Washington's Caucus Shy Of 2008 Turnout Record



More than 230,000 Democrats turned out around Washington state Saturday to caucus for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Eight years ago, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama drew 246,000 Washington Democrats, about 14,000 more than Saturday’s contest.

Still, precincts from Seattle to Vancouver reported huge turnout at the caucus.

Jamal Raad, a spokesman for the Washington state Democratic Party, said visits from the candidates last week increased interest in the caucus.

"Washington doesn't usually get this much attention," he said. "Folks were happy that we were in a place in the calendar where a lot of attention was paid to Washington state."

Sanders and several members of the Clinton family spoke in Washington in the days leading up to the caucus.

Still, some in the party want to abandon the caucus in favor of a primary, because they say it could draw more voters. Primary backers also say it'd decrease costs.