It was truly a Super Tuesday in New York for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as she took 57 percent of the statewide vote and even garnered more support locally with nearly 60 percent of Queens Democrats voting for Clinton.
However, even with double-digit victories in delegate-rich New York and California, Clinton still faces a down-to-the-wire fight to secure the nomination as Illinois Senator Barack Obama won 12 state primaries and trails by a narrow margin in New Mexico where the is race too close to call, virtually ensuring a long battle ahead.
Clinton, who won eight primaries on Super Tuesday, currently holds an 845 to 765 lead in the delegate count with 2,025 delegates needed to secure the nomination, according to numbers from the Associated Press.
Still, Clinton supporters remain encouraged by her performance on Super Tuesday especially her decisive victory in New York and Queens.
“New Yorkers delivered big for Hillary Clinton [Tuesday] because they know first-hand what her leadership can accomplish. They also know that her experience and ability to deliver solutions are exactly what our country needs right now,” said Congressmember Joseph Crowley, who is also the Chair of the Queens County Democratic Party. “Her strong showing in our community demonstrates her ability to bring all ethnic groups together and underscores the uniting force that she will be in the general election.”
The Super Tuesday primary, which occurred on the same day as the ticker tape parade for the Super Bowl Champion Giants, generated excitement throughout the country as well as in the borough.
Voters young and old went to their local precinct to cast their votes with just under 200,000 Democrats and 20,000 Republicans in Queens coming out to vote.
“I’m just fired up,” said Astoria resident Mark Marone before hopping on his motorcycle adorned with Obama posters and stickers.
Marone, who voted in the primary for the first time, called Clinton brilliant, but also disingenuous.
“I think she would be a detriment to Democrats reclaiming power in this country he said,” he said. “[Obama], he is the essence of what makes people better.”
However, Kevin Mullarkey, a 40-year resident of Astoria, disagreed, and said he was throwing his support behind Clinton.
“I think we need a woman to take over,” he said. “It’s time for a change. We had eight good years with Bill Clinton, the economy was up and everything else.”
While precincts throughout the borough reported steady crowds throughout the day, Edith Hoffenberg, who has been working at a polling site in Bayside for the past 10 years, said this year’s turnout was the highest in recent memory.
“There are so many people who can’t vote, those who can should consider it a privilege,” Hoffenberg said.
Meanwhile, the Republican primary picture is a little clearer as Arizona Senator John McCain asserted himself as the favorite for the nomination scoring victories in nine states including a resounding 51 percent to 27 percent victory over Mitt Romney in New York.
McCain’s impressive showing in New York also resonated in Queens with nearly 55 percent of Republican voters selecting McCain compared to 25 percent for Romney.
“That’s a good number, and I think our calling helped out a lot, making people aware that there was a primary,” said Queens GOP Chair Phil Ragusa, whose organization originally backed former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, but later endorsed McCain. “It looks like he is going to be the odds on favorite to be our candidate, and we will definitely be supporting him going forward.”
Congressional Districts Results at a Glance
Data Courtesy of the New York State Democratic Committee. All results are not official until they are certified by the state and county board of elections. Data presented is only for Queens Congressional Districts. Data from other counties is not included.
CD 5
Representative: Gary Ackerman
Clinton: 29,293 (73.8%)
Obama: 10,402 (26.2%)
Total Delegates: 5
Clinton: 4 -Obama: 1
CD 6
Representative: Gregory Meeks
Clinton: 31,446 (44.1%)
Obama: 39,748 (55.8%)
Total Delegates: 5
Clinton: 2 - Obama: 3
CD 7
Representative: Joseph Crowley
Clinton: 37,991 (62.7%)
Obama: 22,606 (37.3%)
Total Delegates: 5
Clinton: 3 - Obama: 2
CD 9
Representative: Anthony Weiner
Clinton: 32,026 (72.4%)
Obama: 12,232 (27.6%)
Total Delegates: 5
Clinton: 4 - Obama: 1
CD 12
Representative: Nydia Velasquez
Clinton: Data Not Available
Obama: Data Not Available
Total Delegates: 5
Clinton: 3 - Obama: 2
CD 14
Representative: Carolyn Maloney
Clinton: 33,749 (58.2%)
Obama: 24,256 (41.8%)
Total Delegates: 6
Clinton: 3 - Obama: 3
CD 15
Representative: Charles Rangel
Clinton: 43,627 (56.2%)
Obama: 34,041 (43.8%)
Total Delegates: 6
Clinton: 3 - Obama: 3
