Obama runs away with Nebraska caucus

Sen. Barack Obama dominated Nebraska’s first-ever Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday night, scoring a landslide triumph.

Perhaps more to the point, he secured a fistful of precious delegates in the guerrilla warfare with Sen. Hillary Clinton for every convention vote.

Obama racked up more than two-thirds of the Nebraska vote in his head-to-head encounter with Clinton.

At first blush, the caucus experiment appeared to be an enormous success for the state party, overwhelming urban caucus sites with committed voters and attracting thousands of newly registered Democrats.

For Obama, it provided a   spurt of momentum heading into the post-Super Tuesday array of caucuses and primaries that stretch ahead.

Obama won even bigger prizes Saturday in Washington caucuses and the Louisiana primary, giving him a clean sweep.

The Nebraska victory handed him 16 of the 24 delegate slots at stake in the caucuses.  The Illinois senator already has commitments from three additional delegates in Nebraska’s 31-member delegation to the Democratic national convention.

Democratic State Chairman Steve Achelpohl of Omaha may be the next to fall Obama’s way. His cell phone rang as he was surveying the early vote count at the Cornhusker Marriott.

“Obama, Gwampa,” was all Matthew Fitzgerald Achelpohl  said. Matthew, who lives in Seattle and will turn 4 on March 15, wasted no time or words in lobbying for his grandpa’s vote.

Obama’s victory came two days after he electrified an overflow crowd of 10,000 Nebraskans at an Omaha rally that surged with youth and energy.

His wife, Michelle, was in Lincoln a day later to speak on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.

Clinton skipped Nebraska to concentrate on other states, sending daughter Chelsea to speak as her surrogate. Chelsea visited two campuses and spoke in Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island.

Saturday’s vote marked a breakthrough moment in a state that hasn’t had any impact in the presidential selection process since the importance of its presidential primary was overwhelmed by a steady  proliferation of caucuses and primaries.

The state once played a role in the selection of nominees. 

In 1968, Robert Kennedy campaigned in 29 Nebraska communities on his way to a Democratic primary win here.

Obama ran strongest in Omaha, winning three of every four votes. In Lancaster County, it was closer to two out of three.

Western and central Nebraska was more closely divided, with Obama winning 52 percent of the vote.

Nebraska’s Democratic Party also may have emerged as a winner.

“This will build our party,” Achelpohl said. 

“This has been the most exciting day for Democrats in Nebraska that I can remember.  We registered 4,000 new Democratic voters in Douglas County alone.”

Surveying the crowds that overflowed precinct meeting rooms at Lincoln High School, Mayor Chris Beutler said the turnout and enthusiasm has “just been overwhelming.”

Hundreds of caucus participants at the high school registered as voters for the first time or changed their party affiliation at the site.

“If this registration phenomenon plays out, this definitely has been a party-building night,” Beutler said.  The mayor endorsed Obama last week and will have a seat at the convention.

Some 10,700 Democrats participated in Lancaster County caucuses, according to County Chairwoman Becki Gaston. An estimated 1,500 were new Democratic registrants.

Precinct caucuses scheduled in the Lincoln High School cafeteria spilled across the hall into the school’s media center, where Democrats met in front of computer tables and in the midst of library books.

The caucuses were noisy, energetic, chaotic and highly participatory.

After standing and pledging allegiance to the American flag, the caucus-goers in Precinct 9D1 were led through the process by Brennan Miller, who stood on a chair and shouted over the din of competing caucuses in the media center.

When it came time for those from 9D1, a precinct stretching from A to South streets and from 27th to 33rd, to signify their presidential preferences, Obama supporters were asked to congregate near the door to Room 100B while Clinton’s supporters headed in the opposite direction.

A hand count gave Obama 50 votes and Clinton 18. 

Earlier, in the cafeteria, Mary E. Brown, 74, said she would vote for Clinton because of her record in protecting children’s health.

Glenn Shriner, 32, said he had a hard time choosing, but he’d vote for Clinton because of  her support for medical reform.

His wife, Crystal, 31, liked Clinton for a number of reasons, including “because she’s a woman.”

Paul McFarland, 48, said he’s an Obama man.

“The GOP has their sights set on Hillary,” he said. “Obama is the best choice for us to win in Nebraska.”

David Obrecht, 25, said he’d vote for Obama.

“I think he has a good message as far as having a new direction for the country,”  he said. “And, in my opinion, we don’t need another Clinton in the White House.”

Gunter Voelker, 25, said Obama “actually represents fundamental, bottom-up change, both in principle and in politics.”

“Obama sets a higher bar for everyone,” Voelker said.

When the night was over, Obama campaign volunteers gathered at Cliff’s Lounge to celebrate their victory.

At Duggan’s Pub, Lancaster County Democrats celebrated a victory for their party.

“The caucuses were beyond success,” said Vic Covalt, chairman of the county’s caucuses. 

“We had done our work before, and we did it right. We organized. We had good people all over this town and county, and that’s what made the difference.”

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. Micah Mertes contributed to this story.