How did this “ground game” get republicans to show up at the polls, vote for Sandoval, and then vote for Reid?
If it was a ground-game problem, it would dampen republican turnout, but republican turnout seems to have been fine. It’s just that too many voters who were willing to vote republican for governor weren’t willing to vote for Angle.
And contrary to the claims that this was a “republican establishment” issues (which would show up as a large difference in the republican exit polling between sandoval and angle) the big chasm was independents (politically) and hispanics (racially).
Now, maybe in one sense this is a Sandoval problem. By running an hispanic for governor, it drove up the hispanic turnout. And while they were willing to vote for a republican that was one of their own, downticket they voted democrat, especially since Reid successfully sold Angle as a bigot/racist who was opposed to hispanics (made easier by her “you look asian to me” comment).
Interesting questions.
As in all campaigns, the variables that determine success OR failure are legion.