[Senator John McCain of Arizona has broken away from the pack in the Republican presidential race. After Super Tuesday, McCain has gone from “the comeback kid” to the likely Republican nominee. Shelly Schwartz of Democracywise tells us about McCain’s landslide victory in New York and his surge in popularity.]
With former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani out of the race, Arizona Senator John McCain easily clinched New York’s Republican primary Tuesday night. According to News10Now at 11 p.m. with 98-percent of Onondaga County precincts reporting McCain won 50-percent of the vote.”
Jim DiBlasi is McCain’s Central New York campaign chairman. DiBlasi says with or without Giuliani in the race, he had no doubt McCain would come out on top.
[“Polling numbers did show that McCain was leading in upstate. We knew that 60- percent of the Republican primary voters are upstate residents. And Giuliani being a downstate guy—he might as well be from another state.” Jim DiBlasi, Central New York campaign chairman for Sen. McCain]
Political scientist Thomas Raven of Syracuse University says McCain owes much of his success across the country to the withdrawal of Giuliani. Giuliani dropped out after losing Florida’s primary last Tuesday and endorsed McCain. Raven says the moderate voters who supported Giuliani now back McCain. But the more conservative Republicans are torn between former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Raven says this split helps McCain.
[“The flip side to the Giuliani exiting the race and endorsing McCain on the social conservative side would have been Huckabee exiting the race and endorsing and throwing his support to Romney. And the fact that he hasn’t done this is clearly a benefit to McCain.” Thomas Raven of Syracuse University]
At Central New York polling stations this afternoon, many voters said McCain was the obvious Republican choice. For example, 89-year-old Richard Farrell of Liverpool says he’s drawn to McCain’s straightforward personality.
[“I think he can just give us an honest day’s work, which we’re never getting. In other words, I think he’ll go in there and do what he feels is best for the country not what some political group or something else thinks.” Richard Farrell of Liverpool]
McCain’s Central New York campaign chairman Jim DiBlasi says his work to spread McCain’s message does not end after Super Tuesday.
[“Next what we’re going to do is outreach in the other counties — Oswego, Cortland, Madison—set up more organization there, and then try to plan a McCain visit and try to get the message out on that.” Jim DiBlasi, Central New York campaign chairman]
New York is a winner-takes-all state with the second highest delegate count of Super Tuesday states. McCain will get all of New York’s 110 delegates to the Republican nominating convention .
For Democracywise, I’m Shelly Schwartz.
(Shelly Schwartz is a senior broadcast journalism major.)
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