Obama, McCain Tops

With Newtown Voters Super Tuesday

By John Voket

Newtown voters mirrored their counterparts across Connecticut on “Super Tuesday,” with local Republicans endorsing Senator John McCain and Democrats supporting Senator Barack Obama in their respective Presidential Preference Primaries. Four local polling places, including the brand new site at Edmond Town Hall, all saw steady traffic throughout the day, according to Democratic Registrar of Voters LeReine Frampton.

By the 5 pm count, she told The Newtown Bee that primary turnout overall had exceeded the typical turnout for a local budget referendum. The level of interest shown by voters coming in to register until noon Monday telegraphed the suspicion that Tuesday’s primary was going to be a busy one.

Ms Frampton reported traffic plans to ease congestion at three schools were successful, with no voter complaints about access or parking.

“The biggest issue we had was voters not knowing where the gym was at Edmond Town Hall,” Ms Frampton said. Until the Tuesday primary, Middle Gate School, was the poling place for voters in District 3-2.

Apparently several 17-year-olds were told they could vote in the Primary if they became 18 by next Election Day. They were allowed to cast provisional ballots, but by Wednesday morning, all of those ballots were voided by the registrars.

“We made the determination, and those whose ballots did not count will be notified in writing,” Ms Frampton said.

On the Republican side, Sen McCain received 1,039 votes with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney a distant second with 659 votes. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee got 159 votes to Ron Paul’s 59 and withdrawn candidate Rudy Giuliani’s 25. While 27 Newtown Republicans turned out to indicate they were “uncommitted,” Fred Thompson, who withdrew January 22, and Alan Keys each received three votes in Newtown.

Duncan Hunter, who ended his campaign on January 19, received a single vote.

Democratic Sen Obama was threatened throughout the day at the local polls, but pulled ahead in the end, outpacing Senator Hillary Clinton 1,245 to 1,096. Locally, John Edwards, who withdrew from the race January 30, still received 32 votes. Seventeen Newtown Democrats said they were “uncommitted,” while Dennis Kucinich, also withdrawn, received three votes.

Mike Gravel, Bill Richardson, and Joe Biden each got three votes, and four Chris Dodd supporters sent a message to their candidate of choice at the Newtown polls Tuesday, despite the fact that Sen Dodd implored supporters not to waste their vote since his withdrawal.

Statewide, with 85 percent of the votes cast, the Associated Press was reporting Wednesday morning that Illinois Sen Obama led New York Sen Clinton 50 percent to 47 percent.

Sen Obama’s victory comes in a state long thought to be a Sen Clinton stronghold. Sen Clinton held a double-digit lead in polls of likely voters in January, but Sen Obama closed the gap as the once-crowded Democratic field narrowed to two.

“I’ve never seen a race where a candidate came from so far behind to win,” said state Senate President Donald E. Williams Jr, a co-chairman of Sen Obama’s Connecticut campaign.

Sen McCain, who represents Arizona, swept to an easy victory in Connecticut, as state GOP voters again showed their preference for independent-minded candidates.

It was the second Connecticut GOP presidential primary win in eight years for McCain. In 2000, he beat George W. Bush, who was born in New Haven and went on to win the nomination and the presidency that year.

With 81 percent of votes cast, Sen McCain led former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney 52 percent to 32 percent.

“People in Connecticut like someone who deals straight with them, who just speaks the truth,” said US Rep Christopher Shays, state co-chairman of Sen McCain’s campaign. “They also like that he’ll reach across the aisle ... and get things done. They know he’s ready for the first day he’ll be commander-in-chief.”

Sen McCain also had the backing of Gov M Jodi Rell and independent Sen Joe Lieberman, who was the other co-chairman of the state effort.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.