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A benefit of our never-ending primary

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Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 06:07:44 PM PDT

The "glass is half full" side to our prolonged primary:

Pennsylvania:

The state now has 4,119,213 registered Democrats. Since March 24, the last day of eligibility for the primary election, the state has received 33,281 new Democratic registrations and 45,977 party changes to the Democratic Party. The secretary of state’s office is still accepting new registrations and party switches that were postmarked by the deadline [...]

Since the first of the year, the state has received 101,499 new Democratic applications and 132,688 switches to the Democratic Party.

By contrast, the Republican Party in Pennsylvania now stands at 3,197,586 people. Only 32,191 citizens have joined the Republican roles and 13,937 have switched to the GOP since January 1.

Oregon:

Thousands of Oregon voters have been reregistering as Democrats — and more are expected to join them as that party’s Oregon presidential primary approaches [...]

It turns out that many GOP voters were making the switch even before the “Democrat for a Day” — or “dummocrat” as Taft puts it — movement got going.

From Feb. 1 through last Thursday, 7,318 Oregon voters reregistered as Democrats — including 2,644 who had been Republicans. The Oregon Republican Party, meanwhile, picked up just 1,426 party switchers, of which 596 had left the Democratic Party.

But interviews with some of Lane County’s Republican-turned-Democrat voters suggest that sabotaging the other party’s nomination isn’t their goal but voting Democrat is.

Among the 13 Republicans-turned-Democrat interviewed, all said they had already grown weary of the Republican Party, and particularly, its top member.

“I’m just Bushed out,” said John Antone, 68, of Springfield.

Connecticut:

Currently, there are 1,941,035 registered voters in Connecticut. Among newly registered voters nearly 9,000 Democrats and 2,600 Republicans registered to vote. Additionally, more than 8,000 unaffiliated voters registered. Of the nearly 20,000 newly registered voters, more than 4,500 are between the ages of 18 and 29. Since February 5th, among newly registered younger voters, Democratic registration has outpaced Republican registration: 2,311 to 469.

Any other states to add to this list?

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Tags: 2008, president, Pennsylvania, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

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