High anxiety
Clinton, Obama magnetize voters

Record caucus STAFF PHOTO BY DAN PARKER D.D. Shields, left, and Liz Pianta pose with their campaign signs to show their allegiances at the Democratic Party's precinct convention in the Civic Center on Tuesday, March 4. A record 153 attended the caucus after voting ended.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the economy, health care, immigration, race, gender and age combined to magnetize voters and send them to voting booths to state their preferences in Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday, March 4.

Early voting and election day ballots cast on Tuesday in Port Aransas, which is most of voting Precinct 19, resulted in what may be a record for a presidential primary election year.

Here, 32.04 percent, or 1,025 voters, cast ballots in early voting and on Tuesday.

That doesn't quite measure up to some heated municipal elections when up to 39% and more than 1,300 ballots were cast.

What was a record, according to City Secretary Esther Arzola, was the Democratic caucus held after voting ended Tuesday night. She said 153 attended the caucus held in the Civic Center.

GOP precinct chairman and election judge Vic Bird said his caucus was "average", with about eight voters attending in the city council chamber.

Precinct totals for individual races Nueces County were not available as of Wednesday morning, March 5.

However, out of 3,199 registered voters in Precinct 19, 509 cast early votes and 516 voted on Tuesday, for a grand total of 1,025 ballots cast.

Nueces County voters favored New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee for president by a margin of 65.61 percent over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama who garnered 33.19 percent of the vote.

GOP front-runner Arizona Sen. John McCain all but clinched his party's nomination, earning 63.44 percent of the Nueces County vote. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee pulled 28.05 percent of the vote.

A low profile race for the Democratic nomination for Nueces County sheriff saw Jesse Mark Flores best Vidal De la Cerda, 71.25 percent to 28.75 percent.

Incumbent Sheriff Jim Kaelin collected 80.08% of the Republican vote.

On the GOP side, Larry Kilgore's challenge to incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn fell short, with Cornyn capturing 73.55 percent of the vote to Kilgore's 26.45 percent.

Former District 32 State Rep. Todd Hunter, looking to get his old job back, ran unopposed on the Republican ticket and drew 77.16 percent of the voters to his cause.

The incumbent, Democrat Juan Garcia III, ran unopposed on the Democratic ballot and pulled 66.14% of the voters to his side.