DETROIT, Jan. 17 Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama might have won the Michigan primary if his name had been on the ballot Tuesday, exit polls suggested.
Among the Michigan Democratic primary returns, 40 percent of ballots were marked "non-committed," rather than for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton -- who was the only Democratic front-runner on the Michigan ballot because of a dispute over the state's primary date.
Exit polls indicated about 70 percent of the state's black voters who cast ballots for "uncommitted" overwhelmingly would have supported Obama, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported.
Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards took their names off the statewide ballot in October amid a dispute between the national Democratic Party and state party officials over moving the state's primary date.
"That made a lot of people angry," said Nate Moody of Grand Rapids, an Obama supporter who felt compelled to vote even though his first choice was off the ballot.
"People are interested in Obama and they are interested in what's going to happen with the Democratic Party," Moody said. "In my opinion, the country needs a change."
Copyright 2008 by UPI
