Dean's Strategy Won the Day: Independents and Rural Voters Gave Dems the Victory

[JCMach1]

Urban and Rural voters vote for Democrats with the same %. Only the Suburbs went Repug (barely).
Repugs and Dems were overwhelmingly polarized (little Crossover; Republicans gave their candidates 93%; Dems gave theirs 95%). However, we won among Independents 55-38%

Dean's 50 state strategy seems to have won the day. Obviously, he didn't do it single-handedly. However, he was the architect of our brilliant victory.

Hats off to Dr. Dean... :party:

I would love him for Pres. one day, but I would hate to lose the best party leader in a long time.

http://www.galluppoll.com/content/Default.aspx?ci=25399&VERSION=p







There is a general discussion of the Gallup poll here http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2950530

[yellowcanine]

1. Hmm. Big turnouts by urban Democrats didn't hurt either, particularly in Senate

races (Maryland for one), so I would not be tooting on this too much.

[JCMach1]

3. Absolutely, but we won the STICKS by the SAME AMOUNT!

We haven't done that in like FOREVER...

[yellowcanine]

9. I don't think so. Maryland returns on Steele - Cardin by jurisdiction.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/11/08/GR2006110800340.html

Cardin did not win a single rural county in Maryland, unless you call Charles and Baltimore Counties rural. I wouldn't.

[JCMach1]

11. Gallup was a national poll... just giving the reported #'s

[yellowcanine]

17. Point taken. But still it took a lot more urban Democrats to get the victory

so we should not be attributing the victory to rural voters, particularly for the Senate.

[JCMach1]

25. Cough.... Montana.... Cough

[demnan]

2. I agree

What got me started doing grass roots campaigning was an email from Howard Dean. He mobilized the forces early, because we had a lot of work to do, and we worked hard. No state should ever be overlooked.

[SoFlaJet]

4. My theory had been

with the 50 state plan we might just win in places where they COULDN'T steal elections-it was like a hole in the dike that kept getting bigger and bigger-too many holes-not enough fingers to plug them.He was right.They probably fixed Florida and maybe some in Ohio but they couldn't do them all

[JCMach1]

5. Dude, we were +2 and maybe had a 3rd stolen in FL

that's pretty damn good for a heavily gerrymandered state.

[SoFlaJet]

6. Yea I want that Harris seat

how sweet would that be after what she did to us Floridians in 2000-I want election reform done on the national level so the republican run state can NOT steal elections-ever again

[JCMach1]

7. Exactly... I want the State I grew up in back...

I still vote there though I am an EXPAT.

[SoFlaJet]

8. we haven't let our kids

in any public schools ever since Jeb got in-home schooled-it's like a prison system in there now-the schools that is

[JCMach1]

10. I taught in the Public Schools before I took my current job

in the UAE. FCAT was a big part of the decision to uproot my young girls.

My girls now get a good British curriculum which includes 2 foreign languages (Arabic and French) starting in Elementary.

They even still take field trips for FUN over here! Imagine that! They also still have recess.

[porphyrian]

12. No, EVERYBODY did it together.

Let's stop giving individuals all the credit.

[JCMach1]

14. No, Repigs stayed with *

[porphyrian]

19. That's not how the media is spinning it...

Besides, I wasn't referring to them specifically (assuming some of them did vote Democratic), I was referring to everyone who voted Democrat.

[cali]

23. It may be true that lots of folks deserve credit

but this was the guv's win. Without the 50 state strategy, we wouldn't have had the candidates or infrastructure to take advantage of the repuke scandals and the disgust over repuke policies. It's that simple, and the guv deserves all the praise he gets- and more.

[warrens]

13. Also young and Latino voters

A Time reporter (I think) said the Repukes just turned the Latin population as firmly Dem as blacks for at least a decade. Unless we blow it and fall for the kick em all out solution.

[JCMach1]

15. 66% of the 'non-white' vote according to the poll

that's lumping everyone together... But yes, Hispanics came to our camp in a big way.

[cadmium]

16. He mentioned this when he was running for president.

He said that the Democrats had to reach outside their solid strongholds. Terry McAuliffe was chair so he may have well have been talking to himself. WesPac (Wes Clark's PAC) and Keeping America's Promise (John Kerry's PAC) absolutely got on board with Dean as soon as he became chair. Act Blue and other new grassroots orgs did too. Eventually they brought along the establishment DSCC and DCCC. Dean was the catalyst he was right. He is a great party chair. We would have never won like this with the old McCauliffe guard.

[flamin lib]

18. Hmmm, here my favorite Dem made the biggest gains in

urban areas. 2-3 times the increase in the rural part of the district. Still lost, but closed the gap for next cycle.

'Course, this is Texas . . .

[JCMach1]

22. Still a very good showing...

[applegrove]

20. Cannot be said enough. Go Dean go!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

21. Good Gallop article. And they aren't charging $$ to see it.

[Avalon Sparks]

24. Big thanks to Howard Dean!!

He's one of our shining starts in my opinion... we need more Dems like him around.

He wasn't afraid to give the Repubs back as good as they gave.

Smart man and great job!