Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: nathanbedford
It's also worth noting that Pennsylvania has a "closed" primary system, so independents weren't involved in the primary election anyway and therefore had less incentive to show up for the PA-12 election.

Did you know this. I didn't. Sure puts a different light on Tuesdays results in PA-12

15 posted on 05/20/2010 7:30:41 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (The problem with Socialism is eventually you run our of other peoples money. Lady Thatcher)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies ]


To: MNJohnnie
Did you know this. I didn't. Sure puts a different light on Tuesdays results in PA-12

It does, but it's also a good thing. Open primaries gave us John McCain.

Unfortunately, Critz is now the "incumbent" in November.

17 posted on 05/20/2010 7:40:42 AM PDT by Dan Nunn (Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise. -The Great One)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies ]

To: MNJohnnie
Johnnie:

In my reply number 47 also addressed to you, I tried to crunch some of the numbers. The source of those numbers I exerpt here from the original post

(http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2516748/posts?page=1#1):

"Indeed when all the votes were tallied, 80, 736 were cast in the Democrat primary and only 45, 852 in the GOP Primary. The results from the primary and general election for PA-12 appears below via Fox News:

U.S. House - District 12 - Democrat Primary: Critz, Mark: 57,704 Bucchianeri, Ryan: 16,618 Mackell, Ronald: 6,414 Total Votes Cast: 80,736

U.S. House - District 12 - Republican Primary

Burns , Tim GOP: 26,120 Russell , William GOP: 19,732 Total Votes Cast: 45,852

U.S. House - District 12 - Special General Critz, Mark: 70,662 Burns, Tim: 60,500 Agoris, Demo: 3142 Total Votes Cast: 134,304"

This is where I got the data from which to conclude that Critz got only 87.5% of the primary ballots cast for his general election but Burns got 133% of the Republican primary ballots cast in his general election. That means that Burns got a ton of independents and he got a ton of Democrats.

I think those numbers portend better for a national analysis than they do for a redo of the PA 12 election in November because if the Democrats across-the-board are slipping and Republicans are picking up the independents and many Democrats, there are a lot of districts which do not have a two to one Democrat advantage where Republicans will expect to win.

The unknowable is the degree to which there is real intensity on the Republican side. I am not comforted by the weak turnout by Republicans even though the Democrats alone had the seriously contested Senate race. This was the only real election and the Republicans should have shown a better turnout I think. That makes me question whether the intensity is as strong as we think.


21 posted on 05/20/2010 8:28:31 AM PDT by nathanbedford ("Attack, repeat, attack!" Bull Halsey)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson