Connecticut Primary Draws Fence-Sitters

[cal04]

Thousands of unaffiliated Connecticut voters have registered as Democrats in recent weeks, apparently eager to vote in the tightly contested Aug. 8 Senate primary between Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and his antiwar challenger, Ned Lamont.

In the last three months, 6,715 voters have changed their registration from unaffiliated to Democrat, the secretary of state said on Monday, noting that the number was unusually large. Nearly 5,000 voters changed affiliation in July alone, nearly 10 times the number in May.

Unaffiliated voters can continue changing their registration until noon on the day before the primary. Unaffiliated voters are nearly 45 percent of the electorate, making them a larger group than either the Democrats or Republicans, according to the secretary of the state, Susan Bysiewicz. About 702,000 of the state’s 2.1 million voters, or about a third, are registered Democrats.

Both the Lieberman and Lamont campaigns say they expect record turnout in the primary election, and both campaigns say they believe the newly registered Democrats are a good sign for them. “We know that a significant number of those who have flipped have done so to back Ned Lamont,” said Tom Swan, Mr. Lamont’s campaign manager.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/nyregion/01lieberman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[GAPeace]

1. Is it more likely they are Greens/independent progressives than Dems?

I can see why a lot wouldn't want to be affiliated with Lieberman. Maybe with Lamont they are going Dem again.

[Clark2008]

2. How do we know they're not going to vote for LIEberman?

These could be those independents-in-Republican-clothing we hear so much about.

Not trying to be a wet blanket, here. I'm just wondering.