winner, local politicians said, was an energized voting public.
“The whole district came out in record numbers,” said state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. “It sends the clear message to state and national elected officials that we have issues that are important to us.”
Lucio joined a number of politicians who campaigned for Clinton throughout South Texas, but his son, state Rep. Eddie Lucio III, was noticeably absent from the contingent. Lucio III announced his support from Barack Obama before the state’s primary began receiving national attention. When Obama came to Brownsville — where he visited the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, the Rio Grande and Sombrero Fest — Lucio was by his side.
“You never want to be on opposite ends of a competition, but my dad was very supportive,” said Lucio III. “He understands that I genuinely believe in Sen. Obama.”
The Lucios’ divergence marked what some saw as a surprising divide in Brownsville — in which the Illinois senator was able to accrue support from a growing number of local politicians. Lucio Jr. acknowledged that despite Clinton’s victory in South Texas, Obama faired surprisingly well. “His presence brought excitement to the area.”
The younger Lucio struck an equally conciliatory tone. “Hats off to her campaign,” he said. “They had great success with their message.”
On Wednesday, after three weeks of campaigning in the Rio Grande Valley, both Clinton and Obama volunteers began disassembling their local campaign offices. They took sign-up sheets off the wall, pulled signs from the ground and prepared to relocate staffs to Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Wyoming.
“We’re thrilled with the results,” said Dana Edelstein, Clinton’s South Texas press secretary. “She had a strong showing in the Valley and that helped her statewide.”
But local Obama supporters, including Lucio III, are confident that the race’s mathematics still favor their candidate. “At the end of the day yesterday,” he said, “there was only a four point swing in delegates. Momentum is still heavily in favor of Obama.”
Now that the Rio Grande Valley’s political climate has returned to a state of normalcy, residents are waiting for their next opportunity to change the direction of national politics: November’s general election. In that contest, South Texas Democrats, including both Lucios, will be united.
After the primary’s final results were in, Lucio III called his father. “It’s time for us to refocus on what’s important for our constituents,” he said. He added that his support for Obama would undoubtedly transfer to whoever receives the Democratic nomination in August.
“The most important thing is that we bring people back to the table in November.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
