Anti-McCain GOP Primary Vote Not Unprecedented

By Kleinheider Posted on May 7, 2008 at 12:53 pm

The Ground Game argues that the substantial vote against John McCain in the recent primary contests in PA, IN and NC are not demonstrably different from George W. Bush’s performance after he had clinched the nomination in 2000:

[A]re his primary results really that different compared to what George W. Bush received after effectively wrapping up the nomination against McCain in 2000? Bush was considered extremely well-liked by the party’s base, and was the frontrunner going back at least till 1999, up through when McCain officially withdrew on March 9, 2000.

So, what happened in the primaries after that? Results from the Associated Press show that Bush’s numbers in 2000 are largely comparable to McCain’s in 2008. For example, even in the June 6th South Dakota primary, Bush fails to cross the 80 percent threshold. In fact, Bush rarely crossed the 80 percent threshold despite having effectively wrapped up the nomination after Super Tuesday.

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Tags: McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul  

Ron Paul And Mike Huckabee Combine For 27% In Pennsylvania

By Kleinheider Posted on April 23, 2008 at 10:02 am

R. Neal points out some interesting results yesterday from the Republican primary in Pennsylvania:

McCain won with 73% of the vote. Ron Paul Ron Paul Ron Paul got 16%, followed by Chucklebee at 11%.

73% doesn’t seem like a very strong showing by the presumptive nominee and savior of the Bush GOP legacy against two guys who already dropped out.

It sounds like a third party Ron Paul Ron Paul Ron Paul/Mike Huckabee ticket is just what the GOP disaffected need. Democrats would be happy with that scenario, too.

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Tags: 27%, 73%, Mike Huckabee, Pennsylvania, Republican Primary, Ron Paul  

Ron Paul’s Trojan Horses

By Kleinheider Posted on April 22, 2008 at 8:07 am

Patrick Ruffini discusses the affect that Ron Paul supporters efforts to elect delegates at various GOP state conventions could have:

Short term, county convention delegates elect state convention delegates. In many cases, the state conventions elect delegates to the national convention. The end result could be a lot of Ron Paul people sitting on the floor in St. Paul, pledged to vote for John McCain but free agents otherwise.

Little will be decided by the delegates. Outwardly, their goal is to get Paul a speaking slot, which I imagine he’ll get, at 8:05 p.m. on Tuesday night.

But by far the biggest impact delegates can have is through floor demonstrations. In some ways, their reactions to the speeches set the tone for the convention, amplifying messages from the stage. Remember how Pat Buchanan enraptured the floor at the 1992 convention but lost the country? Or how the Texas delegates turned their backs on gay Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe in 2000? Now, imagine, Paul loyalists get 20-30% of the seats on the floor in St. Paul, controlling delegations like Missouri, with a significant presence in Minnesota, with closest promixity to the stage. Can the speakers safely voice a pro-victory message in Iraq without a significant amount of boos and catcalls? How will this look on television? And don’t forget, national conventions are also heaven for reporters trolling for off-message quotes from delegates.

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Tags: Republican National Convention, Ron Paul  

Same Place Pat Buchanan’s $12 Million In Federal Matching Funds Went In 2000

By Kleinheider Posted on at 6:59 am

Mr. Turnbow wants to know what Ron Paul did with all that cheddar he famously raised during the GOP Primary season:

Politico is reporting that he’s running an ad in Philadelphia right now. But where did he go after he raised over $20 million back in the winter? I never saw one ad on the Huntsville, Tupelo, Nashville, Memphis and Jackson TV stations. What did he do with all that money?

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Tags: $20 million, political entrepreneurs, Ron Paul  

Presidential Campaigns Make Strange Bedfellows

By Kleinheider Posted on April 18, 2008 at 6:30 am

The Wall Street Journal reports on the endless campaign season and its affect on endless love:

Jesse Benton, 30, had a serious girlfriend in Washington when he signed up to be communications director for Texas Rep. Ron Paul. That quickly ended when she complained about his being on the road so much, he says.

Several months later Mr. Benton was spotted kissing Mr. Paul’s granddaughter and fellow campaign staffer, Valori Pyeatt, 22, in a hallway of the Des Moines Marriott. “It’s uncentering to have no real routine, but it’s also liberating. It lets your passions out,” says Mr. Benton, who is now engaged to Ms. Pyeatt. The two plan to marry in Texas in August.

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Tags: Presidential campaigns, Romance, Ron Paul, social conservatism