2008 Indiana Primary

Guide Note

After long delays due to a slow count in Lake County, Hillary Clinton was declared the winner in the 2008 Indiana Primary.

The primary, held on May 6, 2008, was one of the last to be held in the 2008 schedule. A primary contest in North Carolina went ahead on the same day.

Several hours after polls closed, CBS projected that Hillary Rodham Clinton would be victorious in Indiana. However, other TV networks were more cautious, refusing to make projection about the outcome until more of the vote was in.

Votes cast in Lake County, which borders Obama's home state of Illinois, had not been tallied by 1 am ET. This stirred up some speculation about the vote's propriety. Officials in Lake County still had to count absentee ballots hours after other areas of the state had reported there own.

Initially, Indiana's contest was expected to have little significance since 50 other primaries, caucuses and conventions would be complete when it happened. However, given the long battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, it was seen as the most relevant primary the state has seen in over two decades.

After May 6, only six Democratic contests will remain: West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota.

Fast Facts

1. Scheduled for May 6, 2008
2. North Carolina primary scheduled for the same day
3. 85 Democratic delegates are up for grabs
4. 57 Republican delegates are at stake
5. John McCain has already secured the Republican nomination
6. As of late April 2008, Obama and Clinton were still competing for the Democratic nomination

Indiana is seen as a deeply conservative region and is firmly Republican in presidential elections. The electorate are conservative, mostly white and relatively poor. The average Indiana income is $36,500.

Ohio and Pennsylvania - places where Hillary gained victories - are seen as swing states in presidential elections. Indiana is not, so neither candidate can, if they win, claim they can snatch swing states in a presidential election.

Obama did not have a good time in the month before the Indiana primary. Obama's former pastor, Jerimiah Wright, continues to embarrass Obama in his public statements on race. In April, Obama held a press conference just to distance himself from the former pastor. Deeper in the background, is Obama's association with Tony Rezko who is on trial for corruption.

Barack Obama flew to Indiana to begin campaigning shortly after the results of the Pennsylvania primary were announced.

Indiana, is thought to be solid ground for Clinton - the electorate resembling that of Ohio and Pennsylvania. In the 2008 campaign, Clinton has shown she appeals to voters earning between $15,000 and $100,000 a year.

In April 2008, Clinton drank beer and a shot of whiskey for the cameras in Crown Point, Indiana. The move was interpreted by many as an appeal to her core constituency of blue collar voters in Indiana.

1. 85 Democratic delegates at stake
2. 57 Republican delegates available