2008 Election Season in Voters Hands

January 17, 2008

By Lisa Bennett, Communications Director

After nearly a year of speculation and polling, the 2008 election season is finally in the hands of the voters. While the pundits and prognosticators are having a hard time loosening their grip, the voters are taking charge!

Here's where we stand right now:

Iowa Caucuses - On Jan. 3, Iowa caucus-goers give Sen. Barack Obama the nod for the Democrats, fueled by a large college turnout, with John Edwards in second place and Sen. Hillary Clinton coming in a close third. The media write off Clinton, predicting a big loss in New Hampshire and an inevitable descent thereafter. Religious ultra-conservative candidate Mike Huckabee pulls off a surprisingly strong win in the Republican caucus.

New Hampshire Primary - Clinton surprises the pundits with a victory on Jan. 8, with an especially large vote from women. The press—focusing on surface and personality, as usual—credit Clinton's win to her momentary choking up at a Q&A session with New Hampshire voters. While the media's implication that Clinton is somehow weak, or worse, faking it, does aggravate voters who are growing tired of Hillary-bashing, the candidate deserves credit for her own comeback. Obama is a close second, with Edwards a distant third. Sen. John McCain is the other "comeback kid" that night on the Republican side.

Jan. 15 - The Michigan primary takes place, with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney winning the Republican race. Clinton secures a symbolic but ultimately meaningless win -– the Democratic National Committee stripped Michigan of all its delegates to the national convention because the state party moved its primary ahead of Feb. 5 without party permission.

The more interesting event of the evening is the Democratic debate in Nevada, where Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama appear to have called a truce in a week-long back-and-forth over questions of character as they relate to race. The candidates seem eager to move beyond the media-fueled controversies that are threatening to derail any coverage of the candidate's platforms. After 35 long minutes of air-clearing questions from NBC moderators Tim Russert and Brian Williams, the three candidates are finally given the opportunity to discuss actual issues. News correspondent Natalie Morales conveys email questions from voters, and the candidates address everything from the crumbling economy to nuclear power and the war in Iraq.

Coming up

Jan. 19 - Nevada caucuses for both the Democrats and the Republicans. A South Carolina primary for the Republicans.

Jan. 26 - The Democrats hold their South Carolina primary.

Jan. 29 - The Florida primary for both parties; however, the Democrats have stripped Florida of all its delegates due to the same infraction as Michigan.

Feb. 1 - Maine caucus for the Republicans.

Feb. 5 - "Super Tuesday" takes place, with more than 20 state primaries for each party.

Visit the NOW website to get the latest news on the 2008 elections from a feminist perspective.