Stories by Mark Z. Barabak

September 5, 2008

McCain vows own kind of change

John McCain launched his final drive for the White House on Thursday night by stepping away from President Bush and toward the political center, vowing to forge a government focused on problem-solving rather than party labels.

August 28, 2008

Barack Obama's nomination is unanimous and historic

Barack Obama, riding a message of change, swept aside a Democratic dynasty and two centuries of history Wednesday to become the first African American to lead a major political party into the fall campaign for the White House.

March 5, 2008

Ohio, Texas wins boost Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton elbowed her way to victories Tuesday in Ohio and Texas, snapping Barack Obama's winning streak and resuscitating her flagging bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

March 6, 2008

Democrats brace for a long battle

With no end in sight, Democrats braced Wednesday for a prolonged and nasty fight for their party's presidential nomination as Barack Obama assailed his reinvigorated rival over taxes and, in a turnabout, her experience in foreign affairs.

March 12, 2008

Obama cruises to easy win in Mississippi primary

Barack Obama rolled up a commanding victory Tuesday in the Mississippi primary, padding his delegate lead and gaining a psychological boost ahead of next month's big Democratic showdown in Pennsylvania.

February 27, 2008

Clinton, Obama agree on changing trade pact

Toughening their stances as they appealed for votes in economically stricken Ohio, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that they would use the threat of opting out of the North American Free Trade Agreement to substantially renegotiate the treaty.

February 25, 2008

CAMPAIGN '08

They're Republican red, and true blue to Obama

Chatter bounces off the bare walls and checkered linoleum floor as Josh Pedaline and other Barack Obama supporters burn through their call sheets.

June 7, 2007

ON THE TRAIL

Obama's way is with words, not hugs

NORTH CONWAY, N.H. — A busload of reporters and TV cameras awaits Barack Obama as he steps forward, notes in hand, and begins speaking in his sonorous baritone.

January 9, 2008

CAMPAIGN '08

Fresh starts for Clinton, McCain in New Hampshire primary

Powered by women voters and the Democratic faithful, Hillary Rodham Clinton rallied to a surprise victory Tuesday in the New Hampshire presidential primary, echoing the 1992 comeback that launched her husband to the White House.

January 7, 2008

CAMPAIGN '08

Clintons fight for primary rebound

With their presidential hopes and political legacy on the line, Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband battled across New Hampshire on Sunday, fighting to become the comeback couple of the 2008 race.

January 31, 2008

Schwarzenegger likely to back McCain

In a marriage of political mavericks, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to endorse John McCain's presidential candidacy Thursday as the Arizona senator works to fasten his grip on the GOP nomination.

January 29, 2008

Competition fierce for zero delegates in Florida

A smiling Hillary Rodham Clinton waved from the front page of the Miami Herald on Monday after an evening of fundraising in Florida. The image of Barack Obama flickered on TV screens across the state, from the Panhandle to the high-rises lining South Florida's Biscayne Bay.

December 16, 2007

CAMPAIGN '08

Obama is hitting his stride in Iowa

It was an unusual question at the end of a long day. What, the fifth-grader asked Barack Obama, would you do as president if illegal immigrants staged a terrorist attack on the United States while you were pulling troops out of Iraq?

February 5, 2008

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Gaining delegates is Tuesday's goal

Today -- Super Tuesday -- residents in 24 states and American Samoa will vote in the largest single day of balloting in the history of presidential primaries.

July 12, 2007

COLUMN ONE

He helps give labor the edge

D. Taylor is anxious, pacing irritably as the rabble-rousing continues.

February 13, 2008

Obama, McCain sweep Potomac primaries

Barack Obama piled up three more commanding wins Tuesday -- in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia -- establishing the onetime underdog as the front-runner in the Democratic presidential race against Hillary Rodham Clinton.

January 27, 2008

Obama easily wins heated S.C. primary

Barack Obama romped to victory Saturday in the South Carolina Democratic primary, a landslide powered by African American voters energized by a chance to elect the nation's first black president.

November 15, 2007

Evangelical flocks on their own at the polls

A fundamental shift is transforming the religious right, long a force in presidential politics, as aging evangelical leaders split on the 2008 race and a new generation of pastors turns away from politics altogether.

December 30, 2007

CAMPAIGN '08

Pace quickens as candidates storm Iowa

With uncertainty the only sure thing, the fight for Iowa hurtled into its final stretch on Saturday amid a blizzard of TV ads, speeches, phone calls and door-knocking by a presidential field that, more than ever, has staked its hopes on this snowy state.

March 2, 2007

COLUMN ONE

It's his primary objective

Bill Gardner was at it again, mucking up Democrats' timetable for picking their presidential nominee by insisting on the date he wanted for New Hampshire's vote.

January 3, 2008

Q & A

Why Iowa? And what's a caucus, anyway?

Tonight about 200,000 Iowans will begin the process of selecting the presidential nominees. That number barely surpasses the population of Glendale, but the results will have an enormous effect.

January 31, 2008

Endorsements bring a new head of steam

John McCain sought to fasten his grip on the Republican presidential nomination Wed- nesday by securing high-profile endorsements from erstwhile rival Rudolph W. Giuliani and, in a reversal of his promised neutrality, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

September 2, 2007

Democrats vow to skip defiant states

The muddled 2008 presidential nomination calendar gained some clarity Saturday -- at least on the Democratic side -- as the party's major candidates agreed not to campaign in any state that defies party rules by voting earlier than allowed.

November 22, 2007

Nominations may be decided in one quick blitz

After months of suspense, New Hampshire on Wednesday scheduled its presidential primary for Jan. 8 -- the state's earliest date ever -- in a move that promises one of the swiftest nominating fights in campaign history.

September 7, 2007

COLUMN ONE

Iowa radio host is last word on politics

Jan Mickelson wouldn't budge. His friendly chat with Mitt Romney had veered into a discussion of abortion and Mormonism, and the Republican presidential hopeful -- eyes wide, arms waving -- was clearly annoyed.

November 30, 2007

A surprise turn in Iowa's Republican race

DES MOINES — With 34 days remaining, the Republican presidential race in Iowa has broken wide open, as Mike Huckabee surges into contention with the longtime front-runner, Mitt Romney.

March 2, 2007

COLUMN ONE

Holding New Hampshire's primary in place

Concord, N.H. — BILL Gardner was at it again, mucking up Democrats' timetable for picking their presidential nominee by insisting on the date he wanted for New Hampshire's vote.

11:38 AM PDT, October 1, 2004

THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Campaigns Rush to Apply Post-Debate Spin

The Republican and Democratic parties today put their best spin on Thursday's debate between President Bush and Senator John F. Kerry, perceiving the showdown as starkly different as the candidates' views over Iraq.

October 24, 2006

CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS

State's Democrats pin their hopes on Congress

OAKLAND — As a loyal Democrat, Joe Blakely had an easy time choosing sides in the governor's race. He backs Phil Angelides, even though he is convinced Arnold Schwarzenegger is destined for a second term.

July 30, 2006

THE NATION

Local Ethics, D.C. Ethics: Both Key to N. Mexico Race

ALBUQUERQUE -- Third in a series of occasional articles.

May 14, 2006

Iraq Is Political Fault Line in Contested N.M. District

Second in a series of occasional articles.

June 8, 2006

NEWS ANALYSIS

Angelides Goes From the Victor to the Underdog

As the new Democratic nominee for governor, state Treasurer Phil Angelides enters the fall campaign a decided underdog against Arnold Schwarzenegger, facing the weight of history and an audience already soured on him.

January 8, 2006

The Senate curse

LAST MONTH, as Congress rushed to quit for the year, members of the Senate faced a dilemma. A must-pass bill to fund the Iraq war was steaming toward final passage. Attached to it was an amendment to permit oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.