USA: Three days before Iowa voting, three Democratic presidential hopefuls are running neck to neck to neck in a too-close-to-call race

Record ID: 345986

  • Title: USA: Three days before Iowa voting, three Democratic presidential hopefuls are running neck to neck to neck in a too-close-to-call race
  • Date: 1st January 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON SAYING: "We just want to say thank you. Thank you for all the wonderful hospitality. The people in Iowa have opened their hearts and their homes and this has been the most extraordinary experience. We have got two full days until Thursday comes, and then Iowans are going to pick the next president, and I am excited and energised by that." SUPPORTERS LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON SAYING: "I feel really good about what is going to happen Thursday night in the caucuses. But I feel good about it because of all of you. So, have a great time tonight, and then let's get everybody back to work and get everybody to come out to the caucuses Thursday night. Thank you and God bless you." CLINTON ON STAGE (BN07) PERRY, IOWA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 31, 2007) (REUTERS) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SENATOR BARACK OBAMA ARRIVING AT A RALLY AND BEING GREETED BY SUPPORTERS WIDE SHOT OBAMA AT RALLY SUPPORTERS LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SENATOR BARACK OBAMA SAYING: "And all across Iowa, I've talked to people, patriots all, who wonder how our reputation in the world has declined so badly, so quickly." OBAMA TALKING AT RALLY (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SENATOR BARACK OBAMA SAYING: "And I promise you: we will just not win this caucus, we will win this election. We will remake this country. We will repair this nation and we will repair the world. We can change it, if you will stand with me on January 3RD and caucus for me. We can change the world. Thank you, Perry. I appreciate you. Let's go do it. Thank you." OBAMA ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 16th January 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8368F1C6LC2CUH2WHIHN2DNBL
  • Story Text: The Democratic candidates for the U.S. presidency honed their closing messages and traded jabs over their records in Iowa on Monday (December 31), three days before the state opens the presidential nominating battle in a too-close-to-call race.
    Polls show tight races in both parties in Iowa, which kicks off the state-by-state battle to choose candidates in the November presidential election.
    A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll gave Hillary Clinton, seeking to be the first woman U.S. president, a four-point lead among Democrats over former North Carolina senator John Edwards and Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who were tied for second.
    A separate Des Moines Register poll found Obama was the choice of 32 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers, up from 28 percent in late November, while Clinton held steady at 25 percent and Edwards was virtually unchanged at 24 percent.
    The Democratic caucuses -- in which people gather in locations around the state to publicly declare support for their choices -- begin at 6:30 p.m.
    CST/0030 GMT on Thursday (January 3) and Republicans start 30 minutes later.
    Results begin appearing within a few hours.
    All of the top Democrats argued they would be the most electable in the November 2008 election, and targeted undecided voters as they geared up mammoth operations to get out the vote on Thursday.

    "If you will stand with me on January 3 and caucus with me, we can change the world," Obama told a crowd in Perry in central Iowa.
    Clinton told supporters, "Have a great time tonight, and then let's get everybody back to work and get everybody to come out to the caucuses Thursday night."

    "We're not going to have an auction in Iowa, we're going to have an election. We're gonna decide who the best candidate is, not who the person is who can raise the most money," said Edwards.
    Polls showed many Iowans in both parties were undecided or open to changing their minds. A Democratic caucus rule allowing supporters of candidates who fail to gather 15 percent of support in a given precinct to switch to another candidate increased the uncertainty.
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