GOP Nominee
Former Candidates
As much as LJ would like to deny it, McCain’s choice to skip the county conventions in South Carolina are really starting to hurt him. First it was a state Representative who had endorsed McCain but voted for Romney in the Horry County straw poll - and said he may switch his endorsement in the future. He was confused as to why McCain wasn’t there, which was a good question - Romney had attended the same dinner earlier in the day as McCain and still managed to make it down to South Carolina.
Now, there’s a local endorser who actually has jumped ship over to Camp Romney, in part because of McCain’s absence:
Saluda County Sheriff Jason Booth jumped to Romney’s campaign on Wednesday, and other party officials have questioned the candidate skipping their county conventions. McCain’s campaign had no immediate comment on Booth’s switch.
Welcome to the team, Sheriff Booth! McCain’s South Carolina organization is in danger right now, and by the time he makes it down there to re-kick off his campaign at the end of this month, he will have missed at least 20 more county conventions and straw polls.
And here’s the latest straw poll result from McCormick County’s convention this evening:
Romney - 35%
Cox - 19%
Giuliani - 16%
McCain - 13%
F Thompson - 8%
Newt - 3%
Undecided - 5%
Can’t find a reason for Cox’s unnaturally high finish… another SC straw poll, though, and another win for Romney. This makes 8 out of 13 polls Romney’s won down there.
April 19th, 2007 at 1:48 am
Does Cox have a prominant contact in the County?
No one doubts Romney’s ability with the grassroots organisation. The question is whether he can translate it into votes…
April 19th, 2007 at 1:52 am
Claiming victory because of straw polls in which one hundred or so people are voting seems a bit premature. Let’s manage the expectations a bit..
April 19th, 2007 at 2:00 am
I’m guessing that Cox was a “none of the above” vote. When one out of every five votes go to a lowest tier candidate, that’s a problem for all candidates. Add the 5% undecided and it’s even worse - nearly one in 4. While straw polls don’t hold much direct value, they are a view into local organization, so I’m not sure anyone (except maybe Romney) should be happy with these numbers.
April 19th, 2007 at 2:15 am
Heavy,
Boy oh boy, I’m sure John Weaver is in tears over this shocking defection.
It’s obvious that Sheriff Booth wasn’t really happy with McCain to begin with (no one switches campaigns just because of a perceived no show) so it was really only a matter of time before he jumped ship and he’s using McCain’s no show as a pretext. But why didn’t Romney attend the Ottawa County convention last week? Does he hate Michigan conservatives? You can’t seriously expect a candidate to be able to attend every single convention, this is why proxies were created in the first place.
But again, let’s be fair when we talk about defections. Romney’s record in that regard is much, much worse:
He lost 3 Michigan Reps. to McCain
He lost Richard Blankenship to Rudy
He lost MO Lt. Governor Peter Kinder to Thompson
Also, rumor has it that several of Romney’s House endorsements may jump ship if Fred Thompson ends up getting in. It seems like you’re making a mountain out of less than a mole hill here.
April 19th, 2007 at 2:30 am
I think LJ is exactly right (in #4), though I will take his implication to the next level. The jumping ship has just begun on the GOP side. Wait until we see the results of Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich getting in the race and the front-runners (Giuliani, McCain, and Romney) potentially failing to meet expectations down the road.
I said it the other day - there are going to be significant GOP defections of endorsements, money, and ground troops (staff are going to pretty much stay in place) in order for them to find someone who can beat Hillary, Edwards, Gore, or Obama. The stakes are too high to act otherwise.
April 19th, 2007 at 3:25 am
hmm.. Are people tired of the front runners already?? Are they really that annoyed about everyone else in the race that they are going for Cox..
April 19th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Romney wins yet another South Carolina poll, and gets yet another South Carolina endorsement. BFD guys…pardon my French. South Carolina is going to be the most ultra-conservative primary - - and the most insignificant one. Romney is so far removed from average, real, working class citizens and he will never, ever win the nomination. In fact, I am really starting to get the impression that this guy is some kind of political, moonie, phony freak. If he does, I would not vote for him if he were the last republican standing on earth.
April 19th, 2007 at 7:48 am
John Freaking Cox? HAHAHAHAHAHA…
April 19th, 2007 at 8:30 am
I’m always pleased whenever Romney gains support or wins any straw poll for what it is worth. However to be fair to Mr. McCain, he still holds his elected office seat in the US Senate..
April 19th, 2007 at 8:42 am
LJ,
Yeah, a shocking defection, eh?
It’s just a snapshot of a larger trouble brewing for McCain, though. There have been at least a dozen articles written that I almost linked to in this piece of local South Carolinians wondering why John isn’t working the county convention circuit - but I thought that would be over the top and turn this into a hit piece of sorts. There were even quotes from party officials saying they practically begged McCain to come to SC, but he refused to.
I know you can’t go to every convention, but c’mon - which is more important, the SC conventions or the Ottawa County Convention? The rest of the serious candidates (and even the unserious ones like Duncan Hunter) figured out they ought to be in South Carolina. So either McCain is avoiding the conventions or he’s a lousy campaigner who can’t figure out where the most important place to be is.
It’s not me saying this - I’m just pulling this from the local news down there. I’m just warning that his absence is going to cost McCain in South Carolina.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:57 am
KT,
Yet another example of how Romney’s detractors have to turn him into the devil incarnate to justify not voting for him. What are you afraid of? That if you abandoned your silly ideas about his “phoniness” and “freakiness”, ideas entirely unfounded and wholly bizarre, that you’d have to admit he wouldn’t be the worst nominee, and therefore it’d be harder for you to justify your support of the most liberal serious GOP contender in history? I’m perfectly fine with people preferring Giuliani, McCain, or even Thompson to Romney. Lord knows they all have various redeeming qualitieis, which might endear them to particular individuals. But allegations of phoniness, and freakiness, and mooniness really ought to have some basis in actual occurences. Is it phony or freaky to be married to the same woman for 38 years? How about to raise 5 seemingly well-adjusted sons? Or maybe, to build a vast fortune, with very little in the way of outside help? Since it seems pretty strange to me, to hear Giuliani supporters call Romney “freaky”. Unless, they’re basing their conclusions on his religious affiliation.
April 19th, 2007 at 9:15 am
KT, by far you are the least intellectual poster on this board. How about specifics, how about proof, how about substance? What are you, a child?
April 19th, 2007 at 9:40 am
Matt, I am not even going to read your comments anymore, because you are narrow-minded, nasty, stubborn and you can’t take any heat about your perfect candidate… You are the one who is afraid.
JF - obviously you are so wrapped up in your own little “intellectual” head that you cant deal with people who speak plainly.
I speak my mind and I tell it like it is. It seems to me that this is a public blog and I am not PAID to make comments. If you don’t like it, don’t read my comments!
April 19th, 2007 at 9:52 am
KT, you said “Romney is so far removed from average, real, working class citizens and he will never, ever win the nomination. In fact, I am really starting to get the impression that this guy is some kind of political, moonie, phony freak.”
You make this totally baseless comment and I ask you for some factual support. You come back with nothing whatsoever. It’s becoming increasingly clear that you are, at best, a high school student. The reason why it’s important is because as you lose credibility, your comments will be read less by the other posters. There will come a point where you will just be wasting your own time by posting here.
I believe you support Guiliani, who made millions of dollars running Guiliani Partners after his time in NYC and made further millions on the lecture circuit. He was divorced twice, the first time annulling his marriage to his second cousin, and the second time holding a press conference to announce his divorce. I wonder how “average, real, working class citizens” will relate to that more than the straightforward and clean life led by Romney.
I think you will find many here open-minded and willing to debate, but there is nothing to debate when you act like a child with the diatribes and whining.
April 19th, 2007 at 9:56 am
I’M NASTY? When you’re the one who’s referring to other candidates as “moonies”, “freaks”, and “phonies”, without any justification? Boy that’s rich. I defy you to find a single “nasty” thing I’ve said about another candidate. And I don’t mean factually accurate statements, such as referring to Giuliani as radically pro-choice. Find me an instance where insulted a candidates’ integrity, character, honesty, or made any personal attack on them whatsoever. I don’t do it, not because there aren’t questionable aspects of their lives. We’re all aware of the various personal failings of certain candidates in the field. No, I don’t attack them, because to do so would be to surrender to emotion heavy, factless, and tactless rhetoric of the worst kind. It’s simply not relevant, and I’m secure enough in my own candidate’s merits, to admit that other candidates seem like fine individuals, with much to recommend them. If you don’t want to respond to my posts from now, that’s certainly your right. But leveling unfounded accusations at me, isn’t going to make your statements any less silly and insecure.
April 19th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Deleted. Debate is fine. Personal attacks are not.-HM
April 19th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Deleted. Calm down and take a step back from this, boys. KT, those kinds of personal attacks and rhetoric will not be allowed here. - HM
April 19th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
While these sorts of things aren’t a big deal nationally, they are a big deal locally. It is clear that the momentum in South Carolina is shifting and Romney is getting a bit of positive local press because of it. Saturday will be a big test as far as these straw polls go because the large population counties will be voting.
April 19th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Another example of Anti-Romneyites totally losing it in their attempts to discredit him….
April 20th, 2007 at 12:08 am
Just a little perspective here. McCormick County ranks 39th in South Carolina in terms of total Repbulican voters. While it is another win, it will pale in comparison with Saturday’s “Big Three” conventions.
Greenville, Spartanburg, and Richland Counties account for three of the top four in terms of Republican votes–totaling 26% of all 2006 GOP primary voters for the state.
I expect to see Romney finish top two in all of these–and likely winning at least two. Greenville County will be close between Romney and a bottom tier candidate, Spartanburg will be horserace, and Richland will be close between Romney and an “establishement” candidate.
Unlike a number of comments here, people in South Carolina are actually getting to meet and see a lot of Mitt and they don’t buy the tripe coming from the MSM trying to weaken him prior to the general election.
April 20th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Andru, I’m from Michigan and to tell the truth Romney isn’t getting any play here, positive or negative. If the MSM is guilty of anything it’s pretty much by ignoring Mitt. At least in his (almost) home town.