Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton celebrated her victory on Tuesday night in a crowded ballroom in Davie, Fla. None of the Democratic candidates had actively campaigned in Florida.
With 95 percent of the vote counted, Mrs. Clinton, of New York, was running ahead of Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, 50 percent to 33 percent. Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina was third, with 14 percent.
None of the Democratic candidates campaigned actively here, fulfilling a pledge to the Democratic National Committee, which punished Florida Democrats for jumping the line by scheduling their primary before Feb. 5. But supporters of Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama worked hard to get their voters to the polls to make a symbolic show of strength.
Mrs. Clinton’s victory was expected and may have largely reflected her prominence on the national political scene for almost two decades. She did well among those who cast their votes early; among late deciders, Mr. Obama matched her almost one for one, according to exit polls conducted by Edison/Mitofsky.
Mrs. Clinton flew late Tuesday to Fort Lauderdale from Washington, and in nearby Davie she thanked more than 1,000 supporters in a banquet room for a “tremendous victory.” She was also seeking to reach Florida’s television audience, which did not see any of the Democratic candidates before the primary because they pledged not to campaign here.
“Thank you so much, oh my goodness, thank you,” she said to cheers. “You know, I could not come here to ask in person for your votes, but I’m here to thank you for your votes today.”
Mrs. Clinton noted the record turnout of Florida Democratic primary voters in her remarks, and promised that, despite the lack of a formal campaign here, “all of your voices will go with me” if she was elected president.
She told the audience that she would withdraw American troops from Iraq, improve relations with Central and South American nations, and “continue to support democracy in Cuba.”
She said that by waiting until the polls closed to land in Florida she was obeying party rules.
But some Obama supporters denounced Mrs. Clinton’s act as cynical and urged voters and journalists to dismiss Florida as a meaningless beauty contest.
“The bottom line is that Florida does not offer any delegates,” said Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic nominee for president. “It is not a legitimate race.”
Dyeimia Johnson, 26, of Lauderhill, Fla., a town northwest of Fort Lauderdale, said she was aware that, technically speaking, her vote did not count.
“I’m still a Democrat, and I believe in the visions of Barack and Hillary,” Ms. Johnson said, without revealing for whom she had voted. “So it’s my right as a citizen, and I’m here to express it.”
Mrs. Clinton had strong support among women, Hispanics, whites, older voters, early deciders and early voters in Florida. A majority of Democratic voters said she was the most qualified to be commander in chief, and a plurality said she was the most likely to unite the country.
Mr. Obama received the support of 7 in 10 black voters, but they made up less than 20 percent of the electorate. He did better among younger voters than older ones, but they did not support him as strongly as they had in earlier primaries, and he was unable to best Mrs. Clinton among them.
Mark Bubriski, communications director for the state Democratic Party, said the huge turnout showed the enthusiasm Democrats here had for the candidates and the prospect of reclaiming the White House after eight years of Mr. Bush.
“Florida is a microcosm of the nation,” he said. “On Feb. 5 we have the closest thing to a national primary we’ve ever had in the United States. This is the last opportunity for voters in any state to have their voices heard before the whole country votes.”
Mr. Bubriski said that he believed that ultimately Florida’s 210 delegates would be seated at the national convention this summer, but that it would be up to the national party’s credentials committee to determine how they would be allocated.
The party penalized Michigan, too, for voting before Feb. 5 by withholding its delegates. Mrs. Clinton “won” that race, on Jan. 15, but she was the only one of the major Democratic contenders whose name was on the ballot.
But no matter what happens at the convention, voters here on Tuesday were determined to make their choices felt.
Ruth Weiss, 80, a transplanted New Yorker who lives in Sunrise Lakes, said she cast her ballot for Senator Clinton. “It probably will count eventually, and this is an indication of who we think should be president,” she said of herself and her husband, Manny, who also voted for Mrs. Clinton.
William Perry, 77, of Lauderhill, called the state and national parties’ spat “stupid.”
“Why punish your own party?” he said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
He said he had been vacillating between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama but decided in the last two days to support Mr. Obama.
“What tipped me was the way Bill Clinton was going after him,” said Mr. Perry, a retired banker who is black. “That just put the icing on the cake for me. I think he did more damage than he did good. He should have let her run her own campaign.”
Ann
BEAUTIFUL, ALSO, ARE THE SOULS OF MY BLACK SISTERS 