Classes were held at McKenna Theatre all day, but on the evening of Super Tuesday, the theater transformed into a place where SF State students and professors gathered to discuss the history-making primary election.

About a hundred people came in and out of the theater throughout the event, which took place from 6 to 10 p.m. The CNN coverage was the backdrop of the event as the discussions took place. Three SF State political science professors sat on a panel to make sense of the election coverage.

“Sixty-four percent of females in Georgia support Obama — this was not predicted. There are some indications from figures that Obama is doing better than expected and broadening his support,” said David Tabb, a political science professor at SF State.

The event was the only of its kind on campus, where students could come from on-campus voting booths and others from around the Bay Area to watch the coverage as Super Tuesday came to a close.

As states' polls closed and winners were announced, professors were there to provide immediate feedback. When Obama was announced the winner of Connecticut, the news surprised a lot of the public.

“It surprising because Connecticut is so close to New York, and Clinton was expected to take many of the
New England states,” Tabb said.

The voting population was discussed as well. Many ethnic groups did not vote in a way projected for them, Tabb noted.

“The mayor of Los Angeles, who is a powerful voice for the Latino community, endorsed Clinton, “ he said.

Obama’s voting bloc was examined as well.

“Obama is receiving the youth, white, and Latino vote. For example, Obama won North Dakota, which has the fewest percentage of African-Americans,” Tabb said.

The well-known race between a woman and a black male was not the only history-making aspect of this race.

“History is not in favor of senators running for office,” said political science Professor Francis Neely.

“There are other aspects of history here. There is an assumption that senators have a bad reputation [in voting]. This may go in Obama’s favor, though, as this means there is less to attack him on,” said political science professor Graeme Boushey.

The evening discussion ran well after the West Coast primaries were closed, which allowed for hours of debate to reach a conclusion and permitting the panel to see the final projections.

“But it isn’t just about who won and who lost. It’s about what happens in between,” Boushey said.