Published: February 06, 2008 01:10 pm            

Obama, McCain carry Effingham County

Effingham County primary election results in major races generally mirrored statewide numbers.

In the Democratic presidential primary, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama carried Effingham County over fellow U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodman Clinton, 1,889 votes to 1,299. Obama’s 55.33 percent total in Effingham County was somewhat below his statewide percentage of 65 percent.

Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, who dropped out of the race last week, placed a distant third with 200 votes, or 5.86 percent, while four other candidates on the ballot — all of whom have long quit the race — split the other 26 votes. Those candidates were New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich and U.S. Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Biden.

Obama won 32 of the county’s 37 precincts, losing only Liberty, Mason 1, Lucas and Watson 2. The two major contenders tied in West Township.

It was much the same in the Republican presidential primary, where U.S. Sen. John McCain carried the county in what was essentially a three-man race between McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

McCain polled 1,607 votes, or 39.1 percent, compared to 1,132 for Romney and 1,007 for Huckabee. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul was a distant fourth with 286 votes.

Five other candidates — former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, former Ambassador Alan Keyes, James Creighton Mitchell Jr., U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo and Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor — split the other 108 votes.

Effingham County also picked a winner in the GOP U.S. Senate primary, though winner Dr. Steve Sauerberg didn’t poll as well in the county as he did statewide. Sauerberg, a family practice physician, defeated freelance writer Andy Martin 1,335 to 1,227 in Effingham County, a spread of less than 4 percentage points.

Sauerberg trounced Martin statewide by more than 20 percentage points.

Mike Psak was a distant third, both in Effingham County and statewide.

Sauerberg will face U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in the general election. Durbin was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com.