Election

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ― The nation's Super Tuesday balloting may not have settled any nominations, but it confirmed this: Minnesota voters are pumped for this presidential election.
  
Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney notched convincing wins in their party caucuses, but the extraordinary turnout is just as big a part of the Minnesota story.
  
Consider this: Hillary Clinton racked up more votes than people who caucused as Democrats in 2004 -- and she finished a distant second. Obama, who proved untouchable in caucus states, doubled her vote tally.
  
Democrats were on course for turnout above 200,000, nearly four times as high as the last presidential year.
  
With 81 percent of precincts reporting, Obama outpolled Clinton 2-to-1 among Democratic caucusgoers -- 135,179 votes for Obama compared with 64,567 for Clinton. On the Republican side, with almost 84 percent of precincts reporting, Romney led with 25,677, or more than 41 percent of the vote.
  
Exasperated party workers struggled to find enough chairs, ballots and, in some cases, space.
  
"It was very, very busy," said DFL activist Lucy Garrity, rolling her eyes. She took on the role of traffic cop as she guided first-timers at a suburban caucus site.
  
Republicans came out in smaller numbers, but still set a record for the party. With more votes still to be tallied, the GOP's turnout topped 60,000.
  
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie estimated that one in 10 eligible Minnesota voters participated in the caucuses, more than in some primary elections. He said turnout was strong statewide.
  
Obama capitalized on his appeal to younger voters, swamping Clinton in greater Minnesota counties that are home to the state's liberal arts colleges and universities. The same went for urban areas with the University of Minnesota and liberal arts colleges, including the Macalester College neighborhood where Drew Glesne cast his vote for Obama.
  
"I think his ideals fit a majority of America, and I think he'll be a very strong leader," Glesne said. "He has great morals, great character, and I have high hopes for him."
  
Bobby Mandell, 18, came out to support Obama even though he said his doctor had advised him to stay in after a weekend appendectomy.
  
"In the past, I've looked at the campaigns and it's been which candidate is going to hurt us the least," he said. "This debate, I really think it's which candidate is the best and that's how it should be."
  
But it wasn't entirely a youth movement for Obama.
  
Lisa Wolf, a 39-year-old rookie caucusgoer, weaved her way through jammed hallways at a suburban Minneapolis school to cast her vote for the Illinois senator.
  
"We need new blood. Enough with all-in-the-family administrations," she said of her vote. "I'm sick of the same-old, same-old."
  
Retiree Nancy Carroll balanced Wolf's vote with a succinct explanation for why Clinton was her choice: "Simple. Compare the resumes," she said of the New York senator and former first lady. "The presidency of the United States is not an entry-level position."
  
Clinton could still lay claim to a share of the state's 72 national convention delegates because they are awarded proportionally. There are another 16 separately chosen party and elected officials known as superdelegates, who are free to back any candidate at the convention.
  
About two dozen states held primaries or caucuses Tuesday for one or both parties. The Republican candidates battled over 1,023 delegates to the national convention; Democrats had 1,681 delegates to the national convention on the line.
  
Romney's victory in a non-binding straw poll guaranteed no delegates, but delivered critical support in his national struggle with Arizona Sen. John McCain.
  
All but three of Minnesota's 41 Republican delegates are chosen at congressional district conventions and the state convention in the spring.
  
In Mendota Heights, pediatrician Jennifer Gobel showed up to vote for Romney, favoring his approaches on the economy and national defense and his executive experience.
  
"We need somebody who knows what he's doing," she said.
  
With most precincts reporting, Romney had as many votes as McCain and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee combined. Texas Congressman Ron Paul registered in double digits but was headed for fourth place.
  
Jane Lao, a nurse from Eagan, threw her first-ever caucus vote to Huckabee, which she explained was as much a vote against Romney and McCain.
  
Lao said Huckabee's values struck a chord with her. "It sounds weird, but I just got a good feeling about him," she said.
  
The caucuses marked the official beginning of what is certain to be a hard fall fight for Minnesota's 10 electoral votes. Although Democrats have carried the state the last eight presidential elections -- dating to 1976 -- Republicans have put considerable effort into turning the tide in recent years.
  
Republicans will hold their nominating convention in St. Paul in September.

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