That compares to 13 million who voted in the 2004 Democrat primaries Linked text,_2004. Actual voting figures on the Republican primaries are hard to get, but more people have voted in the Democrat primaries in many of the ‘red’ states (esp. in the Western states) than in the Republican primaries.

With that, there is a lot of interest among all demographics. 13,000 attended the Obama rally in Bloomington four days before the Indiana primary. OK, it’s a college town, but that’s a pretty sizeable chunk of the population. Also, African-Americans are turning out to vote in the remaining primaries in a way that probably doesn’t have precedent. It may be said that this would be inevitable given Obama’s candidacy, but it is far more true now than it was at the beginning of 2008.

The engagement is attributable to three things. First, the length of the campaign. Second, the fact that the closeness of it has meant going to all 50 states for maybe the first time ever, Third, the unique profile of the two candidates and the fact that they are both very, very interesting people, who both have clear weaknesses as well as obvious strengths.

The Democrats would argue that, if the two camps can somehow come together, they are looking well placed against what is currently a very damaged Republican party brand, and John McCain’s uncertainty about how far to distance himself from the Bush years while keeping the support of conservatives.

I’m not sure that Hillary (HRC) is being ignored, at least not by the cable news networks. Both CNN and FOX will give 6 hours + to the West Virginia primary tonight (Larry King Live is coming on at midnight) even though:

* The result is pretty much known, as West Virginia is the US’s poorest mostly white state, and hence a shoo-in for HRC;

* It has 28 delegates, so can’t affect the contest in any meaningful way (North Carolina had 112);

* It will almost certainly go to the Republicans in November, as guns, God and patriotism are big there.

The question of where those who have supported HRC through her campaign go after it is finally wrapped up is a very interesting one, indicating that it will definitely be female voters who will decide the presidency, being 54% of the population and not having an obvious preference towards the Republicans or the Obama-led Democrats.

HRC has attracted 16.6 million votes during the Democrat primaries so that is a pretty sizable chunk of voting support.

It is less the media that are causing her a slow death - the cable news network do great business out of these primaries with such two high profile candidates - than the slow leak of the so-called ’super-delegates’ to Obama, as they sniff the wind of where patronage and contact network may be in the Democratic Party in the near future.