McCain Having Trouble? Ron Paul receives 16% Mike Huckabee receives 11% in Penn Primary
The Democratic primary was not the only one going on in Pennsylvania yesterday. The Republican primary was also conducted and the results need to be examined. There is practically no chance for anyone but John McCain to win the nomination, but the voters in Pennsylvania have sent him a message that they are not 100% behind him.
While the talk has been about the Democratic race and the conflict between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama splitting the party in two while John McCain can devote his time to working on the general election, the vote in the primary sends him a message that he needs to connect with members of his own party first.
The voting went like this, McCain 73%, Ron Paul, who is still technically in the race 16% and Mike Huckabee 11%. Now this would be an impressive victory for McCain if it were not all but certain that he would be the nominee. Actually McCain already has enough delegates to assure him the nomination. He has 1,331 and only needed 1,191. But for someone who has it sown up to have 27% of the Pennsylvania Republicans voting for someone else, it is a different story. It means that 27% are not supporting him and if he wants to keep their vote in November, he has to unite them behind him.
McCain is considered to be more towards the middle of the road and he has to win over the very conservative members of his party. While it is true that John McCain is leading both of the Democratic contenders in the general election polls, that could very well change when there is a Democratic nominee which makes it all the more important for him to appeal to the different fractions in his own party and the independent voters as well, for they will have a big say in this election.
One of the issues that he is in conflict with the majority of voters is the War in Iraq. He believes we should make a greater troop commitment while poll after poll shows a growing majority of voters wanting the troops to come home. His tax cut plan would be to cut taxes to middle class Americans, which is in line, although not exactly the same, as that of the Democratic candidates. It also brings him in opposition to the tax cuts of the Bush Administration yet in the past he voted to extend the Bush tax cuts.
There will be polls out this week that will give us a good indication on how the American voters view John McCain and what he needs to do to appeal to a broader spectrum of voters and we will look at all of them in depth. The next two weeks are going to be very decisive in determining who he is going to face, but in the meantime he needs to look at what made the 27% of Pennsylvania voters vote for someone else.
Comment by Independent Republican on 23 April 2008:
The reason I voted for Mike Huckabee in the PA primary yesterday was primarily due to his Christian social conservatism, and his policy proposals dealing in sane, populist ways with issues (i.e., creating a border fence with Mexico instead of giving all illegal – ILLEGAL! – immigrants amnesty, as McCain has proposed).
Interestingly, what no one in the national news seems to realize is that Republican delegates from Pennsylvania are NOT required to vote for any particular candidate, which could make for some interesting news at the national convention…
Comment by Liberty or Death on 23 April 2008:
John McCain, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama… what a pathetic choice, and given the lack of votes for the one candidate that offers real change, I’d have to say that the people of this country get the government they deserve…
Comment by LiberalsVSConservativesDOTcom on 23 April 2008:
I agree with the comment by Liberty or Death. The people of America have missed there chance to make a real change. Since they would rather watch MTV and not pay attention to what is happening around them, they DO deserve the hell that is about to be unleashed on them.
We are a broke country monetarily, broken government and broken socially. The idiots of America only increase the trend.
As soon as I make enough money to leave, leave is what I will do.
Comment by PA4RP on 23 April 2008:
“When he was governor, Huckabee held the following positions on illegal immigration: He supported higher education benefits for children of illegal immigrants, opposed a federal roundup of illegals from his state in 2005, opposed a 2001 bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote in the state, and in 2001, a member of his administration pushed for legislation to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200712/POL20071204b.html
Comment by tim, minnesota on 23 April 2008:
Ron Paul has a consistent history of voting in congress, married 50 plus years, very educated, Christian, patriot, military man, with great economic wisdom. Visit http://www.ronpaul2008.com read Ron’s positions on all the issues then decide whom to vote for. I believe that is one big reason 16% of Pennsylvania voted Ron Paul. I also see Ron Paul gaining larger primary percents in the remaining states as more people learn his positions outside of MSM blackout.
Comment by Linda Rayborn on 23 April 2008:
I think it is going to be very important for Senator McCain to let the base of his party know we matter or he will surely lose in November. It is going to take generating enthusiasm, like the democrats have, and he can’t do it by stubbornly refusing to meet his base, at least halfway with a vetted conservative, running mate. In addition, it has to be someone who can actually make a difference in rallying voters in huge numbers. I know of only ONE man who can do that, Mike Huckabee.
Comment by Gmartine on 23 April 2008:
Great article!
Comment by songboom on 23 April 2008:
Good article indeed.
Comment by liber8US on 23 April 2008:
It could have been worse Something Significant Happened in Spokane.
Comment by ART DEKKO on 23 April 2008:
WE ALL NEED RON PAUL TO STOP AMERICAN AGGRESSION OVERSEAS, BY OUR CROOKED POLITICIANS AND THEIR RICH BOSSES. THEY HAVE RUINED AMERICA, AND NOW BRING ON AN ONSLAUGHT OF MEXICANT MIGRANTS TO BECOME VOTERS IN THEIR BEHALF. WHAT ROT WE ARE SURROUNDED BY.
RON PAUL GETS MY ENTIRE FAMILIES VOTES IN NOVEMBER. STUFF THE CROOKED PRIMARIES AND THE BRAIN-WASHING MEDIA.
UP WITH RON PAUL. HANG IN THERE PAULITES AND PAULETTES. YOU REALLY CAN WIN!
Comment by ef on 23 April 2008:
To have it “sewn up”. Not “sown up”.
My intent wasn’t to be a spelling nazi, but I really can’t stand stupidity.
Comment by James Parker on 29 August 2008:
McCain will not be able to pull his fractured party together. I am most pleasantly surprised by Ron Paul’s 16% showing in PA. Most Paulites intend to write in Ron Paul.
Also, Bob Barr is polling a surprising 6% nationally, as the unlikely (to my mind) candidate of the Libertarian Party. The Montana Dems are even afraid he could carry their state.
The Republicans will be looking around in November, wondering where their party went. Then maybe they will see that the neocon dictators were an aberration.