Support NeoGAF

[Dude Abides]

The Florida Republican Primary gets its own thread??!

Orders from management.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Newt has gone off his gourd to put out ads like that. There is no way that he endorses Mitt when he inevitably drops out, now.

 

[Dude Abides]

Will Newt really care about party pressure? It's not as if he's going to run for anything again. What does he have to lose by defying the party and taking it as far as he can?

 

[jamesinclair]

Newt has gone off his gourd to put out ads like that. There is no way that he endorses Mitt when he inevitably drops out, now.

I wouldnt put it pas newt to run as a 3rd party just to screw romney over.

"hey mitt boy, your millions cant buy you the presidency when Im in the way! ha ha ha!"

 

[Beer Monkey]

I wouldnt put it pas newt to run as a 3rd party just to screw romney over.

That would be way too good to be true.

 

[TheNatural]

A have a question: do any Democrats ever purposely register as Republican so they can vote in the primaries to sabotage the top candidate, or the one that presents the biggest challenge to their party?

Maybe silly, and I doubt any do it in substantial numbers, but nothing is technically stopping someone from doing it.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Correct me if I am wrong here, but I thought I heard/read somewhere that Florida's delegates don't even count because they moved up their primary?

Did I dream that?

 

[Brinbe]

Correct me if I am wrong here, but I thought I heard/read somewhere that Florida's delegates don't even count because they moved up their primary?

Did I dream that?

Think the RNC just voided their total available delegates in half to 50.

 

[ToxicAdam]

A have a question: do any Democrats ever purposely register as Republican so they can vote in the primaries to sabotage the top candidate, or the one that presents the biggest challenge to their party?

Maybe silly, and I doubt any do it in substantial numbers, but nothing is technically stopping someone from doing it.

In closed primaries I doubt it happens very much (if it all). In open primaries I would guess it's a pretty significant number.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Correct me if I am wrong here, but I thought I heard/read somewhere that Florida's delegates don't even count because they moved up their primary?

Did I dream that?

Read. The. OP.

 

[Jackson50]

In closed primaries I doubt it happens very much (if it all). In open primaries I would guess it's a pretty significant number.

Actually, crossover voting is rare irrespective of the primary's nature. Alvarez and Nagler have an informative exposition of the data.

Oh, boy. It had to be a Ron Paul supporter.

By Chris Moody | The Ticket – 5 hrs ago

WINDERMERE, Fla.--Next time, Eddie Dillard won't wear flip-flops.

Dillard, a 29-year-old Ron Paul supporter from this suburb near Orlando, arrived to vote at his precinct at Winderemere Baptist Church early Tuesday morning. Pulling into the parking lot, Dillard noticed a man outside the polling place with a Gingrich sign. He decided to run home, slip into his "Ron Paul Rocks America" T-shirt, grab a "Ron Paul 2012" sign from his garage, and return to give his candidate some representation outside the precinct after he cast his vote.

Dillard found a quiet spot along a sidewalk lined with tiny American flags and held up his sign. Little did he know, Newt Gingrich had chosen that very spot to make his first Primary Day campaign stop.

When Gingrich's bus pulled up, Dillard stood silently holding his sign and watched the news-media horde swamp the candidate. Gingrich stepped down from the bus and made a beeline for Dillard. He stopped in front of Dillard and his sign and parked himself for a round of handshaking and pictures with voters. The placement couldn't have been worse. There was Gingrich, standing with his wife Callista at their first event of the day, and a giant Ron Paul sign floated inches from their crowns.

Noticing the awkward optics, Gingrich aides and security personnel swarmed Dillard, trying to intimidate him into moving. One of Gingrich's security agents stepped in front of him. When Dillard didn't budge, the agent lifted his heeled shoe over Dillard's bare foot and dug the back of it into his skin, twisting it side-to-side like he was stomping out a cigarette. Shocked, Dillard kept his ground and took a picture of the agent with his phone, which was quickly knocked out of his hand. Dillard slipped off his flip-flop to pick up the phone with his foot, and a Gingrich supporter kicked the sandal away.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/...ich-security-harasses-ron-paul-165042767.html

 

[Oblivion]

Where the heck is everybody. The fun just started and Romney's off to a devastating start. He's beating Newt 49-29.

 

[benjipwns]

At 11%:

Mitt Romney
291,659 50.7%
—

Newt Gingrich
165,399 28.7
—

Rick Santorum
69,309 12.0
—

Ron Paul
38,667 6.7

Drudge's quote from the exit polls from earlier:

49% ROMNEY 33% GINGRICH 11% SANTORUM 6% PAUL...

 

[Phenomic]

Where the heck is everybody. The fun just started and Romney's off to a devastating start. He's beating Newt 49-29.

I'm surprised CNN hasn't called this race already for Romney. I didn't get out the vote this year, but obviously I think everyone in the state knew from exit poles that Romney was going to fly away with it.

 

[Technosteve]

you FLORDIDES BETTER VOTE NEWT OR NO NEW MOON BASES FOR US!

 

[Jackson50]

I'm surprised CNN hasn't called this race already for Romney. I didn't get out the vote this year, but obviously I think everyone in the state knew from exit poles that Romney was going to fly away with it.

They have to wait for the precincts in the Panhandle to close.

 

[Cyan]

Oh, boy. It had to be a Ron Paul supporter.

Check if the bruise on his foot is backwards.

 

[jamesinclair]

BREAKING NEWS

At 7:35pm, I hearby call the Florida race for Romney.

 

[thekad]

Tamron gotdam

 

[DECK'ARD]

The moonbase dream is over

 

[Evlar]

Still a huuuge regional split between Romney and Gingrich. So far Romney is winning most (all?) of the metro areas, but the rural redneck portions are breaking to Gingrich by big margins. Interested in which way Escambia breaks (metro and redneck).

 

[Brinbe]

Romney win time. And that regional/voter split will be interesting.

 

[The Chosen One]

Tamron gotdam

She can examine my exit poll any day.

 

[benjipwns]

44%, 8pm:

Mitt Romney
533,802 47.7%

Newt Gingrich
347,418 31.0

Rick Santorum
144,528 12.9

Ron Paul
77,196 6.9

Rick Perry
5,058 0.5

Jon Huntsman
4,926 0.4

Michele Bachmann
3,012 0.3

Herman Cain
2,429 0.2

Gary Johnson
913 0.1

Map is here, Gingrich winning in the north but not around the cities, Romney winning most everything south of that: http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/primaries/states/florida

 

[Jafku]

Romney wins the primary

 

[benjipwns]

FOX is talking about the exit polls, Romney got 51% of seniors and married women.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

Margin of victory means more than anything else that it is over.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Well, Romney certainly looks to be overperforming so far.

 

[cousins]

Having lived there, I wouldn't be surprised if the panhandle went to Newt.

 

[SolKane]

I thought there already was a topic for the FL primary..?

 

[benjipwns]

FOX has posted the exit polls: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/florida-primary-jan-31/exit-polls

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

Margin of victory means more than anything else that it is over.

I think Gingrich will be staying til the bitter end.

 

[Kusagari]

Vaguely surprised Newt won Alachua.

 

[cousins]

FOX has posted the exit polls: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/florida-primary-jan-31/exit-polls

That 45+ crowd. Damn.

 

[Brinbe]

I think Gingrich will be staying til the bitter end.

Yep, same with Santorum/Paul. They clearly have no chance of winning, but are in it to ensure their own interest group/base of support's (Conservative Christians/Libertarian-types, respectively) message is put-forth out there until the convention.

And of course, Newt's just in it to sell more books, beat Mitt's brains in.

 

[SolKane]

Vaguely surprised Newt won Alachua.

Why? It's full of rednecks besides Gainesville.

 

[Schattenjäger]

Where are all the Newt hypers now ?

Told you Georgia was nuttin

 

[benjipwns]

From the exit polls:
"Apart from his views on issues, is your opinion of [x] as a person (favorable-unfavorable):
Gingrich: 55-40
Romney: 76-21

"If [x] won the nomination, would you be (satisfied-dissatisfied):"
Gingrich: 53-42
Romney: 65-31
Santorum: 53-40

 

[AlteredBeast]

People realized what an annoying and spiteful prick Gingrich is. Imagine that! At least Romney seems like a decent guy.

And there is no way Santorum stays until the end, he simply doesnt have the money or backing from anyone to stay in the race. Just a few weeks ago, he was selling sweater vests to make ends meet and I am NOT joking about that.

 

[Oblivion]

I think Gingrich will be staying til the bitter end.

One can only hope.

 

[Brinbe]

Jeez, looking at those exit polls, that's an old electorate.

50+ accounted for 71% of all voters.

18-29 was only 6% haha

 

[benjipwns]

One can only hope.

From the AP:

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Tuesday he expects the race for the GOP nomination will go on for six months no matter how the Florida primary turns out.

"Unless Romney drops out earlier," Gingrich quipped about chief rival Mitt Romney during a campaign stop in Orlando, one of several stops in central Florida on his primary day schedule.

...

Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond said Gingrich won't skip states as the races moves to seven contests in February.

"We will compete in every contest that the country has to offer," Hammond said. "In a race where the media's picked front-runner hasn't broken 50 percent yet, that leaves a lot of math out there for the conservative side of the party to take up, which is how we'll stay competitive in the nomination."

 

[AlteredBeast]

Jeez, looking at those exit polls, that's an old electorate.

50+ accounted for 71% of all voters.

That is Republican primaries for you. Same goes for Democrats, actually.

 

[AlteredBeast]

From the AP:

"Unless Romney drops out earlier"

Damn. If Romney does win, he will probably invite Newt on AFO just to put him at the back again, which is where he belongs.

 

[SickBoy]

Sorry to do a drive-by question that's maybe already been beaten to death in the various U.S. poli-GAF threads, but please forgive a question that's been eating away at me since I heard Newt Gingrich say it:

(paraphrased): "We can't win if we choose a moderate like Mitt Romney."

How exactly does that line of thinking work? Is it really the belief of those who are to the right of Romney that they'll draw more votes with someone who's less moderate? To which voters is that going to appeal?

Anyhow, it blew my mind. Which prospective Republican voters are going to swing to Obama on the basis that Romney isn't right-wing enough?

Anyone? Please educate me.

 

[Oblivion]

From the AP:

Yeah, I know Newt himself has said that a couple times, but let's not forget that discipline isn't Newt's strong suit.

 

[benjipwns]

Which prospective Republican voters are going to swing to Obama on the basis that Romney isn't right-wing enough?

Anyone? Please educate me.

It's more of the idea that they'll stay home and just not vote. Some people, including Rove believe the reason 2000 was tight in the end despite Bush's poll leads was that the religious right stayed home too much and the goal was to get them back out in 2002/2004.

Some people think there was similar disenchantment resulting in people staying home due to McCain being the nominee in 2008.

 

[cousins]

18-29 was only 6% haha

If the exit polls at the general election show numbers like that, I won't be laughing.

 

[MThanded]

No surprises here.

 

[SickBoy]

It's more of the idea that they'll stay home and just not vote. Some people, including Rove believe the reason 2000 was tight in the end despite Bush's poll leads was that the religious right stayed home too much and the goal was to get them back out in 2002/2004.

Some people think there was similar disenchantment resulting in people staying home due to McCain being the nominee in 2008.

OK. I would imagine that's probably less of a concern when you're trying to unseat a president than when you're trying to re-elect one.

To me it's a little bizarre... I think my playbook would be to expand the base, not simply try to pander to the base I already have. Canada's Conservative party has gotten to where it wants to be by following a relatively moderate playbook. May lead to some disgruntled faithful, but who else are those people going to vote for?