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Your Opinion Matters: Help Me Understand the Trend
Posted 11-11-2002
The election is over, and, rather than try to analyze the results, it
would mean more to hear from you. As we all know, Ed Rendell was elected
Governor of Pennsylvania. He did so by a margin that was the largest in
thirty years for an open seat for Governor. But he lost Westmoreland County
by 8,900 votes. Why? That is what I want to know.
I am asking you, the visitors
to my web site for feedback. I hope when you read this story you will
e-mail me with your
thoughts as to why, in a county with a 65,000 Democratic registration
advantage, in an election where Rendell wins by 308,000 statewide, he loses
here.
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Was it Rendell the person?
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Was it Rendell's platform?
If so, which parts caused him to loses Westmoreland County?
Your input will mean a lot,
and I think it is more significant than my speculations.
As you may know, this
phenomenon is not new. Just a bit of history. In the 1990s, it went like
this: Bill Clinton won our county by 22,000 in 1992. But by 1994, Rick
Santorum won for the US Senate by over 8,000, and a new trend was emerging.
In almost every statewide or national race the Republicans have won our
county. Clinton's numbers dropped to an 1,800 victory margin in 1996, and,
by 2000, Al Gore and Ron Klink lost by more than 9,000 votes.
So while the Rendell vote
performance wasn't new, it shows a continuing trend. Please take a few
moments and help me understand the cause of this trend. I will review your
input, and hope to share the responses in a future article. Thank you!!!! |
