Political rundown: Illinois state summary
February 5, 2008
Heading into Super Tuesday, races nationwide may appear indistinguishable as of yet, but Illinois’ race seems to have more clarity.
A poll conducted Jan. 29 to 31 by the Chicago Tribune and WGN-TV pegged senators Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) to win the state, with 55 and 43 percent of the vote, respectively, far outpacing their rivals.
Analyzing delegates, however, becomes slightly more complicated.
Democrats will award 153 total Illinois delegates Tuesday, with 32 more to be awarded at the state’s convention May 5.
Of the 153 delegates, 100 are awarded based on results in the state’s 19 Congressional districts; fifty-three are allocated based on the vote statewide.
On the Republican side, 57 total delegates are up for grabs. The delegates to the national convention are listed on the ballot along with their presidential preferences and are elected directly on Tuesday.
Thirteen additional unpledged Republican delegates are selected from the party leadership at a state convention June 7.
As of Monday, Senator Obama had 34 pledged delegates; Senator McCain had 89. Democratic challenger Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) had 21 pledged delegates.
On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had 27 and seven pledged delegates, respectively.