TIGHT PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RACES DRAW LARGE TURNOUT

By Chris Cook - Forks Forum editor

Clallam County political caucuses drew large numbers of party members to both the Democratic and Republican caucuses on Saturday afternoon.

Parking was hard to find at the Forks Middle School, where 89 party members gathered for the Democratic caucus.
The Republican caucus drew about 30 party members to the West End Sportsmen’s Club.

A report from Rod Fleck, who led the lengthy Democratic caucusing in Forks, showed 78 supported Barack Obama, 19 went for Hilary Clinton, one was undecided and one chose Dennis Kuchinich, who recently pulled out of the race. Fifteen of the 20 delegates from the Forks caucus went to Obama, and five went to Clinton from the ten precincts that met in Forks (Forks 1-5, Sun, Sappho, Quileute, Bogachiel, and Beaver). The landslide for Obama mirrored results announced in Seattle and elsewhere in the state.

Clinton backers cited the caucus system as favoring Obama in Washington state, saying when the rank and file of the party vote they will favor Clinton. 

The GOP results are to be announced by the county party officials. About 30 party members attended the Republican caucus. No official tallies were released at the meetings. At the Republican caucus at least one precinct went for Mike Huckabee, with support for John McCain also apparent, with some Ron Paul brochures being distributed. Final results will be posted here when available.

GOP party member Pete Haubrick of Forks, who works as a substitute teacher and with High Tide Seafood at the Quileute Marina at LaPush, sees the war on terror as continuing as the top issue in the upcoming presidential election. He said Mike Huckabee would make a good running mate for John McCain, who is likely to be the presidential nominee for the GOP.
Haubrick said the Forks region tends to be conservative, with even Democrats tending to be moderate, “like southern Democrats.”

When asked if the northern spotted owl controversy of the early 1990s divided the community politically, he said it instead brought both parties together in a common bond to fight for the future of the timber industry.

“It was an issue where people could come together for what’s right,” he said.

Marsha West, a retired public school teacher from Forks, attended the Democratic caucus, and backed candidate Obama. She recalled being excited about presidential politics when Bobby Kennedy was running in the late 1960s. Following his assassination she lost her fervor, she said, but has felt it come back with the rise of Obama in the current nomination contest. She called Obama a “transformational” candidate.

West said Obama is bringing in youthful voters, adding that her grandson was attending his first caucus ever in Seattle on Saturday.

Clinton supporter Debbie Preston of Forks, said the former first lady “knows her job,” and would be the best candidate for the Democratic Party in the long run. Lynne Murphy seconded Preston’s high opinion of Clinton.