WA RWers in near panic regarding overwhelming (D) Primary selections

[RobertSeattle]

Voters who chose (D) Ballots: 430K 60%
Voters who chose (R) Ballots: 285K 40%

(Totals are rough and as of 7:30 AM PT), but obviously a great trend for the D's!)

Heard lots of spinning on local RW radio regarding these figures.

Update: Found the secy state site for the results:
http://vote.wa.gov/results/party_status.tpl

Now:
Total: 810,313 - But this figure does add up to the D+R+L ballots - must have lots of people who refused to select a party.

If you just use the D and R figures you get results similar to mine.
D:437,097
R:298,748

[skooooo]

1. Hope it's a sign of things to come..

..otherwise, the entire country is in BIG trouble.

[xchrom]

2. may they suffer for many years to come.

[hlthe2b]

3. Question from one not following closely:

Is there no indication that this could reflect Repugs registering as Dems for the primary in order to influence the selection of their opposition candidate?

[RobertSeattle]

5. I'm sure there were cross overs, but

I can't believe it would so huge a tally to change the "actuals" but more than a couple of percent. And it works both ways so it could be a wash.

(In WA for years it was a regular joke that Dems would cross over and vote for the absolutely nutties (R) in the primaries becase the (D) primary was usually a landslide)

[hlthe2b]

6. But, I'm guessing there was no DEM primary candidate that

the Repugs would have wanted to win-- i.e., viewed as "red meat" for the general election to their Repug challenger?

[RobertSeattle]

7. There were a couple

The (D) Governor Primary was between Gregoire and Simms. Simms is in favor of a state income tax which would have really hurt him in the general so the R's were really pulling for Simms to win.

[Semi_subversive]

4. I plan on riding up to Pasco

in early October. Glad to know WA's dem country.

[montanacowboy]

8. Well, Pasco sure isn't

depends on what part of the state you are in - west of the mountains is totally red - Seattle and environs are solid democratic and thank God are able most of the time to carry the state because of our big population center

but, cross those mountains and you are in redneck country as well as north of Seattle...

[montanacowboy]

9. Sorry, edit

EAST of the mountains

[Semi_subversive]

12. Thanks for the heads up.

I plan on making this a five-day ride from Sacramento to Pasco and back. I just want to ride along the Columbia River Gorge and then see the confluence of the Snake, Columbia and Yakima Rivers. I'm flying a Veterans for Kerry sicker on the back of the ol' hog, so maybe I'll also be flying my finger a lot as well. Normally don't have much problem with the yahoos. When I'm out of the suit and tie, I appear to be a bit intimidating.

[SheilaT]

10. I take it

that Washington State has an open primary system in which you're not restricted to vote only for the party you've registered for?

In which case, the numbers may not mean as much as you'd hope. It may be that many Republicans chose Democrat ballots so as to influence who the Republican would be facing in November. Were more D primaries contested as compared to R ones?

Here in Kansas, about 20-30 percent of registered Republicans are actually Democrats who register that way so as to vote in the Republican primary, which is usually the only place where a choice is available.

It can backfire, when lots of those RINO's (Republicans in Name Only) decide to vote for the right-winger Republican on the theory that the Democrat will more easily beat that person in November. I keep on telling those people that if they're really Democrats at heart, to leave the Republican party alone. One of the reasons it's so difficult to get Democrats to run for office here (no one with any real ability to win was willing to go up against Senator Sam Brownback which is a true shame) is that they look at the party registration figures: 50% Republican, 30% Unaffiliated and 20% Democrat and figure, why bother?


What are the registration numbers by party in WA?

[cmf]

11. We don't register by party

This was the first time that we had to choose a party during the primary. Before, the primaries were totally open, you could vote for whatever party in whichever race.

I think the high Dem numbers have to do with the hot races (esp Governor) being on the D side of the ballot.

[SheilaT]

14. How interesting.

I've always lived in states where you registered by party (or Independent) and where the primaries are pretty much closed. Here in Kansas the Republicans require an Unaffiliated (as we call them here) declare Republican registration to get the R ballot. Democrats will happily give a ballot to a registered Democrat or registered unaffiliated.

Not having people registered by party would make quite a difference in how a candidate campaigns, too. I'm walking door to door on behalf of someone running for the Kansas State House of Representatives, and it's quite useful to know as I approach a household who is registered by what party. For one thing, I always tell someone who's a registered Democrat that my person is also a Democrat, but I don't bring it up with a Republican. If they ask, I tell them.

So how does someone campaign door to door not knowing affiliation? You would never know except where a household already has evidence posted, like yard signs, or various door and front porch decorations.

[SheilaT]

15. Oops.

Double posted. sorry.

[AmandaRuth]

13. as of 2:21 pm

462,042 - Dem

310,102 - Repub

8,798 - Lib

Kind of makes you wonder why the radio is filled with rightwing hate reThug spewers?

[fortyfeetunder]

17. I think it's the little weenie theory

You wonder why the radio is filled with right wing wackos?
think their weenies are so small, they talk big to overcompensate...

[miss_kitty]

16. i was quickly adding the results between d and r candidates as the

results were coming in.
i think the asshats are going to have their asses handed to them in-er-hats-in November. the Dems had overwhelmingly high numbers-i am especially excited about the 8th district-that old husk of a female (Slade's twin sister, imho) Dunn stepping down screwed it for the thugs in richie-richville.
i'd prefer to have Ron Sims and the best guy for the gov's job, Phil Talmadge-well too bad he got ill and had to drop out.

HAHAHA. The Soviet of Washington is still alive and well!