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Uncertainty Shrouds Virginia's Democratic Presidential Primary

Ken Bredemeier

   Politics in the mid-AtlanticCoaststate of Virginiahaveturned toward
   moderate Democratsin recent yearsafter years of conservative Republican
   dominance. But how its Super Tuesday Democratic presidential
   primarywillplay out is at best a guessing game.

   Virginia is one of 14 U.S. states voting in Democratic presidential
   nominating contests March 3, when a third of all delegates to July's
   national convention will be picked in one day of balloting.

   Virginia, with 99 pledged delegates at stake, has the fourth-biggest
   haul of national delegates up for grabs after California with 415,
   Texas with 228 and North Carolina with 110.

   Ultimately, Democrats will pick a nominee to oppose Republican
   President Donald Trump in November's national election. The extent of
   Virginia's influence in selecting that nominee remains to be seen.

   Monmouth poll

   A mid-February poll by Monmouth University showed Vermont SenatorBernie
   Sanders, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Vice
   President Joe Biden locked in a tight race at the top in Virginia, with
   ex-South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg andSenators Amy Klobuchar
   of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts further back.

   But the survey was taken before Bloomberg's first national debate
   recently, in whichthe billionaire stumbled against other challengers
   after spending more than $400 million of his own money on national
   television ads to introduce himself to theAmericanelectorate. And it
   was before Sanders decisively won the Nevada caucuseslast Saturday,
   with Biden a distant second.

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