ELECTION AFTERMATH: Republican voters didn't show up at the polls

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 11/10/6 | John Wildermuth

[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.''

[rottndog]

I live in Loretta Sanchez' district. Was I discouraged, yes. Did I vote, Hell yes.

No excuse for passing up a chance to voice your opinion through voting. Those that stayed home need to keep their mouths shut and not complain about the results.

[Antoninus]

And what we got was a result of the stay at home voters. So quit complaining already.

If the party does nothing to motivate voters to come out and vote--and indeed, actively slaps you in the face by telling you your issues either aren't important or are wrong--whose fault is it, really, if the base doesn't show up?

This isn't rocket science. If the politicians and party hacks are perceived as not representing their constituents, they'll lose every time. And they should.

[mike_9958]

I'll buy that the pubs got out to vote but I think voters saw Republicans as "weak". They got stomped on by Democrats and let them do it for years.

They chicken out on judges, drilling, budgets, etc. Dewine here in Ohio got killed partially because he was part of the seven Republicans that brokered that dumb deal with dems on judges. Our other senator, Voinovich, will lose as well probably for crying about Bolton on the senate floor.

They got voted in because we wanted change from Dems. They had an opportunity and blew it.... and I waited half my life for that ??? When is that opportunity going to present it itself again ? .... when Republicans own all three branches of government.... another 40 years....crap

[Jim Robinson]

Why would they not at least come out and vote for McClintock? That makes no sense to me whatsoever.

And I'm serious. Those who sat out the elections should not complain about the results. They got what they wanted.

[SirLinksalot]

I'd really like to find out :

1) What the turnout was of Republicans compared to Democrats was in 2006. We've been assured by the Rove GOTV machine that it would be as large if not larger than 2004. It didn't seem to look that way.

2) If the turnout as large for both parties ( as it seems so ), how many cross-voters were there ? In other words, how many the Dems voters voted GOP and how many of the GOP voters voted Dem ? I suspect the later was larger than the former.

3) Independents are 26% of the general electorate. How many of these voted Democrat ? THIS IS THE DECIDING AND SIGNIFICANT FACTOR.

And WHAT ISSUES motivated Independents to move towards the Dems ?

By looking at these factors, we can probably better assess what went wrong. You won't know where you're going unless you know where you're coming from.

[mike_9958]

Dewine in Ohio shoulda took the hint two years when his kid lost the Republican primary to Jean Schmidt.

[mike_9958]

It's pretty simple.

If you don't work you get fired.....

We saw it '94 when the Dems got the boot.

[SmithL]

Those who sat out the elections should not complain about the results. They got what they wanted.

Or, they got what they deserved. And the rest of us get to live with it.

[SlightOfTongue]

Wait 'til the RATS expose themselves for what they truly stand for (and it isn't America) in these next couple of years.

I suspect they'll be a MASSIVE EPIDEMIC of not only 'voter's remorse', but also 'non-voters' remorse'.

Wait 'til the early pullout in Iraq leads to the reprocussions of limp-wristed tactics against the WOT come to rear their ugly heads. Not to mention the loss of momentum in the whole middle east.

The RATS had better enjoy their tenure of House control. It may be short-lived.

[Antoninus]

Why would they not at least come out and vote for McClintock? That makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Because it's a lot harder to motivate people to come out and vote specifically for the down-ticket people. Arnold won with Democrat votes, not Republican votes. Conservative republicans seem to be generally disgusted with the party. That seems to be the over-riding theme of the past election. The GOP was fired for not doing their job, or doing it poorly.

And I'm serious. Those who sat out the elections should not complain about the results. They got what they wanted.

Truth be told, Democrat rule is not what they wanted. But they refused to reward failure and were not motivated by fear as the GOP seemed to hope. That may not be my mindset, but I know a lot of people who think that way. In my case, I ended up voting third-party here in NJ in the Senate race. After the Christie Whitman debacle, I'll never vote for another pro-abort/pro-homo Republican. We didn't even have a Republican running for Congress in my district, so I just did a write-in. All the local offices, I voted straight GOP--where they bothered to field a candidate.

[ElkGroveDan]

We sure have some silly voters. They complain about the GOP all year long, sit out the election, and then will be complaining for the next two years about losing.

See post 40. I really don't hold it against them. I talk to these smart successful guys at my church or who live on my street and they are like deer in headlights on all things political. I still believe it's up to us (candidates, consultants and activists) to whittle it all down to a simple exciting message and Reaganesque appealing candidates.

[marajade]

How much did McClintock lose by?

[marajade]

Talent lost because he got four percent less of Republican voters than he did before.

[Churchillspirit]

You would think the possibility of getting nuked by terrorists would motivate people.

You would, wouldn't you.

[Jim Robinson]

Well they certainly did not reward failure in allowing the Democrats to strengthen their socialist/homosexualist choke hold on California. The Democrats are definitely not failures in that department.

Motivation? LOL.

[marajade]

They don't have to cave now.

[marajade]

"The California GOP needs to dump Arnold, lose the executive office...."

With a strong state house and senate just what do you think would happen to the budget with a Democrat in the executive office?

[who_would_fardels_bear]

"for as important an election this was"

A midterm choice between tweedledum and tweedledumber does not an important election make.

[marajade]

Don't you all get it? Even the Republicans in CA are moderately liberal.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

The CAGOP was All-Arnold, All-The-Time. With "oh, by the way, vote for the other Republicans too" as an afterthought. Or worse.

The California Republican Assembly did everything possible to get Conservatives into office.

Arnold did everything possible to keep himself in office, at the expense of grabbing all face time he could have helped bring in on his very large coattails, had he so deigned.

Just watch for when Ted Kennedy starts beating the drum again to amend the Constitution to allow foreign-born persons to be president. Arnold is a megalomaniac.