Enalrge map
Total turnout of this year’s moody Republican voters in caucuses and primaries is down 9%, with a majority of contests showing a decrease. Incompetence and poor turnout have plagued caucus states especially, with especially anemic showings in Nevada and Minnesota. This year’s Missouri primary was made nonbinding, in contrast to 2008, leading to an astonishing 57% drop in participation.
Florida and Minnesota show total collapses in most of the state except for rural counties away from major metropolitan areas. The entire Atlantic coast of Florida from Jacksonville to Miami joined the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in shunning the contests. The base might be angry, but they’re not coming out to vote.
Going into tomorrow’s Washington caucuses and the Super Tuesday states, will we see a Republican electorate finally waking up to its nomination contest, or fatigue and disenchantment? This map might give Newt Gingrich a (lately rare) ray of hope: his home state of Georgia so far is surrounded by green.