By my math, Edwards has 1.28%, Obama 2.62% and Clinton 2.37% of the number of delegates they need to win the nomination. Regardless of the talking heads crowning Obama, as previously they crowned Clinton, it isn’t QUITE over yet!
This from the Charlotte NC News Observer http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/908102.html
Edwards to focus on 10 Super Tuesday states
By Barbara Barrett, Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards will focus his campaign dollars, staffers and personal visits on 10 of the 22 states coming up in next week’s Super Tuesday primary Feb. 5.
A few other states will see resources in key congressional districts, but overall, Edwards’ campaign strategists want to continue the delegate-gathering journey that they see as their best hope for winning the Democratic presidential nomination. “If we can compete (in the 10 focus states) and be viable in the remaining 12 states, then we’re going to have a very good day on Feb. 5,†said U.S. Rep. David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign manager.
In a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Edwards’ aides refused to outline their exact strategy. But he has advertising buys scheduled in 10 states, and he has visits scheduled through Wednesday in Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, Minnesota, North Dakota, Alabama and Georgia.
In each state, Edwards must win at least 15 percent of the vote to earn delegates, so aides are focusing on areas where he has that chance.
“Our polling data shows us in that in many of these states we’re running in the high teens, low 20s, and we have a shot to pick up a lot of delegates,†Bonior said.
Right now, Edwards has 26 delegates to Obama’s 53 and Clinton’s 48.
A candidate needs 2,025 – half the available delegates plus one – to win the nomination. Edwards’ camp said they can envision a situation in which no candidate arrives at the convention with a majority – making Edwards a player.
Edwards also has raised more than $3.2 million online in January and is “moving toward $4 million,†said senior campaign strategist Joe Trippi. That amounts to most of his total monthly fund-raising, Trippi said, and most of it will be eligible for matching public dollars.
“We’ve really outpaced where we thought we’d be,†he said.
Edwards remains far behind Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in delegate numbers, media coverage and war chests, but aides said he’ll be able to hold his own next Tuesday.
“I’m not going to tell you the dollar-sign buys or exactly what markets it’s going in,†said Jonathan Prince, deputy campaign manager. “It’ll amount to something not quite as large as our opponents, but something about three-fourths the size of our opponents.â€
Aides said they count on Edwards performing well in two debates in the next week, pointing out that he was generally viewed as having won the last three debates.
“We’re very very competitive going forward to Feb. 5,†Trippi said.
And they’ve already started talking about other states, saying that once Super Tuesday fades, Edwards should do well on primary days featuring only a handful of contests.
States coming up into March include Texas, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, all areas where Edwards thinks he can shine. “We’re going to be able to contest those states, and be able to roll up the delegate count that will get us the nomination on the back half,†Bonior said.