Howard Dean’s success in Tuesday’s D.C. primary may make it harder for those who didn’t participate in the nonbinding contest to win next month’s citywide caucuses. And a doubling of voter turnout has city Democratic leaders wanting to draw attention to voting rights also touting a win.
D.C. Democrats said the door has been shut for the candidates who chose not to appear on the ballot but hoped to snare a few delegates at the Feb. 14 caucuses. Even though Tuesday’s election doesn’t officially count, city party officials may decide to support Mr. Dean following the will of the voters.
“It is going to be very difficult for candidates to come in and do political business [with local party leaders] us,” D.C. Democratic State Committee member A. Scott Bolden said.
Mr. Bolden said party officials are looking forward to hearing from the candidates who, he said, spurned the party by asking that their names be removed from the ballot in the protest election.
“It’s going to be fairly entertaining,” he said.
Five of the nine major candidates competing for the Democratic presidential nomination did not appear on the ballot yesterday. Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and John Edwards of North Carolina, plus Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri and Wesley Clark asked to be left off the ballot at the urging of the Democratic National Committee.
However, Mr. Bolden added that local party officials will listen to what candidates have to say.
Final results show Mr. Dean received 43 percent of the ballots cast, 17,736 out of 41,880, with a majority of support in nearly every ward in the city. The Rev. Al Sharpton garnered 34 percent of the votes, 14,248; former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois claimed third with 4,824; and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio fourth with 3,435 votes.
The Dean campaign said the former Vermont governor’s strong showing illustrates that his message appealed to black and white voters throughout the city, whose population is 60 percent black.
The District’s gamble to draw attention to voting rights also notched a victory Tuesday.
Results show the District doubled its normal turnout for presidential preference primaries with 16 percent of registered Democrats getting to the polls.
“The success of the primary showed that talk about the shortcomings of the primary device that might have suppressed turnout and interest in the primary didn’t discourage voters at all,” said Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s nonvoting representative in Congress.
She said the primary turnout “surpassed our best expectations.” Mrs. Norton had earlier said she would be content with a 5 percent turnout, discounting for weather problems and the newness of the early primary.
The delegate said she would work with elected and party officials and activists to hold a meeting shortly to discuss a series of next steps to build on the momentum of the voting-rights primary and to further elevate the voting-rights message.
Mr. Bolden said D.C. Democrats plan to be better organized and will try to make the District’s 2008 presidential primary the nation’s first binding contest.
Finishing with fewer than 3,500 votes behind Mr. Dean, the Sharpton campaign may get more bad news from primary night.
A photo on the front page of The Washington Times yesterday shows Mr. Sharpton, a resident of New York, clearly inside voting precinct 114 at Anacostia High School, a violation of election laws, said Benjamin F. Wilson, chairman of the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics.
“The only persons who shall be permitted to be present in polling or counting places are: Designated representatives of the board, police officers, duly qualified election watchers, persons actually engaged in voting, other persons authorized by the board,” says statute 708.3 of the D.C. Municipal regulations.
Mr. Wilson said the offense is punishable by a $500 fine or 30 days in jail. But, a board official said it is unlikely that any action will be taken.
Jim McElhatton contributed to this report.
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