Clinton Out Front in Early Virginia Caucus Returns

Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton jumped to an early lead in Virginia’s two-day Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday, capturing 52.6% of the delegates with about 60% of the vote tallied.

Uncommitted delegates won 32.5% of the vote, while former California Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. tallied 14.8%.

The early returns showed that Clinton’s strength was dispersed in several rural and suburban sections of the state, while Brown won in the state capital of Richmond and ran strong in the Virginia Beach area, Democratic activists said.

As is usually the case at caucuses, turnout was very low, party officials said.

The delegates selected at the caucuses, which conclude Monday, will go to state and congressional-district conventions that will ultimately pick Virginia’s 78 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July.

Chuck Dolan, Clinton’s state campaign coordinator, declared himself “very happy” with the size of the candidate’s early lead and predicted it would grow as returns came in from other parts of the state.