01/30/2008
In the largest primary held so far, Arizona Sen. John McCain won the Republican primary in Florida Jan. 29, securing 57 delegates in this winner-take-all state. He finished first with 36 percent, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 31, and former New York City Rudy Giuliani, who finished in third with 15 percent. Giuliani, who had centered his campaign around a Florida win, withdrew from the race and endorsed McCain.
On the Democratic side, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton secured 50 percent of the vote, followed by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with 33 percent, and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards with 14 percent. Edwards withdrew from the Democratic race the next day. The primary was essentially symbolic, as it did not award any delegates to the winners, because of Florida’s decision to move up the date in violation of the national Democratic Party’s rules. Clinton argued that she would make sure Florida was able to send a delegation and asserted that with her win, she had won more votes than all of her opponents combined.
The Democrats also held a primary in South Carolina Saturday, Jan. 26, where despite significant expenditures by Clinton and Edwards, Obama won the state with 55 percent. Republicans had held their South Carolina primary on Jan. 19, where McCain also won.
Despite McCain's and Clinton’s wins in Florida, they both face significant challenges as they head into Super Tuesday, where voters in 21 states will have the opportunity to select a nominee. Exit polls have all shown that the economy and jobs rank as top issues for voters in choosing a candidate. Recognizing this, the leading candidates have been focusing on health care and taxes.
With either party’s nomination yet to be decided--and one or both may remain up for grabs until possibly March--small business voters across the country have an opportunity to make a real impact on the election. Check out NFIB’s 2008 Presidential Election Center to learn about the candidates’ stances on small business issues and upcoming primaries in your state.
