With the craziness of "Super Tuesday" behind them, local Republicans and Democrats had a chance this morning to think about what's ahead for their parties and their candidates.

Kings County, like the rest of California, voted for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama on the Democratic side and John McCain over Mitt Romney on the Republican side.

County Republicans were pretty much in line with Republicans nationwide. They voted Tuesday to give McCain a clear path to the nomination, although the willingness of Romney and Mike Huckabee to stay in the race shows strong ideological divisions that McCain will have to bridge.

"We need to study the candidates more," said Mary Jane Loya, a Hanford Republican and a supporter of Mike Huckabee.

Loya said she liked Huckabee's plan to abolish the IRS.

She described John McCain as "more liberal," saying that she'd like to see Huckabee as his running mate if he gets the nomination.

"(McCain) needs balance there," she said.

"I would like Romney to win, but I'll take McCain," said Jack Stone, a longtime Lemoore-area Republican.

Stone said it "scares me to death" to think of Clinton as president.

Of McCain, he said that Republicans should get behind him.

"Some people talk against him, but I think he's a pretty good guy," he said.

"I'm a little disappointed. I'm not a McCain fan," said David Vierra, a Hanford Republican.

Vierra supported Romney, hoping that he would do better.

Vierra said he would "absolutely" get behind McCain, but hoped that McCain would be "strongly pro-life."

Asked why Republicans voted for McCain, he said, "I think people are maybe fed up with the extremists of the right wing and tend more toward the middle."

"Right now, McCain is on the move," said Noah Lawson, a local Republican activist.

Lawson voted for Huckabee. He still thinks his candidate has loyal followers and an ability to influence the outcome.

Lawson said he would support McCain and not "walk out" of the convention if McCain ultimately wins the nomination.

Lawson was referring to suggestions by national talk show host Rush Limbaugh and other prominent conservatives that they would never back McCain, who many hardcore Republicans think is too moderate.

Among Kings County Democrats, reflections on Super Tuesday were focused on the fact that neither Obama nor Clinton gained an advantage.

Obama won more states, but Clinton racked up victories in the biggest states.

The result was a virtual draw in the delegate count because the Democratic Party apportions delegates according to the percentage of the vote that each candidate gets.

All signs point to a weekslong battle -- if not monthslong battle -- between Obama and Clinton over who can get the most delegates.

Longtime Hanford Democrat Simon Lakritz voted for Clinton.

"Obama talks about change, all right fine, yeah, but he really didn't identify the change," Lakritz said.

Mark Trezza, a Hanford Democrat who teaches political science at Fresno City College, called the continuing uncertainty "interesting and wonderful for my classes."

An Obama supporter, he thinks Obama has been gradually gaining momentum and may be poised to defeat Clinton in the weeks and months ahead.

"I may be wrong in that, but that's how I call it right now," Trezza said.

Trezza sees Obama as the more electable candidate. He cited the fact that Obama did better than Clinton in so-called red states that voted for George Bush in 2004.

Walter Johnson, another Hanford Democrat, said he thinks the Obama-Clinton battle is good for Democrats.

The fact that Clinton is a woman and Obama a black man is bringing out more voters, he said.

Johnson voted for Hillary "because of her experience."

He feels that matches her up against McCain better than Obama would.

"We need to have somebody who's very knowledgeable and very sharp to counteract McCain's experience," Johnson said.

But Democrats are split on that question.

Many feel that Clinton's baggage will weigh her down too much in the general election.

"There's so many people who just don't like Hillary Clinton," said Rozell Douglas, a Hanford Democrat who voted for Obama.

"I'm tired of seeing the Bushes and the Clintons go back and forth in the White House," he said.

"I would rather see somebody new."

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432

(Feb. 6, 2008)