Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 8, 1992 TAG: 9203080172
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press
DATELINE: COLUMBIA, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
Clinton added a bonus far from home with a caucus victory in Wyoming, his first victory outside his native South. Former California Gov. Jerry Brown ran a close second in Wyoming. Clinton and former Sen. Paul Tsongas were running almost even in partial results from Arizona Democratic caucuses.
With three-quarters of the Arizona results reported, Tsongas led with 32 percent to 31 percent for Clinton. Former California Gov. Jerry Brown was third, at 28 percent.
For Clinton, there was a promising Super Tuesday portent in his success with black voters in South Carolina. Seven of the primaries next week are in border and Southern states where the votes of blacks can be crucial.
Network interviews with voters leaving the South Carolina polls showed Clinton was favored by 75 percent of black voters, compared to just 3 percent for Tsongas.
In the South Carolina Democratic primary, with returns virtually complete, the vote was:
Clinton 71,887, or 63 percent.
Tsongas 21,172, 19 percent.
Harkin and Brown were getting about 6 percent apiece.
Clinton was winning 36 Democratic nominating delegates, Tsongas seven.
In Wyoming, Clinton won with 28 percent, Brown got 23, with 22 percent uncommitted, 14 percent for Harkin, 12 for Tsongas. That meant four nominating delegates for Clinton, three for Brown.
In the Republican primary in South Carolina, it was:
Bush 98,957, or 67 percent.
Patrick Buchanan 38,023, 26 percent.
David Duke 10,473, 7 percent.
Duke, in Plymouth, Mass., said his showing in South Carolina was "healthy and respectable."
Buchanan was silent, temporarily at least, fogged out of a campaign flight to Boston. His Southern campaign director, Brant Frost IV, claimed encouragement at his margin over Duke.
Bush won all 36 Republican National Convention delegates at stake in South Carolina. He telephoned his supporters in Columbia to thank them for "a magnificent victory."
In a statement Saturday night, Bush said: "We're 8 and 0 and headed for Super Tuesday." He was referring to his successes against Buchanan so far and to the 11 primaries and caucuses, most of them in the South, this week.
Bush supporters took heart that the president appeared on his way to defeating Buchanan by a larger margin than he had in New Hampshire or Georgia.
But the glow was dimmed somewhat because once again roughly one-third of the Republican voters rejected the president, this time by casting their ballots either for Buchanan or Duke.
According to results of an exit poll of voters conducted for the major television networks, Bush got about 65 percent of the Republican voters who classified themselves conservative, while Buchanan took 26 percent and Duke got the rest.
Resentment of Bush's breaking his 1988 campaign pledge not to impose new taxes was a major factor for Buchanan voters, the poll showed, while Duke voters were concerned by abuses of the welfare system.
Mainstream Republicans had been hoping South Carolinians would repudiate Duke decisively and rid their party of a major embarrassment.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB