What are the 54 contests Obama just referred to in his speech?
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occ (
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June 3rd, 2008
54 electoral contests – I count 50 states, plus DC and Puerto Rico. What are the other two primary contests?
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7 Answers
What he was referring to might have been the state that holds a primary and a caucus. That is how they roll in Texas. It is basically two separate elections. And Guam.
My wife and I were on the Obama website. There is a header labelled “States,” which list all fifty states and our other holdings. A total of 56 I believe. But, I’m tired, drinking a beer, and listening to Obama speak, and not going to look at the moment.
+ Guam, +US Virgin Islnads
He campaigned in 57 states and sat of out a couple…at least that’s what he said.
GD Kimble is right. 50 states + DC + PR + Guam + Virgin Islands = 54 contests.
Interesting note: PR, Guam and VI do not have any electoral votes in the general election (DC has 3). None of them have voting members of congress, though they all, including DC, have non-voting representatives (as does American Samoa) in the House.
Democrats also allocate some primary electoral votes to Democrats Abroad, who, as the name suggests, are United States citizens who are not living in the country.
There’s also the American Samoa primary, making for a total of 56 Democratic contests.
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