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Feb 20, 2008 3:40 pm US/Central
Texas Delegate System Favors Urban Districts
AUSTIN (AP) ―
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Presidential hopefuls Sens. Hillary Clinton (l) and Barack Obama.
AP, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Texas uses a system of awarding Democratic delegates based on a region's voter turnout history.
According to the Associated Press, that means presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have to concentrate on where they win votes, not just how many.
After ten straight losses to Obama, Clinton has acknowledged that Texas is a make-or-break state for her campaign.
AP reports Obama could fare well in urban state senate districts in Houston, Dallas and Austin, which get more delegates because of higher voter-turnout numbers in past elections.
Those districts also have large numbers of black and young voters.
Democratic strategist Ed Martin calls it "campaigning with a calculator."
Texas has a hybrid system -- part primary, part caucus -- that awards 228 delegates in all.
A total of 126 delegates will be decided through primary voting March 4th in 31 state senate districts. About half the districts have four delegates each, and others range from a low of two or a high of eight delegates.
Delegates are also awarded based on a candidate's percentage of the vote, so some districts may split their prize between Obama and Clinton.
Clinton and Obama will debate Thursday in Austin.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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