Reply #56: at the state level many people vote more "for the person"...

[spooky3]

Governors and Congressional reps have much more time to shake hands with and do work (favors) for their constituents. Many people, especially "conservatives", have a disconnect between what they say their values are and those of the candidate. For example, polls show that the Dem positions are favored by the majority of people most of the time. Ask many Hoosiers (and others) Bush's positions on the issues, and they can't tell you--they just "like" him. The local candidate can take advantage of this AND use his/her personal charm to win over people who think they are conservative. Even many who really are more conservative will vote for Democrats if they like the candidate. At the state and lower levels if they've met the candidate and liked him, that drives their vote. I'm sure this is true for some Dems also, though I think it's more true for Rethugs.

See also Dorgan's landslide victory in ND while * took the pres. vote; Mark Warner's popularity in a red-leaning VA. Warner was a tireless campaigner and shook every hand in every rural county of VA that he could reach.