McCain brushes aside suggestion of weak Republican support

[zeezil]

January 20, 2008
McCain brushes aside suggestion of weak Republican support
Posted: 01:30 PM ET


Only 3 in 10 South Carolina Republicans voted for McCain.

(CNN) – John McCain Sunday brushed aside suggestions exit polls from the South Carolina Republican primary suggest he still is failing to garner widespread support from his party's base.

"I got more votes than anybody else, and it says that I got it from across the spectrum from all over the state," McCain told CNN's Dana Bash. "We expected this to be a very highly contested race, and for the 28 years the candidate who has won South Carolina has been the nominee of the party."

The Arizona senator edged out Mike Huckabee Saturday night in the first Southern primary of the race, 33 percent to 30 percent. But according to exit polling, McCain narrowly trailed Huckabee in support from the 80 percent of primary voters who identified themselves as Republicans. Huckabee won 32 percent of their support compared to McCain's 31 percent. (McCain overwhelmingly won among the remaining 20 percent of primary voters who identified themselves as independents.)

McCain has long had difficulty currying favor from his party's conservative wing. Despite his solid voting record in the senate, many ardent Republicans have been unhappy with his past willingness to team up with liberal Sens. Russ Feingold on campaign finance reform and Ted Kennedy on immigration. McCain drew only 26 percent of the conservative vote in South Carolina Saturday.

Support from the base will be crucial in upcoming contests: McCain now faces a bevy of state primaries where independents are not allowed to participate, beginning with Florida’s vote on January 29. But the Arizona senator is predicting that his support among veterans, his economic proposals, and his record on environmental issues important to many Floridians will carry him to victory there.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

4 Comments | Add a comment |


Kevin, Seattle January 20, 2008 2:09 pm ET

Of course there's no republican support. You're NOT a republican! That's why a majority of your votes are from "independents." We all remember that Rudy and you stood by the democrats in 2004. Gave speeches at the DNC. If you win the nomination, you hand the white house over to your pals, the democrats. I don't think it's too crazy to suggest that many of them are voting for YOU, just for that to happen.


Juliana January 20, 2008 2:09 pm ET

I am a lifelong Republican and I will not vote in this election if he gets the nomination. He is a phony.


BD January 20, 2008 2:20 pm ET

John McCain did his duty 40 years ago in Vietnam. He was unlucky enough to get shot down and captured by the enemy. I respect him for surviving the hell that he and many other brave soldiers went through. All of them should have our sincere gratitude.

That being said, we are now choosing our next President.

Mr. John “ITS NOT AMNESTY, THEY HAVE TO PAY A SMALL FINEâ€

[Populist]

McCain won NH and SC narrowly on the basis of inde votes in these open primary states. And McCain was resoundingly defeated in Michigan, despite his big effort there and having won the state in 2000. From the NYT:

"An exit poll in South Carolina offered evidence of the challenge Mr. McCain faces: 8 in 10 of the voters in the primary described themselves as Republicans, and just 3 in 10 of them voted for Mr. McCain. The finding suggests what Mr. McCain’s rivals were saying Saturday night: that he might not have won without the help of voters outside his party."


And he is still trailing overall in votes received:

Mitt Romney: 530,162
John McCain: 510,132

This is a different election where the old rules don't seem to apply. We'll see what happens in closed primary states. Hopefully enough voters will cut through the MSM adoration of McCain and see him for the liberal and pro-amnesty candidate that he is.

[31scout]

Finally, the media is realizing that this loser can't even get the votes of his own party base.
I think he's a house of cards and hopefully Florida will be the beginning of his collapse. There was an endorsement of McCain in the Orlando Sentinel and also about 110 comments, about 95% of them are tearing him apart. If that's any indication, if I were him I wouldn't get my hopes up.

[ICEChargerRT]

I am a lifelong Republican what many would consider to be a member of the "GOP Base." I personally will not vote for John McCain under any circumstance. If somehow he were to get the nomination. I will go third party or not bother at all. I know he is the best chance for a Democrat victory, but if the GOP nominate him they deserve to lose the election. Maybe after that the party leadership will finally get the message, they should have gotten when the phone circuits blew as they voted on McCains amnesty bill.