Posted on 08/04/2004 2:05:17 AM PDT by BulletBobCo
CHARLEVOIX, Michigan (AP) -- John Ramsey came up short Tuesday in his bid for a state House seat after a campaign shadowed by the unsolved murder of his daughter, JonBenet.
Ramsey placed second among six candidates for the Republican nomination in the largely rural district in northern Michigan. He had 4,684 votes, or 24 percent, trailing attorney Kevin Elsenheimer by about 500 votes. Elsenheimer had 27 percent of the vote.
A cloud of suspicion has hung over Ramsey and his wife since the 1996 slaying of 6-year-old JonBenet, but no one has ever been charged. The district attorney and a federal judge in Colorado have said it is likelier that an intruder was responsible, as the parents insist.
Ramsey did not shy away from the JonBenet issue on the campaign trail, and the notoriety of the case helped give him nearly 100 percent name recognition in the district. Ramsey's presence also transformed the campaign into a high-profile race.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
interesting
I really thought that he would win.
He will be in New York for the convention as a delegate.
He shouldn't be a delegate after allowing such a tortured existence for his daughter in that grotesque "living doll" fantasy. It's unlikely a stranger was the murder. Let us all thank our lucky stars he didn't win the nomination. I'm sickened that he did so well. Ugh.
I'm somewhat surprised that he lost. Was in Charlevoix this past weekend, and there were a lot of Ramsey yard signs. We have friends who know them well (and are very active in the community) and they say they've had a lot of support in that area....obviously not enough.
It just shows not everyone is so quick to elect a murderer to political office.
Sounds as if he could use a little pick-me-up.
Where was the trial and who was he convicted of killing?
You know, the concept of innocent until proven guilty exists only inside the walls of a courtroom.
As far as I am concerned, John and Patsy Ramsey are directly responsible for the murder of their daughter, Jon Benet.
Period.
I would like to see your evidence. From what I know you could have killed her.
In real life we use evidence, not lifestyles.
Of course the Ramsey's killer her - Geraldo told everyone.
I'm not surprised, especially with knowing how many North Michigan natives think. My family has a cottage in Grayling just south of the district, and my uncle has a cottage near Waters, and my aunt lives in Boyne Falls, both near the district. There are a lot of 'family-centered' small town politics that goes on, and if popular locals running, they are the favorites.
Ramsey wasn't from the area. A vacation home doesn't really count. If there wasn't a 6 man primary, I'd expect this to be a blowout because of Otsego and Cheboygan Counties. Small town politics still dominates.
Ramsey was popular in Charlevoix but didn't run away with the county like he needed to in order to win. Elsenheimer broke 1000 votes in Charlevoix. He's from Antrim county just to the South, and most likely took the Boyne Falls area off of US 131. Elsenheimer lost part of Antrim to Ramsey, mostly likely the Lake Michigan Coast where there are more vacation homes. Eastern Antrim/Charlevoix are more upcountry and Western Charlevoix has a lot of vacation homes on Lake Michigan. There's been some tension there between the groups in the past and that may have played a role.
Ramsey was crushed in Otsego which I expected. That's all upcountry rural blue collar and middle class and he's not 'one of them'. Many retirees there are also blue collar middle class. Most of the vote there was split between Ryan and Garfield who are homers, but Elsenheimer did well there getting almost 1000 votes(Elmira would be my guess). I'm suprised Ramsey did as well as he did in Cheyboygan, but no one really took a strong vote there - Elsenheimer won there closely with about 750.
Elsenheimer won by about 550 votes and that upcountry Cheboygan and Otsego vote was the major difference in this race.
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.