Independents key to Democratic primary

[Jefferson23]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma has only 42 Democratic delegates at stake in its presidential primary election, but both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are bringing a strong ground and TV advertising game, with Sanders hoping to notch a Super Tuesday upset win in a state with deep populist roots.

Both campaigns also are targeting independent voters, who are eligible to vote in the state’s Democratic primary for the first time in modern history.

“We just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Russell Griffin, the new executive director of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. “Independents in this state are just a quirky bunch.”

Earlier this week, an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 7,000 thronged a Tulsa business hall for a Sanders rally and thousands more were turned away. Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton will make a second campaign stop in Oklahoma on Saturday for his wife — on the heels of his fundraising and get-out-the-vote appearance in Oklahoma City last Sunday.

Oklahoma is one of 12 states casting votes for party nominees on Super Tuesday, the biggest single-day delegate haul of the nomination contests, with 865 Democratic delegates up for grabs.

But it’s not a winner-take-all state, so its Democratic delegates to the national convention will be awarded to each candidate proportionally based on their results. Oklahoma also has four superdelegates, one of whom has publicly backed Clinton and another, former state Sen. Connie Johnson, who is actively campaigning for Sanders.

http://durantdemocrat.com/news/local-news-1/3739/independents-key-to-democratic-primary