Romney Illinois Victory: Lowest Vote Turnout in 70 Years
This has been the plague for Mitt Romney's election "victories". In areas he wins the vote turnout is below 2008 levels where many conservatives, who had little faith in John McCain, stayed home. This low turnout problem has followed him in counter per country and state per state. In part, it is his own fault as he has carpet-bombed the states he has done well in with millions of dollars of dishonest negative ads. More and more pundits, including this very writer, said that the idea of Romney's electability is a myth, and that he just doesn't have what it takes to close the deal.
CHICAGO (CBS) — Turnout for Tuesday’s Illinois primary in Chicago was a meager 24 percent, officials said.
It was the lowest turnout for a presidential primary in the past 70 years.
Election officials said a lack of contested races was behind the lackluster activity at the polls.
“It’s very, very disappointing,” said Langdon Neal, chairman of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. “I think what it indicates is that a lack of a contest on the Democratic side at the top of the ticket really did cause our voters not to be engaged in this election.”
Four years ago, Barack Obama was in a heated primary race with Hillary Clinton. This year, Obama has his sights set on the general election. Meantime, GOP front-runner Mitt Romney, who rolled to an easy win in Illinois over his main rival, Rick Santorum.
But that didn’t equate to enthusiasm for Romney, an expert said.
“You could draw a larger crowd at a Green Bay Packers rally in downtown Chicago than what Mr. Romney delivered yesterday in Illinois,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Wednesday on CBS This Morning.