John McCain and Hillary Clinton are likely to have won the most delegates in yesterday’s Super Tuesday presidential primary, but Utahns voted differently.
Republican Mitt Romney overwhelmingly beat McCain in the Utah Republican Party Primary, receiving about 90 percent of the vote and all of Utah’s 36 GOP delegates.
Romney, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was expected to win the state where most people share his LDS faith. He also is familiar with Utahns because of his work as CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
On the Democratic side, Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton with about 57 percent of the vote.
McCain swept the national Republican delegate race with 420 delegates compared to Romney’s 223, according to a projection from The Associated Press. Clinton led on the Democratic side with 395 delegates compared to Obama’s 357.
Utah joined 21 other states in holding presidential primary contests Tuesday. The contests determine how many delegate votes each candidate will receive at his or her party’s convention.
Students who gathered at the Hinckley Institute of Politics last night to watch election results pour in seemed to mostly back Obama and Romney. Many of the roughly 100 students cheered as news of the two candidates’ victories in different states was broadcast.
David Edwards, a junior in international studies, said he voted for Obama, but also likes Romney. He said Obama and Romney both seem highly intelligent and would be strong leaders.
“I’m happy with what Utah did — Utah did good,” he said.
Bryson Morgan, a recent U graduate and Hinckley Institute staffer, said Romney’s lead in Utah can be attributed to more than his LDS faith. Although Morgan voted for McCain, he said many Utahns like Romney because he successfully ran the 2002 Olympics following a scandal and shares their views.
“Romney in a way saved Utah from international embarrassment over the Olympics,” Morgan said.
Democratic students loudly cheered as they watched Obama end the night with a speech. Clinton’s address drew few cheers and a couple boos.
“I don’t hate Hillary, but I see Obama as a new style of leadership,” said Sean Tippetts, a senior political science major. “A Clinton nomination would be too polarizing. Too many people hate Hillary.”
Although Clinton won more delegates in Tuesday’s primary, Nate Keyvani, a senior political science major, said he thinks Obama will outlast Clinton.
“The longer this drags out, the more money he raises…and the momentum keeps growing,” he said.