Score: Tea Party Upstart One, RINO Zero
September 5, 2009 · carl · Print This Article
(One of our readers (thanks Drew) just gave us a heads-up on a State Senate race that will take place in Florida on Sept. 15. And this will be one to watch as Matthew Towery makes a compelling argument that the outcome could have national implications.)
Florida Senate Race Could Map GOP Future
By: Matthew Towery
It has been my contention for the past decade that when it comes to politics, as Florida goes, so goes the nation.
Think about the 2008 presidential election. First, following the CNN-YouTube debate, the last major Republican debate to be held before the Iowa caucus, our firm polled Floridians for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. We asked respondents who won the debate. A then-unknown candidate was the clear winner, and the boost he received in Florida gave Mike Huckabee a win in Iowa just over a month later.
The tipping point in the Republican presidential contest was Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s endorsement of John McCain in that state’s GOP primary. Soon afterward, McCain won an upset victory in New Hampshire. It propelled him to the nomination.
Then in November 2008, a large, disenchanted contingent of independent voters, who in prior years had tilted Republican, switched sides and put Florida in the Barack Obama column.
This past year our polling firm, InsiderAdvantage, was…Read the rest of this entry.
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