Conversations on independent voters, African American voters, and independent African American voters

Obama has a significant edge with independent voters. While 37 percent would vote for him and 30 percent for McCain, in a Clinton-McCain match-up only 30 percent would vote for her and 36 percent for the Republican. (UPI)

North Carolina has a modified closed primary, meaning that Democrats and Republicans must vote based on their party affiliation, but unaffiliated voters are free to vote for any candidate. Nearly 12 percent of registered African Americans are unaffiliated, and they make up 11.5 percent of all independent voters in the state, according to the Board of Elections. (Greensboring quoting FactCheck.org)

Can Hillary Still Win the Nomination? One of the debates around our office these last two days has been whether it's still possible, as a practical matter, for Hillary to win. Or, more precisely, whether it's possible for the superdelegates to override the pledged delegates without provoking the kind of backlash that would doom Hillary. (The New Republic/The Stump)