11-01-2012, 12:15 AM
GOP Worry: Early Voting “Cleaning Our Clock”
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The flood of Democratic early voting continued Wednesday and it should start to worry every Republican on the ballot.
WPTV in Palm Beach obtained an e-mail from a distressed Palm Beach County Republican who fretted that Democrats were “cleaning our clock.”
The e-mail said the early voting might drag down the GOP ticket in Palm Beach County.
The e-mail in part states:
The early and absentee turnout is starting to look more troubling.
As of yesterday, Republicans made up only 22% of early voters and 30% of returned absentee votes.
This is closer to (and worse than) 2008 where we saw 19% EV and 38% of the absentees. 2010 (our blowout year) was 33% of EV and 45% of AB.
Conclusion: The Democrat turnout machine in the county has been very effective and they are cleaning our clock. Even if Romney wins the state (likely based on polls), the turnout deficit in PBC will affect our local races.
But what about Broward? Same thing.
Sources say that a poll taken since the start of early voting and the start of Scott Israel’s broadcast ads show the challenger narrowing Sheriff Al Lamberti’s lead. A second source, quoting a Republican poll, says it found that Israel is running within the margin of error with Lamberti — essentially tied.
“It’s doable now for Israel and it wasn’t before,” an exultant Democratic leader said.
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The flood of Democratic early voting continued Wednesday and it should start to worry every Republican on the ballot.
WPTV in Palm Beach obtained an e-mail from a distressed Palm Beach County Republican who fretted that Democrats were “cleaning our clock.”
The e-mail said the early voting might drag down the GOP ticket in Palm Beach County.
The e-mail in part states:
The early and absentee turnout is starting to look more troubling.
As of yesterday, Republicans made up only 22% of early voters and 30% of returned absentee votes.
This is closer to (and worse than) 2008 where we saw 19% EV and 38% of the absentees. 2010 (our blowout year) was 33% of EV and 45% of AB.
Conclusion: The Democrat turnout machine in the county has been very effective and they are cleaning our clock. Even if Romney wins the state (likely based on polls), the turnout deficit in PBC will affect our local races.
But what about Broward? Same thing.
Sources say that a poll taken since the start of early voting and the start of Scott Israel’s broadcast ads show the challenger narrowing Sheriff Al Lamberti’s lead. A second source, quoting a Republican poll, says it found that Israel is running within the margin of error with Lamberti — essentially tied.
“It’s doable now for Israel and it wasn’t before,” an exultant Democratic leader said.