One last crunch of the Wisconsin numbers

Ostensibly, both of Wisconsin's presidential primaries were old-fashioned routs. But there actually was a cliffhanger that unfolded Tuesday night: Which winner, Barack Obama or John McCain, would claim the largest margin of victory?

It was surprisingly nip-and-tuck, given that McCain's main opponent is running on fumes while Obama's last rival draws upon a vaunted political machine and remains financially viable. In the end (well, more precisely, with 99.97% of the vote counted), McCain won his race by a wee bit more than Obama won his.

McCain's margin over Mike Huckabee: 17.85 percentage points.

Obama's over Hillary Clinton: 17.37 percentage points.

Two other numbers ... 

reflect the stark difference in voter interest generated by the dueling primaries.

In the Democratic race, more than 1,110,000 ballots were cast. The tally on the GOP side didn't quite reach 410,000.

Too much can be made of disparities in primary turnout. In Wisconsin, the Democratic face-off seemed more competitive and compelling than the Republican battle. So with either contest open to any voter, it's not surprising that a much larger share of independents -- as well as some Republicans -- would decide to choose between Obama and Clinton.

How these folks voted Tuesday is not necessarily predictive of what they will do come November. Still, here's the number that should give GOP officials pause: the total turnout in the party's Wisconsin primary fell more than 40,000 votes short of what Clinton, in her distant second-place finish, garnered.

The difference between the entire Republican vote and just Obama's sum: more than 235,000.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[David James]

Is it true that of all the siting women Democratic Governor's, they have all endorsed Obama? What happened to Hillary soildarity with women executive's?

[Richard P. McDonough]

Herself is bashing Obama on the stump, belittling him. That ain't going to play in Ohio. I think it may be time to take out the marmelade if you are inclined to eat Clinton Toast.

[cd]

Obama's campaign has more substance than Hillary's. People are deflecting from Hillary because her campaign is just talk, wheras Obama is actually winning and uniting.

[Babe Ruth]

The stats that show more Democrat votes than Republican are meaningless, except for use as liberal spin. With the Republican nomination a foregone conclusion, many conservative voters simply stayed home. Of those that voted, it makes sense that many Republican voters would cast a vote against Hillary in the Democratic primary. The irony is that they may well be helping to nominate the candidate with a better chance of beating McCain in the general election.

[born2debate]

I'm bummed that it seems that McCain is the only choice for the republicans, but it is encouraging to know that McCain has a chance. With 4-6 supreme court justices at stake, you really can't risk it!!