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Grits
By Hastings Wyman
Southern Political Report
August 6, 2008 — Oklahoma: McCain Rules The McCain-Obama race may be close nationwide, but in the Sooner State it’s about as lop-sided as you can get. The latest Oklahoma Poll, taken July 19-23 for the Tulsa World, showed John McCain with a 56% to 24% lead over Barack Obama, an extraordinarily high 32-point lead. Of course, Oklahoma is a Red State. In 2004, Bush beat Kerry 66% to 34%, also a 32-point gap, which McCain could widen if the 20% undecideds break his way. Florida: Obama Making Major Play Obama is putting together a strong organization in Florida. According to various news reports, he’s opened 13 field offices around the state, with more planned, and hired 200 campaign staffers. In the last two months, he’s spent $5 million in the state, which has paid for 7,000 network television ads; McCain’s spots have only been on cable stations. Obama has also raised more money in Florida in the 2nd Quarter than McCain. In the first half of the year, 196,110 new Democrats registered to vote, compared with 105,927 Republicans. Obama recently spent two days hitting the hustings in traditionally Republican North Florida, which may have been offset by McCain’s country music extravaganza in the Panhandle on August 1. A big McCain asset, however, is the support of popular Gov. Charlie Crist (R). An August 1 poll of likely Florida voters taken by SurveyUSA showed McCain with 50% to Obama’s 44%, a significant but not safe lead. North Carolina: Ditto Despite the state’s Republican voting history -- it last voted for a Democrat for president in 1976 -- Obama is building on the massive effort he put together in the Tar Heel Democratic presidential primary, which he won 56% to 42% for Hillary Clinton, to try and wrestle the state from McCain in November. He’s opened 14 offices in the state so far and has built an organization of staffers and volunteers that are concentrating on voter registration, claiming “tens of thousands” of new registrants, according to a report in the Raleigh News & Observer. He also spent some $2 million on TV spots in June and July. A Research 2000 survey, taken July 12-30, showed McCain with 47%, Obama 43%, a toss-up kind of number in line with other recent polls in the state. Texas: Cornyn’s Post-Election Ambitions US Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is donating $250,000 of his campaign war chest to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in an effort to shore up the GOP’s senate campaigns across the nation, according to Washington’s Roll Call newspaper. Word is that next year Cornyn wants to succeed NRSC Chairman John Ensign (R-NV) as the group’s head. Cornyn can afford it: At mid-year, he had $9.4 million on hand, to $916,000 for his opponent, state Rep. Rick Noriega (D). Cornyn’s poll numbers are not overly impressive for an incumbent. In the latest Rasmussen Poll, taken in July, Cornyn had 47% to Noriega’s 37%. Nevertheless, the Texas betting is on Cornyn. Texas: Two Congressmen Make News Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) publicly endorsed Texas US Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) to be Obama’s running mate. The thinking is that Edwards, a Southerner and moderate (54% liberal, 45% conservative, says National Journal) would bring the kind of geographic and ideological balance to the national ticket that has often enabled the Democrats to crack Dixie’s bloc of electoral votes and end up with the White House. Don’t count on it, however. If tapped by Obama, Edwards’ presence on the ticket wouldn’t be likely to put the Lone Star State in the Democratic column. As a congressman, and not a statewide officeholder, he’s known mainly in his own 17th District (Waco, etc.)…..US Rep. Pete Sessions (R) is catching flak from the GOP’s Mrs. Grundys and a few hoots from the Democrats after his 2007 fundraiser for Dallas Republicans got too much publicity last week. Seems as how Sessions hosted the event in Las Vegas at the Forty Deuce, an adult club. The Dallas Morning News says the dancers “feature elaborate costumes, but dancers do eventually strip to near nudity.” This year’s fundraiser, also in Las Vegas, is supposedly a step up; it’s at rapper Jay Z’s 40/40 sports bar. Who knew? |
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