Projo Politics Blog

BOSTON -- U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and Gov. Deval Patrick couldn't deliver their home state for Barack Obama as Massachusetts women voters helped propel Hillary Rodham Clinton to victory, while former Gov. Mitt Romney easily turned back Republican rival John McCain.

More women voted on the Democratic side on Super Tuesday, and six of every 10 of them sided with Clinton, whose husband counted Massachusetts among his best states in two presidential elections.

The endorsement from Kennedy -- and his son, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, and niece, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy Jr. -- had been heralded as a big boost for Obama.

Other members of the influential Kennedy clan, however, backed Clinton.

Clinton also relied on rank-and-file lawmakers, who cranked up their get-out-the-vote efforts for the New York senator to overcome Obama's headline-grabbing endorsements from Kennedy and Patrick.

Both Kennedy and Patrick downplayed Obama's loss, with the governor telling Obama supporters in Cambridge that "we picked up our share of delegates." Kennedy added: "I commend Sen. Clinton, but I'm also very excited about the growing momentum we've seen for the Obama campaign." U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts also endorsed Obama.

See what voters in southeastern Massachusetts told The Journal about their primary choices yesterday.

Turnout of more than 1.69 million people set a new primary election record, surpassing 1980 when more than 1.3 million people voted on a ballot that included Sen. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter on the Democratic side, and Republicans Ronald Reagan and George Bush. On Tuesday, more than 1.2 million Democrats voted, and more than 479,000 Republican ballots were cast.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney, criticized for treating Massachusetts as a stepping stone while governor, won his home state by finding favor with voters who support him on immigration and the economy, according to preliminary exit poll results conducted for The Associated Press.

-- Associated Press, with projo.com reports

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