McCain, Clinton win Florida primaries

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McCain trumps Romney; Giuliani seen exiting race after finishing third
By Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch
Jan. 29, 2008

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- John McCain of Arizona won a closely fought battle with Mitt Romney to win Florida's Republican primary Tuesday night, propelling his candidacy mightily forward to the 24-state Super Tuesday contest on Feb. 5.

But it was apparently the end of the fight for former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani who placed a disappointing third in Florida's Republican race after staking much of his run for the nomination on the Sunshine State. Giuliani was reportedly set to drop out of the race and endorse McCain on Wednesday.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton handily defeated rival Sen. Barack Obama in an expected win. The New York senator, however, won't pick up any delegates from her victory on Tuesday night since the Democrats had theirs stripped as punishment for scheduling the primary earlier than usual.

Speaking to supporters in Miami, McCain said he's getting close to winning the nomination.

"Our victory might not have reached landslide proportions but it is sweet none the less," McCain said. Looking to Super Tuesday, McCain said "I intend to win it and be the nominee for our party."

With his victory on Tuesday, McCain gets a big boost towards the 24-state contest, said University of South Florida Prof. Susan MacManus.

"It's like winning an overtime game and heading into the next season," MacManus said. "He just really came from behind" in the campaign.

Sen. McCain edged out ex-Massachusetts governor Romney 36% to 31% while Giuliani was a distant third with just 15% of the vote. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee lagged with 13%.

Exit Giuliani

Losing Florida's contest appeared to spell the end of Giuliani's bid for the nomination. The former mayor banked much of his campaign on winning large numbers of votes from New York-area retirees in Florida.

Giuliani's stinging defeat immediately raised speculation that he would soon pull out of the race. But in his concession speech, Giuliani was non-committal about his future, saying "the responsibility of leadership doesn't end with a single campaign...If you believe in a cause, it goes on and you continue to fight for it, and we will."

With 58% of the precincts reporting, Clinton had garnered 51% of the vote compared to Sen. Barack Obama's 31%. Former senator John Edwards got 15%.

The Democrats' contest was widely described as a "beauty contest" since no delegates were awarded and they weren't permitted to campaign in the state. Despite Clinton's win, losing Florida neither helps nor hurts Obama or Edwards in the delegate tally.

Speaking to supporters in Davie, Fla., Clinton said she'll work to ensure that Florida's delegates are seated at the Democratic convention in August.

"I'm going to take your voices, your concerns, your hopes, your dreams" to the White House, Clinton pledged.

McCain will take home 57 delegates, giving him the lead in the delegate tally. A candidate will need 1,191 to secure the Republican nomination.

Clinton is ahead of Obama and Edwards in the delegate tally on the Democratic side.

Economy stressed

Campaigning in Florida, candidates from both sides have stressed economic issues. The state has been hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis. On Tuesday, Florida homebuilder TOUSA Inc. filed for bankruptcy, with its chief executive saying the step "is necessary to reflect the realities of today's homebuilding market."

In interviews before the primary, residents cited housing as a drag on the state's economy. Orlando, for example, ranked 27 on a list of foreclosure activity in the U.S. in the third quarter, according to foreclosure-listing service RealtyTrac. The Tampa area ranked 19 and Fort Lauderdale was fourth.

Clinton is calling for $30 billion in assistance to states to help them fight foreclosures, as well as a 90-day moratorium on subprime-loan foreclosures and a five-year freeze in rates on subprime adjustable mortgages. Obama and Edwards have also vowed to help struggling families with mortgage payments and unemployment benefits.

McCain and Romney stepped up their attacks on each other over issues including immigration, energy and campaign-finance.

Immigration is also a hot topic in Florida, the state with the third-highest number of illegal immigrants in the country.

With a voter population split evenly among Democrats and Republicans, Florida will also be a key state in the general election. Moreover, Florida's 2.1 million independents will also determine how the Sunshine State goes in the November general election.

Robert Schroeder is a reporter for MarketWatch in Washington.