Today is primary day and 3.5 million Flori

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OREGON MEASURE 65
  • Oregon is not Washington (Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian) Oregon voters just slam-dunked a measure that would adopt a "top two" primary like the one that Washington voters eagerly embraced and that finally went into effect this year.
  • Poor timing for open primaries (by The Oregonian Editorial Board) Second, it failed because of dirty union politics. The unions did their best to kill this measure and retain their grip on Democratic candidates. The Oregon Education Association, for example, sent out a false and misleading mailer smearing Measure 65 as a Bill Sizemore initiative.

CAMPAIGN SAMPLER
  • State's 11 electoral votes go to McCain (The Leaf Chronicle - Clarksville TN) Exit polls showed that McCain's victory hinged on carrying two out of three independent voters. Independents make up about a third of voters in the state.
  • Analysts say it's premature to paint state map blue or red for one big reason: independent voters (Rocky Mountain News) "This still remains a tentative and conditional grant of power by at least a third of the electorate," said political analyst Floyd Ciruli, pointing to the dominant force in Colorado politics: independent voters.
  • State Gives Hawaii-Born Obama Overwhelming Vote (KITV Honolulu) Obama easily held his Democratic base, while taking about seven in 10 independent voters, who made up a third of the electorate.
  • Across Florida, presidential voters make a shift to the blue (Southwest FL Herald Tribune) Obama scored votes in the important Interstate 4 corridor, an area known for large numbers of independent voters.
  • Independents tip the scales for Obama win in New Hampshire (Union Leader) As they did nationally, Democrats in New Hampshire coalesced behind Obama not long after the bitter primary battle. As independent voters flocked to his corner, McCain was left primarily with the hard-core Republican faithful.
  • Volunteers help Obama carry Virginia - Network of poll workers, door knockers descends on exurbs (Baltimore Sun)

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