Elections 2008

The wins of both Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in yesterday’s Florida primary streamlined the Democratic and Republican playing fields.

Clinton was not actually awarded delegates as a result of her victory, because the Democratic party punished Florida for moving its primary earlier in the election season by stripping the state of its delegates.

But, Clinton’s win and Illinois senator Barack Obama’s second-place finish were enough to push John Edwards, former Democratic senator from North Carolina, out of the race.

Though there was never much doubt about where the serious competition would be, this new development should make Super Tuesday more exciting.

On the Republican side of Florida, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani came in third, a result which essentially ended his run for the White House and raised questions about his campaign strategy. Giuliani campaigned heavily in Florida and was banking on its 57 delegates to put him in a decent position in the Republican race.

In retrospect, basically ignoring the states with earlier primaries was probably not the best decision.

Florida narrowed the race in both parties. No matter what happens, Super Tuesday (Feb. 5) will be fascinating as we watch Clinton go head-to-head with Obama and as McCain competes with his closest competition, former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney.

- Tessa McClellan, Bruin contributor