By Brian Bohl
Rock music blared through the speakers, adding to the jovial atmosphere at Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters in New York last week. Even before the guest of honor arrived, the standing-room-only crowd was still abuzz after the live CNN news-feed stated that Clinton had captured the state’s Democratic primary, part of an overall successful showing on Super Tuesday.
As the throngs of supporters clapped, whistled and roared, something felt out of place. A key demographic was underrepresented at the Manhattan Center Studios. There were nearly equal numbers of men and women in the audience on hand to support Clinton, and a sizable amount of young people were also in attendance, many taking active roles as campaign volunteers.
But very few black supporters could be seen in the double-tier room, an ominous sign for Clinton. To win her party’s nomination, garnering the support of the black vote could be instrumental in defeating her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama.
Hillary Clinton knows from personal experience the value of winning over one of the most important voting-blocs in the Democratic Party. The black vote helped Bill Clinton win two presidential elections and now could help turn the 2008 nomination over to Obama, the junior senator from Illinois who is beginning to catch up with Clinton in the polls and delegate count.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Obama recorded an average of 80 percent of the African-American vote in the 22-state Super Tuesday elections. In his home state, Obama captured 94 percent of the African-American vote. He still trails Clinton in the delegate count, but the strong showing has kept him within striking distance of the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination at this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Denver.
“I believe six months ago she had an expectation of winning 40 to 50 percent of the black vote,” Brooklyn Democratic chairman and State Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez told the New York Times. Lopez is endorsing Clinton. “Now, a more realistic number is 20 or 25 percent, and that presents a problem in the states that have a substantial black vote.”
Clinton still continues to draw consistent support from women, Hispanics and older voters. A sampling of those demographics was found in midtown Manhattan last week, where Clinton acknowledged a $5 million loan from her personal funds to her own campaign to keep up with the surge in donations to Obama.
“I also want to congratulate Senator Obama for his victories tonight,” Clinton said, “and I look forward to continuing our campaign and our debate about how to lead this country better-off in the next generation.”
In addition to the influx of funds, Obama continues to try to gain the support of blacks and young people, trying to get former supporters of John Edwards, who dropped out of the race. It also helps that Obama is picking up key endorsements from party stalwarts like Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Endangering Clinton’s campaign could be the fact that her opponent’s campaign continues to galvanize people and voting blocs that a challenger like Edwards or Bill Richardson could never pick up. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a key member of President George W. Bush’s administration, said “I am keeping my options open at the moment,” when it comes to backing someone for the upcoming election. Powell once contemplated running for president last decade. Now, Obama has the chance to become the country’s first black president.
Though he did not make an official announcement or declare an endorsement, Powell said of Obama: “He has energized a lot of people in America. He has energized a lot of people around the world. And, so, I think he is worth listening to and seeing what he stands for.”
In the meantime, Obama continues to pump up his campaign war chest. He is building momentum when it comes to funding and support. The next step is securing high voting turnout among his young supporters, which could be the factor that decides who irrevocably pulls ahead in the close race.
Brian Bohl is a senior print journalism student. You may e-mail him at [email protected].