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Race For The Presidency
Winning the 2008 Nomination
By Rhodes Cook |
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It has taken a decade, but much of the rest of the country has finally joined Delaware in holding their primary or caucus in early February. Even when held on an early date, previous Delaware primaries have had little influence on the presidential nominating process. But in 2008, the Feb. 5 voting at least has the chance to nudge along the presidential ambitions of Delaware's senior senator, Joe Biden.
Only registered Democrats and Republicans may participate in their party's primary. As of September 2007, there were 562,920 registered voters in Delaware—249,716 Democrats, 178,081 Republicans, and 135,123 others.
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DEMOCRATS |
REPUBLICANS |
| THE CALENDAR |
Primary Date
(polling hours) |
Feb. 5
(7 a.m.-8 p.m.) |
Feb. 5
(7 a.m.-8 p.m.) |
| Filing Deadline
| Dec. 10, 2007 |
Dec. 10, 2007 |
| Filing Procedure |
Candidates gain access to the primary ballot by qualifying for matching federal funds or submitting petitions to the state election commissioner signed by 500 registered voters of their party. |
| THE DELEGATES |
| Number (% of national total) |
23 (0.5%) |
18 (0.8%) |
| Distribution: |
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By district |
10 |
3 |
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At-Large |
3 |
12 |
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Pledged PEOs |
2 |
— |
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RNC members |
— |
3 |
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Superdelegates |
8 |
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| Method of Allocation |
Proportional—15% of vote needed to win a share of statewide or district delegates. |
Winner-take-all—statewide winner takes all the at-large and district delegates. |
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