Weekend primary scramble getting attention, but less

Barack Obama packed in a Nebraska crowd of more than 10,000, Chelsea Clinton spoke up for her mom and Mike Huckabee laid out a full plate of Kansas events like he never heard the Republican race is supposed to be over.

So goes the effort to win four Democratic and three Republican presidential nomination contests on the weekend — a round getting less than the full treatment by the remaining hopefuls, but plenty of attention still.

Suspense drained from the Republican side when Mitt Romney suspended his campaign Thursday. That left John McCain the prohibitive favorite, Huckabee the long-shot and Ron Paul even more of an asterisk.

Nonetheless, voters in Washington state, Kansas and Louisiana take part in GOP contests Saturday that, absent an improbable insurgency against the one-time insurgent McCain, have become his virtual coronation.

There was plenty of drama for Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, competing for 161 delegates Saturday in Washington state, Louisiana, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands, followed by Maine caucuses with 24 delegates Sunday.

In strongly Republican and sparsely populated Nebraska, Obama spoke to the huge crowd at an Omaha arena Thursday, exhorting: "You're here because you don't want to just be against something. You want to be for something.

Chris Slaughter, 20, heard the speech and said: "He's a once-in-a-generation candidate."

Chelsea Clinton campaigned for her mother, taking questions for an hour from students in Lincoln. Many asked about Hillary Clinton's efforts to establish universal health care — her failure in the 1990s and her renewed plans now.

"It's not how people react when they succeed but how they react when they fail," said Chelsea. "She learned from that experience." Usually a quiet presence with her mother on the trail, she planned to meet students in Omaha on Friday.

Obama was the only candidate campaigning in all four states; Clinton planned stops in Washington and Maine.

Clinton and Obama both have an eye on the round that follows — the trio of races Tuesday in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia — and the New York senator in particular was gearing her campaign toward the high stakes primaries in Ohio and Texas on March 4.

Obama, an Illinois senator, has proved a strong performer in the complex logistics of caucuses and a candidate flush with money, two advantages going into the weekend. Clinton enjoyed several notable endorsements in Washington and Maine, and a strong organization.

Huckabee planned a swing across Kansas on Friday even as GOP stalwarts said it was time to close ranks and questions grew about how long the former Arkansas governor would stay in the hunt.

———

A look at the races:

WASHINGTON CAUCUSES:

The stakes: 78 Democratic delegates, 18 GOP delegates.

The campaign: Obama and Clinton were both stumping in the state, with the New York senator on the Seattle waterfront Thursday night and making appearances Friday and the Illinois senator rallying Friday at an arena in the shadow of the city's Space Needle. Across the Cascade Mountains, Obama's wife, Michelle, planned to campaign Friday in Spokane.

McCain planned an event Friday evening in Seattle and Huckabee's wife, Janet, was expected in the city's eastern suburbs Friday.

Lay of the land: Obama is thought to have an advantage in the caucuses, which are dominated by party activists. However, Washington has a strong history of electing women.

Both senators from the state are women and have endorsed Clinton. She mentions those endorsements in a new 30-second ad highlighting her plan for universal health coverage.

Polls done shortly before John Edwards dropped out indicated a tight race between Clinton and Obama, with Edwards a strong third. Since then, some of Edwards' strongest supporters have endorsed Obama.

Social conservatives have a history of packing the GOP caucuses, which could boost Huckabee. But with McCain now a shoo-in, some who would normally vote in the Republican race might be drawn to the higher-stakes Democratic contest. Washington voters don't register by party.

Political scientist Bryan Jones of the University of Washington says of the voters: "They're Obama-crazy here, even the Republicans."

———

LOUISIANA PRIMARIES:

The stakes: 56 Democratic delegates, 20 Republican delegates.

The campaign: Obama spoke Thursday to a crowd of some 4,000 in New Orleans. Bill Clinton was visiting the state Friday.

Lay of the land: A heavy turnout by black voters would benefit Obama. The state is close to one-third black and has only a small population of Hispanics, a group that has favored Clinton.

The 20 GOP delegates are only awarded if a candidate gets a majority of the votes, a prospect enhanced now that Romney has suspended his campaign.

———

NEBRASKA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES:

The stakes: 24 Democratic delegates.

The campaign: Obama was the only candidate visiting Nebraska. Michelle Obama was rallying for her husband Friday in Lincoln. Obama has run TV ads in Omaha and Lincoln, and a radio spot in rural areas.

Clinton introduced a 30-second ad that features a testimonial from former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey.

Lay of the land: The Clinton campaign claimed a strong grass-roots organization. Obama has been endorsed by state party leaders and lawmakers as well as by Sen. Ben Nelson, the only Democratic member of the state's congressional delegation.

———

KANSAS REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES:

The stakes: 36 Republican delegates.

The campaign: McCain planned to speak in Kansas City on Friday, en route to Seattle. Huckabee planned to campaign across the state Friday, with events in Olathe, Wichita, Topeka and Garden City.

Lay of the land: McCain was favored even before Romney's departure, but Huckabee also hoped to do well, on the strength of social conservatives. State party leaders had split endorsements between McCain and Romney.

The state's largest anti-abortion group endorsed Huckabee on Thursday.

———

MAINE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES:

The stakes: 24 Democratic delegates.

The campaign: Clinton planned to campaign at the University of Maine in Orono and Obama planned a rally in Bangor, both on Saturday. Bill Clinton was the advance man for his wife, rallying Thursday in Portland.

Lay of the land: Gov. John Baldacci is backing Clinton and led several dozen state lawmakers in a rally for her Thursday.

Clinton introduced a 30-second ad asserting: "I intend to be a president who stands up for all of you" after seven years with a president who stood up for "oil companies, the predatory student loan companies, the insurance companies and the drug companies."

———

VIRGIN ISLANDS DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES:

The stakes: 3 Democratic delegates.

The campaign: Alas, no fun in the sun for any candidate.

Lay of the land: In November, Obama attracted more than 100 supporters to a one-hour reception in St. Thomas that cost up to $2,300 to attend.

———

Associated Press writers Anna Jo Bratton in Omaha, Neb.; Paul Queary in Seattle; Brian Schwaner in New Orleans; Glenn Adams in Augusta, Maine; Chris Clark in Kansas City, Mo.; and Stephen Ohlemacher in Washington contributed to this report.

Bookmark/Search this post with: