Big Mo Continues for Obama Beyond Super Tuesday

Obama fans in Barrow, Alaska, northernmost point in U.S.

Obama won 13 states out of 22 that held Dem contests on Super Tuesday, and had healthy margins in other states that will earn him delegates. His victories were in Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota , Missouri, North Dakota, Utah. He may still pull out a win in New Mexico, as well. Click for CNN New Mexico results. Click for CNN Super Tuesday results (all states).

Clinton's performance was flat in that she won no states that were unexpected, and she lost in a few -- like Missouri and Connecticut -- where she had maintained huge leads only weeks before the primaries. She prevailed in eight states and one territory: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and American Samoa.

Up until a few weeks ago, Hillary was expected to dominate the Super Tuesday states to such an extent that she would drive Obama from the race. His big mo after South Carolina has clearly changed the trajectory of the quest for the Dem nomination.

The final numbers in the February 5th contest for delegates are not yet available. Delegate allocation is a tricky business. According to a late-nite prediction on MSNBC, however, Obama may have a total of 841 delegates versus Clinton's 837 (plus or minus 10 delegates) once the numbers are crunched from Super Tuesday. It may or may not be accurate.

These totals don't include the super delegates, who are Dem elected officials or other Party insiders and who can vote for whomever they choose at the convention. I don't believe Clinton's numbers include delegates from her dubious wins in Florida and Michigan -- states that bucked DNC rules by moving up their primaries. The DNC has ruled that the pledged delegates from those two states will not be counted in the delegate seating at the Party's August convention.

What Next?
In the next four contests, Obama is favored in all but Maine:

February 9: Louisiana primary; Nebraska and Washington caucuses
February 10: Maine caucuses
February 12: DC, Maryland, Virginia (Potomac Tuesday)
February 19: Hawaii, Wisconsin

Next up are states where Clinton again becomes competitive, and the campaigning should be intense, especially in delegate-rich Ohio and Texas:

March 4: Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont

Booman Tribune has put together a useful analysis explaining why the BooMan thinks Obama has the upper hand in these states and beyond.

Campaign Money
Obama raised $32 million in January alone, compared to about $13.5 million for Hillary, and the majority of his new and small donors are nowhere near their contribution limits. Many of Hillary's donors aren't able to donate any more, having reached their primary contribution caps, so it's a good bet that Obama will outraise Clinton again this month. Flush with cash, Obama will be able to devote more resources for organization and ads than Clinton in many places.