Florida Primary Shows Strength of GOP Turnout
The New York Times reports that the GOP in Florida had a much higher level of turnout in their primary than the Democrats did:
MIAMI — Beyond the win-loss results of Tuesday’s Florida primary — with Rick Scott seizing the Republican mantle for governor, and Kendrick Meek winning the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate — there lie more subtle signals of what to look for in November.
Turnout tells one potential story: Republicans, despite a 750, 000-voter disadvantage in registration compared to Democrats, brought far more people to the polls.
In all, 1.25 million Republicans cast ballots in the Republican Governor’s race, while fewer than 909,000 Democrats voted in the Democratic Senate primary — even though both races were heated and close in the final weeks. Marco Rubio alone, in beating two unknown challengers for the Republican nomination to the Senate, collected more votes than all the Democrats on the other side combined, suggesting that the party of Obama — without Obama on the ticket — faces an uphill battle when it comes to motivation.
“It’s formidable, it’s very formidable on the right of the Republican party,” said Daniel Smith, director of the political campaigning program at the University of Florida.
The Republicans in Florida now have candidates who appeal to an angry, frustrated electorate in a swing state that is still bouncing along the bottom economically. Both Mr. Rubio and Mr. Scott can cast themselves as outsiders; both have focused their campaigns on fiscal issues and jobs; both have name recognition that their opponents crave.
Democrats, on the other hand, face a complicated set of circumstances. Mr. Meek, a congressman from Miami, and Alex Sink, the Democratic nominee for governor, are already a part of government, which in a year of anti-incumbency makes them vulnerable to attack as “career politicians.”
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