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The McCain Democrats
The Republican race for the White House turned out to be something of a snoozefest compared with the drama of the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton contest. I've waffled among envy, relief, and worry that the lack of excitement actually means a lack of enthusiasm for John McCain. And, as Politico points out this morning, the fact that Democrats are raising so much more money than McCain is a sign that conservatives "have yet to coalesce behind their standard bearer."
But maybe John McCain doesn't need all the conservatives. A new poll from Pennsylvania (hat tip: Drudge) suggests that the divisiveness of the Democratic campaign might indeed hurt the party. The candidates have each inspired such passionate followings that 20 percent of Obama supporters and 19 percent of Clinton supporters polled have vowed to vote for McCain if their candidate doesn't win the nomination. It's hard to say if that will play out, but given that our past few elections have been so close that even a small percentage of defectors can make a big difference, I think for now Republicans of all stripes can be glad we didn't nominate Mike Huckabee or Mitt Romney, who have far less appeal to our Democratic friends.
About Rachael Larimore
- Rachael Larimore is Slate's copy chief.
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