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.
Well nObama did give that speech imploring miniories, women, students and probably gays to mobilize. He purposely left out the hated white-man. I guess he effed up!
Let’s hope they don’t wake up until Nov 3.
Their other motto>
You may be an illegal alien, but you can still vote.
You may not exist, but you can still vote.
You may be a cat or dog, but you can still vote.
Yes, You Can, as long as you vote Dem and often.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further t.he brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence. Abe Lincoln
Which is to opposite this parasite is doing.
Libby
Hey now, Larry Harmon aka Bozo was a great American. He doesn’t deserve to be compared to that piece of crap.
Yeah, they don't ever "discover" any "misplaced" boxes of "previously unrecorded" ballots in primaries. They save that for the general.
I would also think that the truth would come out of his mouth once in a while.
No time to read this but how much of this is due to ACORN’s problems? Can’t organize and pay for “voters” as easily anymore?
It first is a primary and second an off year election. The majority of Democrats only show up every 4 years to vote the rest of the time they don’t vote.
Exactly who are the “RINOs” you are referring to that were recently nominated?
Coats.
Coats? You mean the Coats who acheived a 90 Rating from ACU?
Calling him a RINO is beyond ignorant.
How funny of you to say. You are in the huge minority on that one bub. Get with the program. Your blinders are telling.
In Ohio, where do I begin? The GOP is the little rat party,try looking into Ohio first,before comenting,OK?
So, Coats having an ACU rating of 90 makes him a RINO for Ohio.
If only I could manage having such a RINO senator in NYState! Heck, I would praise the Lord for someone with HALF that rating!
Oh...I thought the DEMOcrats fell off a cliff...oh well...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.