The final statistics
Here are the final numbers from this long campaign:
2,118 delegates needed for the Democratic nomination.
Barack Obama, 2,154 delegates, UNOFFICIAL NOMINEE, ACCORDING TO ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hillary Clinton, 1,919 delegates
Montana Primary
Democrats
Obama, 101,811 votes, 56 percent
Clinton, 74,550 votes, 41 percent
Republicans
John McCain, 72,134 votes, 76 percent
Ron Paul, 20,392 votes, 22 percent
South Dakota
Democrats
Clinton, 54,179 votes, 55 percent
Obama, 43,726 votes, 45 percent
Republicans
McCain, 70 percent
Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney, 30 percent combined
Once again, as we have seen in earlier contests, McCain doesn't get between 20-30 percent of the Republican vote, a bad portent if those voters sit out the election or cast their votes for Libertarian nominee Bob Barr.
Obama finished the primary season with a solid win in Montana, getting more votes than Clinton or McCain. I think of Obama as a runner who has won and lost some preliminary heats to a tough opponent, but in the end squeaked out an overall victory by a tenth of a second. Is it any less of a victory? Do we award the gold medal to his opponent because of those preliminary wins or because half the crowd wanted the opponent to win? Not in this universe.