Republicans use Canton as GOTV ’08 testbed – lose big

from Canton Rep:

Republicans used Canton as a testing ground for get-out-the-vote techniques that could be repeated in the 2008 presidential election. The Democrats also identified Canton as a target race in Ohio.

Let’s hope they DO repeat these techniques again! This Canton Mayoral race is no bellwether though. No! Bennett and company are now spinning this race as something the Dems should have never lost because Canton is 2-1 Dem. Funny, i was always told there were more Indy voters there than either side, but I don’t have any official numbers. The question still remains in terms of judging this as any kind of bellwether event: when was the last time Canton was represented by a Democrat?

The bottom line here is that the ORP pulled out of Columbus completely and used an ’08 Presidential GOTV strategy and they lost big, giving up a targeted Mayor’s race. Incumbent losses are usually indicative of a swing in voter sentiment. This is indeed a tea leaf worth reading…even if Bennett and company don’t want to look up from the pillow they are crying into.

Would you not expect the winner of Stark County Ohio to win the presidential election? I would. The key is for our side is to continue to tap in to this voter sentiment and leverage it – NOT do any end zone dances just yet.