Posted on 11/10/2006 9:51:00 AM PST by SmithL
California's Republican voters stayed home in droves on election day, as preliminary figures show voter turnout falling well below the state average in some of the most reliably GOP parts of the state.
Although the final totals won't be known for weeks, election day turnout in Fresno, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and SanDiego counties, which all have Republican pluralities, ran as much as 10 percentage points below the state's 44 percent average turnout.
"The turnout in Republican counties was low compared to the turnout in counties where Democrats hold the edge,'' said Patrick Dorinson, a spokesman for the state Republican Party. "The conservative Republican base didn't show up.''
Without that anticipated flood of votes from places such as Orange County and the Inland Empire, Tuesday was a long night for most of the statewide Republican candidates not named Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"It came as a surprise,'' admitted Stan Devereaux, a spokesman for Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, who lost the lieutenant governor's race to Democratic Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi. "We kept looking at the returns through the night and thought we had a chance, but when the returns (from Republican counties) came in, we didn't get the turnout we expected.''
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Certainly not true in OH, but we still got creamed.
"Certainly not true in OH..."
I have been reading both parties had good turnouts.
All I ever saw were Schwarzenegger ads in radio, TV, and print. Period. No support at all from the CA GOP for anyone else. None.
I hope those that stayed home didn't get too attached to that fence idea...
well, aint that just swell
Yah, I still need to see the final numbers. By 1:30, it looked like we were going to get close to 60%, or about 1.5% more than 2002.
Did ohio have a minimum wage amendment? Here in Missouri, we had one and the Demos were out in full farce, I mean force.
Um. maybe Republicans didn't come out because they didn't see a real Republican on the ballot???
I saw and heard plenty of McClintock ads. Not nearly as many as Garamendi. The CAGOP really dropped the ball with McClintock.
No excuse for all the Republicans who didn't show up, though. Probably could have pushed McClintock over the top.
Fug.
We have GOT to find new ways to reach people who do not vote. Turnout is pathetic for as important an election this was.
9-11 wasn't enough to wake people up.
I never saw any ads for McClintock through any elections, and we lived in CA until 2 months ago. I thought he was a great candidate when I read up on him myself.
If he wants to win (and be taken seriously??), he needs to get out of the state. GOP in CA is a joke: you are a moderate and/or willing to concede on party issues, or you receive no support from the party.
Even with a good turnout machine, only motivated voters vote.
This requires candidates on the ballot that motivate, backed by a credible party that walks its' talk.
You would think the possiblity of getting nuked by terrorists would motivate people.
Not true... Funny that that voter fraud from the voting machines got dropped like a hot potato..
Which of course means it must have been MASSIVE...
And the pubbie candidates really won in many races..
For sure non citizen legal and illegal aliens voted..
How many?... Indeed how many?..
They curse themselves and the rest of us with their stupidity.
"Funny that that voter fraud from the voting machines got dropped like a hot potato.."
Voting machines only work right when Dems get elected.
BS... blame the squishy moderate independents!
LLS
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