The KOGO announcer said low turnout.
Is that good??? I mean it is a Republican County..
For the record, in 2004 there were about 275,000 votes cast for this Congressional race (Cunningham vs. Busby), but presumably the turnout will be lower in a special election, even when combined with the primary election.
Exactly. The Democrats just couldn't get their people to the polls or inspire more than a tiny shift of support from Independents and Republicans to the Democratic candidate despite spending enormous sums of money on GOTV and having the Duke Cunnningham fiasco gifted to them with a blue and pink ribbon on it.
One might respond that the Republicans didn't get very many of their voters out either. That would be missing the point. It is the Democrats who carry the burden of inspiring a broad-based change of opinion and support sufficient to give them control of Congress this year.
To take control this November, the Democrats have to expend enourmous energy rushing the net repeatedly to force the point to a win on each and every race. All the Republicans have to do is stand back at the baseline and hold serve.
It's hard to rush the net and pound out precise game-winners when you're fat and out of breath (that is, dragging along a lot of bored, lazy, and indifferent voters with you).