Obama loses 40 percent of the primary vote in Arkansas, Kentucky

[cali]

Posted by Aaron Blake at 09:33 PM ET, 05/22/2012

President Obama lost more than 40 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Arkansas and Kentucky Democratic primaries, despite little-to-no opposition.

Obama lost 42 percent of the vote to the “uncommitted” option in Kentucky and more than 40 percent to little-known attorney John Wolfe in Arkansas — the latest example of the incumbent president failing to win significant shares of votes in uncompetitive contests.

But it’s not the first time the president has taken less than 60 percent of the vote in a primary this year.

He ceded 41 percent of the vote in West Virginia to an incarcerated man in Texas named Keith Judd, and in Oklahoma, Obama lost several counties and won just 57 percent of the vote.

Kentucky’s vote was notable, though, for the fact that there weren’t even any other candidates on the ballot. The most the “uncommitted” option won so far this primary season was previously 21 percent in the North Carolina primary earlier this month. Kentucky looks as though it will double that number.


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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/obama-loses-more-than-40-percent-of-kentucky-primary-voters-to-uncommitted-option/2012/05/22/gIQAlYHEjU_blog.html

[MrSlayer]

1. Damn! Alabama AND Kentucky are against him?

What will we ever do without their crucial electoral votes? They are usually such reliable states for us.

[YoungDemCA]

2. Seriously....

...LOL.

[cali]

8. democrats in Kentucky Arkansas or against him.

let me repeat that: Democrats are against him.

The denial around here is pathetic. Romney could well beat Obama.

[BlueToTheBone]

9. Well, remember that Arkansas has an open

primary. Lots of cross overs. We had never heard of Wolfe until last week! Democrats in the state are VERY supportive of our President. Unfortunately for the People of the state, we are owned by the Waltons and Tysons. But we are working hard to poke holes in the net and become blue.

As for Kentucky, I have no idea.

[Arkana]

17. Democrats in Kentucky and Arkansas would be Republicans in any other state.

I'm not losing sleep over the fact that a bunch of racists tried to sabotage the Democratic primaries and failed.

[hrmjustin]

35. I think that is a bit unfair to call them all rascist.n/t

[hughee99]

39. Anyone who doesn't support Obama can be called a racist.

Just ask Hillary's '08 primary supporters.

Whether that's an accurate term or not is another matter.

[hrmjustin]

40. I was not only a supporter I worked on her campain so i remember.

I think it wrong to lump everyone a racist that does not vote for him

[hughee99]

41. I agree completely

but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, even to a group of democrats.

[Bake]

42. Pardon me, but I'm a Democrat in Kentucky, and I'd be a Democrat anywhere.

In fact, there are several of us here on DU. And I think it's safe to say I speak for all of us when I invite you to kindly go fuck yourself. (EDITED TO ADD: with all due respect, of course.)

Bake

[Puzzledtraveller]

18. You said it

[FarLeftFist]

19. Democrats are against him??! He has a 90% approval rating with Dems.

NEWSFLASH: It was an open primary in coal country and white southerners are still racist.

[Cali_Democrat]

25. Ya...Some Democrats in Kentucky and Arkansas are against him

Who cares.

[SunsetDreams]

26. McCain won BOTH Kentucky and Arkansas in 2008

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html

I'm not concerned.

[hrmjustin]

34. I know, some people here are in lala land and think that...

...just because they think it everyone else thinks it too. Romney can win. Wow that is enough to make me want to puke.

[SunsetDreams]

36. "Romney can win"

by winning Kentucky and Arkansas in the same way that John McCain did?

Kentucky and Arkansas are not good examples in presenting the idea that Romney can win. President Obama didn't win those states in 2008 and his electoral vote was a decisive win.

[n2doc]

13. Yep. in 2008 both voted something like 60-40 for gramps

Probably will be worse this time. Both states dominated by deluded, racist voters high on koch-cane. They will continue to vote against their interests to their graves, and blame it all on 'demoncrats'

[wilt the stilt]

3. they would love him

if he could play basketball for UK or football for ARK.

[auburngrad82]

6. But only until his eligibility ran out. nt

[malaise]

4. Obama won 57 percent

Question - did Willard Rmoney win 57% of the vote in a single state?

WTF is wrong with these hacks?

[dems_rightnow]

5. He did, yes

Arkansas and Kentucky for sure. There are likely others.

[malaise]

11. Did Rmoney win 50% of the vote in any states outside of the South or Utah? n/t

[former9thward]

38. Yes

NY, MA, PA, and all of the NE states he won by 56% or more. But who cares? Not really relevant to the OP.

[cali]

7. yes

[hrmjustin]

37. Yes in all three of these states he did.n/t

[n2doc]

10. And mittens loses 33% of the primary vote in these same states to people who have dropped out

So? No mention of that fact, of course.

[Generic Other]

12. So what does it mean?

A bunch of teabaggers plan to be delegates to the convention? Idiots.

[Marrah_G]

14. To be fair, how many Dems came out to vote in that primary?

Seems to me, the only ones who would be making the effort to go out and vote in those primaries would be republicans, RW leaning independents and maybe a few Dems who hate the President enough to go out and cast a vote against him that they know has no meaning.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. There is nothing 'fair' about sitting home on election day.

How are they Democrats if they don't care to vote to nominate their House candidate, President, and to vote on issues and local offices? Do you seriously think it is ok to 'not make the effort'?
Our Primary just finished. Along with Obama and DeFazio, we had local offices, city and county, as well as Party officers on a separate ballot. I voted for Obama. Yet you claim only those who hate him would bother to vote in an election in which he is running? Logic like that leaves States Red for all time. Good thing these States are known to be GOP and clearly, even their Democrats are fairly Republican or apathetic to a disturbing degree.

[Marrah_G]

23. Where in my post did I say I thought it was okay to not vote?

My post was simply giving a logical explanation as to why a Texas inmate would get 40% of the primary vote..... IMHO it wasn't a real sampling of Democrats.

Not quite sure why you are flipping out on me.

[JoePhilly]

15. Oh no! ... Stupid people in crazyland voted against Obama!!!!

Obama better become white in a big hurry!!

[spanone]

16. he's got it locked up....point is moot

[kentuck]

21. And KY has a Democratic Governor...

He's white.

[Marcia Brady]

24. Is this a closed primary state?

Is it possible this is the result of 'Pukes stirring up trouble, like they did in the '08 primaries?

[louisvilleoutlaw]

28. Closed primary in KY

Closed primary, yes.

[louisvilleoutlaw]

27. Liberal in KY here. Just wanna say 'sorry'.

Turnout here state-wide was only 12%. That's not "42% of Kentuckians". Please DO NOT believe these media reports and their misleading headlines.

Here is the real story: http://insiderlouisville.com/news/2012/05/24/uncommitting-a-lie-the-truth-about-kentuckys-primary-election-vote/

[Bucky]

30. Thank you. That adds a hell of a lot of context to this OMG headline.

When we vote in Texas, I plan to show up, no matter how pointless it is.

[Sheepshank]

31. I don't understand...he LOST 40%...does that mean he WON 60%?

in those states? In a primary without a serious opponent and in states where showing up to vote in a Primary probably wastes more gas than it makes a statement?

Oh, ok.

[louisvilleoutlaw]

32. Yes, he won...

after receiving nearly 120,000 votes. In Jefferson County, where I live, he really did well. But on my ballot were only two judicial races. People don't get excited for those, and most thought since the President is running for re-election unopposed in Kentucky, there would be no reason at all to go cast one for him. The "uncommitted" option has only appeared since 1996.

Many KY Dems are former Dems who vote Republican. They just don't change registration, hence the cheap, false headlines. Upon further inspection, the "42%" who "rejected" the president here in this state is derived from this complicated mathematical formula: The 12% total who bothered to vote, minus those republicans who are counted in the 12%. Well, it's 42% of them.

It's a fourth of less than half of 12%.

There's your headline. It is not as though everyone showed up to vote and said NO to Obama.

Get this info out!!! They are LYING to you!!

[SoCalDem]

33. but he probably never planned to win either one (didn't in '08)

There's probably NO way any dem can win in the states that are deliberately contrarian, and that consistently vote against their own best interests.