Today's Election News Roundup

Last night, Illinois Senator Barack Obama became the first black man to lead a party ticket in a presidential election. After a surge of support from superelegates and wins in both Montana and South Dakota, Senator Obama surpassed the 2,118 delegates needed to secure the nomination.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton did not officially admit defeat last night. She contratulated Senator Obama on his campaign efforts stating, “Our party and our democracy are more vibrant as a result.”

Because Senator Obama lacked the name recognition of Senator Clinton, his campaign developed a specific strategy to target individual delegates rather than those representing large states. Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe remarked, “It's the big mystery of the campaign because every delegate counts."

Leaders within Senator Clinton’s campaign have begun expounding on the flaws that undid her candidacy. According to the Wall Street Journal, “She called the biggest plays, and she got them wrong.”

Clinton told Congressional allies last night that she would be willing to run as VP on Senator Obama's ticket. According to the Los Angeles Times, “The prospect of a ‘dream ticket,’ as some have labeled an Obama-Clinton pairing, has been touted by some Democratic leaders as a way to compensate for the weaknesses and exploit the strengths of both candidates.”

According to Real Clear Politics, Senator Clinton will likely be able to win the Vice Presidential nomination due to her deep ties in Washington. Many superdelegates are long-time Clinton supporters, and will work to get her name on the ballot. 

Arizona Senator John McCain is now able to focus his attention on Obama. His first strategy was to criticize the young Senator’s thin voting record. Less than two hours before Obama delivered his victory speech, Senator McCain said, “For all [Obama's] fine words and all his promise, he has never taken the hard but right course of risking his own interests for yours, of standing against the partisan rancor on his side to stand up for our country.”

The findingDulcinea 2008 Election Web Guide highlights the best online resources relating to the candidates and the election.

Project Vote Smart describes the process of nominating a presidential candidate, with concise descriptions of the convention, caucuses, primaries and the process of awarding delegates.

An overview of the role of delegates and superdelegates is presented by the Council on Foreign Relations. The Council also explains how delegates are selected and examines what may happen to the delegates from Florida and Michigan in the Democratic race.

Daily coverage of the 2008 Election is gathered from media sources across the political spectrum and presented by Real Clear Politics to provide up-to-the-minute coverage. The site publishes daily political transcripts, including addresses on the campaign trail and withdrawal speeches. It also constantly updates and compares polling reports from Rasmussen, Gallup, CNN, Pew Research, and other major media sources. Additionally, the site provides a 2008 Primary Delegate Count, which presents the delegate counts of each candidate.

NPR provides an interactive calendar of past and upcoming primaries. Headline stories that detail the events of the primaries and campaigns accompany the primary map. In addition, NPR hosts a “National Delegates Total,” with an ongoing count of delegates won by each candidate.

Minnesota Public Radio’s online “President Survey” matches the political convictions of respondents with the candidates’ policies in order to help voters make an informed choice come election day.

The New York Times publishes a constant stream of articles from the Associated Press. These concise AP stories cover new developments on the campaign trail.

As election momentum picks up, the Times of London offers British readers a glossary of campaign jargon that will be of use to many Americans as well.

Obama pulled ahead of Clinton in terms of campaign fundraising in January. OpenSecrets.org compares the total campaign donations for each candidate and looks into the war chests to see where the money comes from.