http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/swingstates/ en-us Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:54:24 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372488/posts Former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee is deploying his grass-roots activists and raising money for the campaigns of conservative candidates in states that are key to a 2012 presidential run. The effort is run by Huck PAC, the former governor’s political action committee, which has 6,000 members spread across all 50 states, 46 of which have volunteer state coordinators. POLITICO.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372488/posts#comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:54:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369757/posts It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that after controlling the state for years, the Ohio GOP got slaughtered in 2006 and again in 2008. In addition to losing the state's top offices, the party lost a U.S. Senator, four U.S. House seats and its majority in the Ohio House of Representatives over the past four years. But timing is everything in politics, and Ohio once again looks like a barnburner in next year's midterm elections. Real Clear Politics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2369757/posts#comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:56:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365005/posts WASHINGTON -- As conspiracy theories go, this one met the legacy test: Skeptics remained convinced that ACORN, the community organizing group, tried to steal Ohio's 2008 election, even though authorities declared the election clean. So be forewarned, because what follows reawakens old suspicions -- and Republicans say there's a good reason. In a nutshell: ACORN, under attack for other misdeeds, plotted privately to help elect liberal congressional candidates in several 2008 Ohio races, a previously undisclosed ACORN political plan shows. This is the first time that ACORN, formally called the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, has been linked... cleveland.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365005/posts#comment Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:02:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301352/posts NEW WATERFORD, Ohio – If Ohio is the nation's political weather vane (and you can make a good case that it is), then a two-election trend toward Democrats may be over. “The problems for Ohio are all created in Washington,” says Bill Watkins, owner of The Original Mario’s pizza shop on East Main Street here. “Bailouts, stimulus money, cap-and-trade have only hurt our economy, not enhanced it.” Earlier this month, President Obama and his policies took a hit in the Buckeye State. A Quinnipiac University poll showed the president’s job-approval rating dropped from 62 percent to 49 percent, and Ohio's... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301352/posts#comment Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:12:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296908/posts Voting rate dips as older whites stay home About 63.6 percent of the nation's eligible voters cast ballots in November WASHINGTON - For all the attention generated by Barack Obama's candidacy, the share of eligible voters who actually cast ballots in November declined for the first time in a dozen years. The reason: Older whites with little interest in backing either Barack Obama or John McCain stayed home. Census figures released Monday show about 63.6 percent of the nation's eligible voters, or 131.1 million people, voted last November. Although that represented an increase of 5 million voters — virtually all... APReport http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296908/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:43:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2288387/posts A new Public Policy Polling survey looking at how likely voters for this fall’s election view Barack Obama finds his approval rating at just 48%, with 46% disapproving. Obama’s reviews are highly polarized with 95% of Democrats but only 9% of Republicans giving him good marks. His overall numbers are weak due to poor numbers among independents- 52% of them say they disapprove of Obama’s performance with only 38% giving him favorable ones. Patriot Room http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2288387/posts#comment Wed, 8 Jul 2009 22:21:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2104710/posts Teenager: I Registered To Vote 73 Times Ohio ACORN Lands In Hot Water POSTED: 3:01 pm EDT October 13, 2008 UPDATED: 3:31 pm EDT October 13, 2008 A Cleveland teenager who claims he registered to vote 73 times over a five-month period has set of alarm bells among election officials in Ohio's most populous county. The bipartisan Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland voted unanimously Monday to ask Prosecutor Bill Mason to investigate multiple registrations by four people, including 19-year-old Freddie Johnson. All four said they signed forms at the behest of a community organizing group, the Association of... WNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2104710/posts#comment Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:47:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2207176/posts DOWNTOWN - Thousands of people filled Fountain Square this afternoon for the Cincinnati Tea Party, a grassroots-effort designed to show their disapproval for bailouts and the massive federal stimulus plan. People wore Revolution-era costumes and raised anti-bailout signs with messages like “Give us Liberty, not debt” and “No more bailouts.” cincinnati.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2207176/posts#comment Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:12:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2191575/posts (CNN) – It's no coincidence President Obama has traveled to key swing states to push his massive stimulus measure, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Sunday. Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Obama's recent travel is an indication that the new president is already running for reelection. "He's going to those places for a reason," Barbour said on CNN's State of the Union. "I mean David Axelrod, who's his campaign consultant/manager/guru really is one of the brightest, most capable people in American politics. And so this is what we've become accustomed to, the perpetual campaign." In the... CNN Political Ticker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2191575/posts#comment Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:00:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159229/posts ST. LOUIS -- A voter registration recruiter working for the group ACORN has been indicted on two felony counts of voter registration fraud. Deidra Humphrey, 44, of East St. Louis, is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in St. Louis this week after a federal grand jury indicted her on the charges Dec. 31, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Humphrey is accused of submitting forged and false voter registration cards for the November general election, including forging cards for nursing home residents, U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said Monday. St. Louis Post Disgrace http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159229/posts#comment Mon, 5 Jan 2009 22:55:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156073/posts Cincinnati (AP) - A Connecticut man has admitted that he did not live in Ohio when he cast an early ballot for the presidential election in Cincinnati. Kevin Duffy, of Manchester, Conn., pleaded guilty in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court on Monday to attempted false voter registration. The 24-year-old's attorney says Duffy got "caught up" in the excitement of the election while visiting his sister in Cincinnati. He cast his ballot Oct. 4 during a weeklong period during which new voters could register and immediately cast a ballot. Duffy later told county elections officials not to count his vote. He... WTNH Television http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156073/posts#comment Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:04:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2143613/posts A Democratic juggernaut of local and regional organizations that blast Republicans and promote Democrats using money donated by hundreds of millionaires and even billionaires was a key to President-elect Barack Obama's win over GOP candidate Sen. John McCain last month. And a new report warns the same attack strategy now is being implemented in states, targeting especially the offices of secretary of state, where elections are managed WorldNet Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2143613/posts#comment Fri, 5 Dec 2008 20:32:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135588/posts MIAMI (AP) — More Floridians voted for John McCain than Barack Obama on Election Day, but the Democrat sealed his victory in the state by winning more early and absentee votes. An Associated Press study of 94 percent of the state's total shows that the Republican beat Obama by almost 5 percentage points on Nov. 4, but Obama trumped McCain by 11 percentage points in early and absentee balloting. Overall, Obama beat McCain 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent in Florida, becoming only the third Democrat in 11 presidential elections to carry the state. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2135588/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:30:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134803/posts It looks like John McCain has won Missouri — the last state not marked in either red or blue on the electoral map. The Missouri secretary of state’s office said Tuesday night the Arizona Republican led President-elect Barack Obama by 4,355 votes out of 2,923,496 cast. Assuming the state certifies the count, it will place the overall electoral vote at 365 for Obama and 173 for McCain. The office said 3,159 provisional ballots remained to be added to those totals, but even if Obama won them all, McCain had a big enough margin to win the state’s 11 electoral votes.... The Kansas City Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134803/posts#comment Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:50:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134902/posts Updated: 11/19/08 03:20 PM McCain wins Missouri in close race against Obama The Associated Press Republican John McCain has defeated President-elect Barack Obama in Missouri - the last state to be decided in the 2008 presidential election. McCain's narrow victory over Obama breaks a bellwether streak in which Missourians had picked the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1956. With all jurisdictions reporting complete but unofficial results, McCain led Obama by 3,632 votes Wednesday out of more than 2.9 million cast - a margin of 0.12 percentage points. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134902/posts#comment Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:32:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130450/posts Gov. Ted Strickland placed the director of the state Department of Job and Family Services on paid leave yesterday for possibly using a state computer and e-mail account for political fundraising. E-mails obtained by The Dispatch show that Helen Jones-Kelley's account was used to assist the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama in raising money. Strickland asked Inspector General Thomas P. Charles to investigate the "unconfirmed" matter, and the governor named Jan Allen, secretary of his cabinet, as acting director of the department. The state e-mails show that Jones-Kelley provided the Obama campaign with the names of 17 potential Dayton-area... Columbus Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130450/posts#comment Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:09:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129736/posts Missouri is the one state that has yet to award its electors, but the likelihood is that those 11 electors will be awarded to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., thus eroding the state's "bellwether" status. Since 1904, Missouri has voted with the winner in every presidential election except for one. On election night, the Missouri Secretary of State's office recorded a 5,868 vote edge for the Republicans -- 1,442,673 votes for the McCain-Palin ticket, 1,436,814 for Obama-Biden. In other words, McCain 49.4%, Obama 49.2%. The state was not called, however, because uncounted were 7,085 provisional ballots -- cast by folks whose... ABC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129736/posts#comment Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:54:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129430/posts Barack Obama carried Colorado on Tuesday with ease. So did Mark Udall, the Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of a Republican. The state's senior senator, Ken Salazar, is a Democrat, as is Gov. Bill Ritter. A Democrat, Betsy Markey, ousted a Republican incumbent in the 4th Congressional District, giving Colorado's congressional delegation a lopsided 7-2 Democratic edge. Six years ago, Republicans were ahead by the same margin. So Colorado has changed from red to blue, right? Wrong, the state's leading Democrats say. "We're not red, we're not blue," Ritter told a morning-after news... Colorado Springs Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2129430/posts#comment Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:19:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2128266/posts The Midwestern state is still "undecided", and is still, even three days later, too close to call. And Missourians have reason to take their time. They have long had the reputation of being a bellwether state, and have voted for the winning candidate in every Presidential election since 1904, barring 1956. But this time, it looks as though they have got it wrong. Mr McCain currently leads Mr Obama in the count by 49.5 per cent to 49.3 per cent, or by 1,442,673 to 1,436,184 — a margin of just 6,489 votes. Although all balloted votes have been counted, however,... The London Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2128266/posts#comment Sat, 8 Nov 2008 00:25:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2128259/posts President-elect Barack Obama was Friday declared the winner of North Carolina, three days after the US elections, making him the first Democrat to take the state since 1976, media said. Obama's triumph over Republican John McCain in the southern state adds another 15 electoral college votes bringing his total to 364, with 270 were needed to win the election. The results from Missouri, however, are still not declared with the two candidates running a neck-and-neck race with only a few thousand votes separating them, with McCain narrowly in the lead. Missouri has 11 electoral votes. Independent tracking website RealClearPolitics.com said... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2128259/posts#comment Sat, 8 Nov 2008 00:17:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2125933/posts Hallelujah! No more political ads! By Peter Mucha Inquirer Staff Writer Joy is spreading through the land, as America wakes up and realizes ... No more political ads! It's one issue on which everyone agrees. Hurrah! It's back to being bombarded by brainwashing about osteoporosis and acid reflux, super-tough trucks and insurance ducks, wrinkle removers and cleavage enhancing undergarments. AFLAC! "Dear Lord, it's the greatest thing in America!" said Joe Evers, 54, the prothonotary of Philadelphia, waiting by a car outside City Hall this morning. "Does anybody say anything nice?" Now he can go back to rolling his eyes over... Philly.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2125933/posts#comment Wed, 5 Nov 2008 15:29:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126086/posts Everybody knows Barack Obama will be the next president, but it might be a week before they find out whether he won one of five electoral votes from Nebraska. Republican John McCain had a 569-vote lead over Obama in the state's 2nd Congressional District early Wednesday. The number of votes it takes to force a recount is based on a formula that takes 1 percent of the top vote-getter. If the tally stands, a recount would occur if the final margin is less than about 1,260 votes, because McCain had 126,303 votes. KETV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2126086/posts#comment Wed, 5 Nov 2008 17:31:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2125666/posts WASHINGTON (AP) — Another state that hasn't voted for a Democrat for president in quite a while has done so this time. The last time Indiana voted for a Democrat for president was when Lyndon Johnson was elected in 1964. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2125666/posts#comment Wed, 5 Nov 2008 09:24:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2125621/posts Colorado, once a reliably red state, swung blue tonight as voters chose Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president, Mark Udall for the state's open Senate seat and a host of Democrats for Congress. GOP Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave was unseated by Democratic challenger Betsy Markey after an intense campaign full of attack ads, topping off a landslide victory for Democrats. Celebrating at the downtown Sheraton Hotel in Denver, cheering Democrats grew louder and louder as election results rolled in. The crowd erupted into a frenzy that lasted for several minutes following CNN's pronouncement that Obama won the election. "Obama! Obama! Obama!"... Denver Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2125621/posts#comment Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:44:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2125603/posts What has happened to America? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2125603/posts#comment Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:16:58 GMT