LEAWOOD, Kan. - Freezing drizzle in this Kansas City suburb did not deter thousands of voters from waiting in long lines to attend a Democratic caucus in a middle school gym and choose between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The turnout was so much bigger than expected that overwhelmed caucus workers scrambled to make room, and predicted the process would run hours longer than planned. Polls in Kansas, a state where Obama has family ties, were expected to close at 9:30 p.m. Central time.
The line of independents and Republicans looking to register as Democrats was longer than Democratic line itself. Caucus organizers were having trouble figuring out how to count the thousands crammed into the gym and cafeteria.
Steve Gaffen, 56, of Leawood, Kan. said: “It is impressive to see how many independents and Republicans who were crossing over.”
Gaffen and his wife said they were backing Clinton because “she has more experience and hopefully can get the economy back in line.”
Front Row Washington
Tracking U.S. politics
Super Tuesday: Long lines in Kansas as Democrats energized
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