Florida Primary: Where Are the Independents?

Note: It's too bad that Rob Richie and FairVote.org support closed partisan primaries. This position goes against the increasing ranks of independent voters who want and need to have a say in the first round of voting.

FLORIDA PRIMARY

• Romney sweeps most groups in Florida vote (By Tom Curry, msnbc.com National Affairs Writer) But in Florida, 18 percent of the electorate Tuesday called themselves independents. Romney won 41 percent of them, while Gingrich won 27 percent.
• From msnbc exit poll:
  No matter how you voted today, do you usually think of yourself as a:
  Category     Gingrich     Paul     Romney     Santorum     % Total
  Democrat     -     -     -     -     2
  Republican     33     5     48     13     80
  Independent or something else     27     16     41     15     18
• Independent voters vital to general election win in Sunshine State (Written by John McCarthy, FLORIDA TODAY)
• Florida should adopt open primary system (Written by Francis J. Merceret, LETTER Florida Today) Florida should adopt open primaries such as New Hampshire recently held. If the parties don’t like that, they can fund private elections or hold party-funded caucuses, as is done in Iowa or other states.
• Florida's closed primary system coming under fire (By Jim Ash Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers) "I would like the parties to have a closed nominating system, but we don't want the taxpayers to have to pay for them," FairVote. Org executive director Rob Richie said.

Independent Potomac Primary: Obama leading Hillary in Virginia primary vote: Let's independent on!

Virginia went for Obama apparently at 7:02 -- sneeze you miss... Nobody is missing... Personally speaking, as a graduate of VCU in the 70s, I sympathize with the Richmond voters. We have come of age. It's a new way of doing politics. A new way of engaging our leaders. A new dawn. Onward!

60% African American for Obama. More stats to come. Join the non-party!!!

Let's independent on.

Potomac Primary: Obama leading Hillary in polls

Independents will be allowed to vote with either party in Virginia's primary. That could be a boon for Obama, who has scored well among independent voters in previous open primaries.
(Obama favored in Potomac primaries, LA Times)

Obama, who has trailed Clinton in every USA TODAY poll over the past year, edged ahead by 47%-44% — within the survey's margin of error..... Among Republicans, McCain has consolidated his front-runner status, leading former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee 53%-27% among Republicans and independents who "lean" Republican.

Maryland holds a closed primary, meaning you have to vote in the party you're affiliated with. But, in Virginia, it's an open primary, meaning you can vote in either party, but not both. (WMDT)

As former governor Doug Wilder wrote in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend, "Virginia is neither a red state nor a blue state. Its citizens are too independent-minded. Having been elected first lieutenant governor and then governor some years ago as a Democrat here, I can tell you that voter support depends more on a particular candidate than it does on party affiliation." (Washington Post)

"Well, let me tell you something: I'm skinny, but I'm tough, too. I'm looking forward to mixing it up with John McCain," Obama said the day before voters in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., would have a chance to vote in the presidential primary. (US News & World Report)

NOTE: 17% of DC voters are independent; Virginia has nonpartisan registration; 16% of Maryland voters are unaffiliated.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

HANKSTER LEDE: The Disaffected Voters Who'll Decide 2008 (By Douglas E. Schoen, Washington Post) AND La. primary a disappointment for independent voters (Shreveport Times)

VIRGINIA: Exclusive ABC 7 and SurveyUSA Poll: Chesapeake Primary (WJLA ABC 7 News)

WASHINGTON: Gregoire endorses Obama (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

POLLS: The Clinton Lead: Less Than Four Percentage Points (Forbes)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Gerald F. Seib of the Wall Street Journal seems to think the Dems own independent voters for the moment

The Virginia Repub loyalty oath gets caught in the throats of voters (Washington Post)

Where's Obama's black vote? The Clinton's know how to accumulate I.O.U.'s and they know how to strong-arm (Huffington Post)

California nonpartisan redistricting: It's baaaaackkkkk!!! (San Francisco Chronicle)

And that's only the beginning of the reforms needed..... (Central Valley Business Times)

The Columbia Missourian says many people are disassociating themselves from the two political parties and indicating a desire for a strong independent candidate....

In New Jersey, modified I&R could work (New Jersey Voices)

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TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Everything Obama in Harlem:

• Obama’s Color Line (By Juan Williams-NY Times)


• Bloomberg, Obama set to chat over breakfast Following Sen. Obama's successful night of fundraising at the Apollo (WABC)


• Obama brings his message to Harlem (Chicago Tribune)


• Campaign splits Jacksons-Jacqueline for Hillary, Jesse for Barack (Chicago Sun Times)


• Reverend Al Sharpton is undecided about backing Barack Obama (NY Daily News)


• Obama Plays the Apollo (NY Post)


• Obama Targets Harlem Audience at the Apollo (Columbia Spectator)


• Obama Takes His Campaign to Harlem (NY Times)


• Obama Gets His Morning Coffee With Bloomberg (The Atlantic-Marc Ambinder)

CNN/YouTube Debate:

• CNN Debate Winner-CNN Polls Show Ron Paul Winner of Debate (Black Hills SD News)

Open primaries: The Parties vs. The People:

• Idaho: Closed primaries thrown out-Judge dismisses lawsuit from 71 GOP members-link to ruling (Magic Valley Times-News)


• Virginia: Pledge of Allegiance (By Tobin Harshaw-NY Times Opinionator)

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TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

With so many voters protesting the exclusionary two-party system by becoming independents, the Parties get more desperate. Here's the latest on Virginia and Idaho open primaries:

• Virginia GOP Gets Strict on Voting-Demand for Loyalty Pledge at Primary Targets Crossovers, Independents (Washington Post)
• Bar at the ballot-Court closes voters out of candidate selection (Daily Press - VA)
• Judge rejects lawsuit seeking to close Idaho primary (The Oregonian)
• Loyalty Oaths? (Rocktown Weekly VA)
• Loyal sheep (Tricities.com - VA)
• Federal judge chucks lawsuit seeking to close Idaho GOP primary (Montana's News Station-KPAX)
• Editorial: The GOP accepts no presidential dissent-where's a third party when you need one? (Roanoke Times)

Race and gender in 2007:

• Democrats seek to quell racial tensions in state Senate contest (By Jo Mannies, St. Louis Post Dispatch)
• Race, gender come to forefront of presidential race-Many black women debate voting for Clinton vs. Obama (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Obama coming to Harlem (Politics on the Hudson)

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TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Arizona Dem, Repub (but not Libertarian) primaries remain open to independents (The Arizona Republic)
• Virginia appeals court rules part of open primary law unconstitutional (WAVY TV 10 Richmond)
• The Independent Vote in New Hampshire (New York Times-The Caucus)
• Independents May Be Crucial in New Hampshire (New York Times)
• Washington State's Primary System Argued (AP/Google)
• POLITICAL MONEY: Rich Donors Make State Party Coffers Bulge (Wall Street Journal)
• Oakland mayor Ron Dellums backs Clinton (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)