Posted on 05/05/2010 12:33:50 PM PDT by pabianice
Turnout among Dem voters dropped precipitously in 3 statewide primaries on Tuesday, giving the party more evidence that their voters lack enthusiasm ahead of midterm elections.
In primaries in NC, IN and OH, Dems turned out at far lower rates than they have in previous comparable elections.
Just 663K OH voters cast ballots in the competitive primary between LG Lee Fisher (D) and Sec/State Jennifer Brunner (D). That number is lower than the 872K voters who turned out in '06, when neither Gov. Ted Strickland (D) nor Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) faced serious primary opponents.
Only 425K voters turned out to pick a nominee against Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC). The 14.4% turnout was smaller than the 444K voters -- or 18% of all registered Dem voters -- who turned out in '04, when Gov. Mike Easley (D) faced only a gadfly candidate in his bid to be renominated for a second term.
And in IN, just 204K Hoosiers voted for Dem House candidates, far fewer than the 357K who turned out in '02 and the 304K who turned out in '06.
By contrast, GOP turnout was up almost across the board. 373K people voted in Burr's uncompetitive primary, nearly 9% higher than the 343K who voted in the equally non-competitive primary in '04. Turnout in House races in IN rose 14.6% from '06, fueled by the competitive Senate primary, which attracted 550K voters. And 728K voters cast ballots for a GOP Sec/State nominee in Ohio, the highest-ranking statewide election with a primary; in '06, just 444K voters cast ballots in that race.
Top Dem strategists have promised to spend millions to get their voters to cast ballots, and polls show they will need to succeed in order to avoid an electoral beating. The latest weekly Gallup tracking survey shows 43% of GOPers are "very enthusiastic" about voting, while just 33% of Dems feel the same way.
But some Dems say they don't worry about low turnout in primaries at the moment.
"We had historic increases in registration in 2008 and we are working to turn out those first time voters again this fall, and we'll do so united behind our nominees -- which can't be said of Republicans," DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan said. "The real story in looking at motivation of the base from yesterday was a deeply divided Republican party that nominated deeply flawed candidates that overwhelming majorities of their own voters couldn't support."
Sevugan pointed to ex-Sen. Dan Coats (R), who won just 39% of the IN primary vote, and to Rep. Dan Burton (R), who held off 2 strong challengers to win renomination with just 30% of the vote, as evidence that the GOP coalition is fractured.
But Dems face problems in reuniting their base, too. Asked recently how much she would campaign for Fisher if she lost the primary, Brunner made a zero with her hands. NC Sec/State Elaine Marshall (D) and ex-state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D) will face off again in a June 22 runoff, sapping more of their already-limited treasuries.
About the only state the party doesn't have internal conflict at the moment is in IN, where Sen. Evan Bayh's (D) retirement means the party will hand-pick Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) later this month. But in search of party harmony, there is peril: Bayh's departure gives the GOP an excellent shot at winning the seat, and Ellsworth's candidacy means his own GOP-leaning district is up for grabs too.
Efforts are already underway to improve Dem turnout this fall. The DNC has promised $30M to be spent on GOTV operations run through Organizing for America, Pres. Obama's political wing. The group will emphasize voter turnout and persuasion, as well as personal interaction that DNC chair Tim Kaine recently told reporters is more effective than TV advertising.
-- Dan Roem, Jamie Shufflebarger and Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.
I don’t think we are jumping up and down about the results either. We just put some RINOs up for election AGAIN. Nothing to brag about.
It really is going to "unexpected", to see Hissy Pissy Chrissy on the night of November 2nd talking about how the "angry tea-partiers" were able to throw their temper tantrums with the democratic process.
Yep, watching Republicans implement the left’s agenda is always a favorite pass-time of mine. /s
Lee Fisher vs. Frau Brunner? That won’t even get them off the couch to turn off Judge Judy...
It is not yet November....the dead have not yet risen and prepared themselves to vote.
Just 663K OH voters cast ballots in the competitive primary between LG Lee Fisher (D) and Sec/State Jennifer Brunner (D).
And 728K voters cast ballots for a GOP Sec/State nominee in Ohio
hmmm...the SS race was the only contested race on my ballot.. interesting.
Heh heh he... excellent.
0bama will turn things around...just wait.
By contrast, GOP turnout was up almost across the board.
But wait! The DNC doesent think this is all bad!
"We had historic increases in registration in 2008 and we are working to turn out those first time voters again this fall, and we'll do so united behind our nominees -- which can't be said of Republicans," DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan said. "The real story in looking at motivation of the base from yesterday was a deeply divided Republican party that nominated deeply flawed candidates that overwhelming majorities of their own voters couldn't support."
Pravda would be proud! Such well written propobamizing ! Lipstick on a happy pig!
This article has been out all day, so gallup puts one out saying Republicans are falling off...
The were sitting at home waiting for their checks!!
Yeah, I can see another repetition of the “angry white males threw a temper tantrum” like they were saying in 1994.
nully’s November prediction:
The polling places will be empty.
The voter turn out will be HUGE.
On paper...
All I have to say is
Obama = Epic Fail, and November is coming...
Most of the Republican races were the old Soviet style election where you could select one from the list of one person running. Other than the issues and an occasional protest vote there wasn't much reason to vote.
Democrats are polling so miserably, they are considering rebranding as “The Communist Party”.
Couldn’t do any worse...
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