Turnout has been huge for the gubernatorial race. According to the Quorum Report [sub. req.], Democratic polling firm Opinion Analysis finds that in the five major counties, 16.7 percent of the Republican vote is coming from people who voted in the Democratic primary in 2008 (in Travis County, it’s 28 percent). The report notes that these are not regular primary voters. Key quote:
“Is this crossover good news for Kay Bailey Hutchison? Not necessarily, but I doubt that they are crossing over to stand up and be counted for Rick Perry.”
12 comments
I might find those numbers more convincing if they had gone back to 2004, too. In 2008, there were many Republicans that opted to vote in the Democratic primary, in hopes of getting Hillary Clinton the election, because they found her to be a more beatable candidate.
So these numbers could be skewed because of that, too, right?
But they are. Those are the “Operation Chaos” voters coming back home to the R’s.
The more important figure is the 20-ish percent who have no primary voter record at all. Are they tea party newcomers? Or Medina voters?
I’m voting in the Republican primary, but only to vote for the Medina crazy train.
I voted in the republican primary for six very good reasons. I think Medina is the monkey wrench that if properly inserted into the GOP Texas gears could bring it to a standstill.
I also got to vote against all of their baasakwards propositions.
It’s the twenty first century folks, not the nineteenth.
Answer: Republicans who took part in “operation chaos.” Most are supporting Perry, some are voting for Kay or Medina. The idea that Democrats would crossover in this election is absurd. Wick should know better and so should the Quorum Report.
Hiya Tested. I’m a Democrat who crossed over just to vote for someone other than Perry in the primary. I’ll vote Democrat in the general election.
Nice to meet ya.
“The [2008] campaign’s over”. Thank’s, got the memo.
“Operation Chaos”? A B S O L U T E L Y. Wonder what the primary votes are showing nation-wide? And thankfully Republicans are not saddled with a singular McCain-type choice to discourage turnout.
From the media, Harvey, it looks like the only thing being “properly inserted” over on the Democrat side of the aisle is Joe Biden’s foot into his mouth.
Well, well, hi bro.
@tested: I’m an independent voter. Cast my ballot in the Republican primary in 2004, Democratic in 2006 and 2008 and GOP in 2010.
There may not be a lot of us, but in a primary with three candidates and an incumbent who needs to “move on down the road,” we’re going to be counted.
The answer is in the first comment. Well said, Well…..
Wm B Travis, I guess you feel the propositions on the republican ballot are great, right?
Picture I.D.? I don’t see anything in the Constitution about photo ID’s. Unless of course you consider the one the Confederacy would have in theirs if they were to have survived.
Budget limits? Why do you think California is in such trouble? Prop 13 way back when put limits on property taxes. The citizens never got to really see what all those services really cost them until the bill was past due. It could happen here with such small minded thinking.
Cutting Federal taxes? that’s taking state’s rights to a whole new low. Besides that, our big budget deficit right now is due in a large part to the GOP’s tax cuts.
This tax thing reminds me of a friend who has twelve kids reply to his mother-in-law when she complained about the large family. He asked her which ones she would like to see put back into the womb. The services our taxes provide us are a lot like that. We need to look around and decide which ones those we care about could do without. I’m a two tour Nam vet. I’m considering going to the VA because something that happened way back then is becoming a problem now. You want to eliminate that right for me?
We already have the word God everywhere. As long as there are tests and cute girls in short skirts prayer will be in schools, as it should be, immature minds and all that. Half of the Ten Commandments mean nothing unless you’re trying to push your own faith on someone else. I think our founding Fathers had enough of that in their lifetimes to not want us to have it in ours.
I’ve never had an abortion. The exploratory would probably kill me. But when I think about how difficult it must be for a woman to come to such a decision I think someone trying to make it more traumatic is one sick puppy. This is especially true when you go to the Bible and read what God thought about it. Heck He not only allegedly rigged things where women do it every month whether they want to or not. He seems to delight in killing first born males. Read your Bible. Look at the Jews and the plagues in Egypt. Read about David and Bathsheba. Read Numbers thirty one carefully, get out your calculator.
I’m a Democrat and I voted in the Republican Primary, because, if I’m lucky, I”ll get to vote against Rick Perry 3 times this year, plus help elect “known Darwinists” to the State School Board and support the least crazy GOP local candidates in their competitive races. I know I’m not the only one.