GOP primary turnout statewide was 32% . Sussex County turnout was 38.6%. Turnout in the 19th State Senate District was 42%.
Despite accounting for 5.4% of the registered Republicans statewide (9,846 out of 182,796)the 19th senate district accounted for 7.3% of the US Senate primary voters on primary day(4215 out of 57,584). Since this a district that O'Donnell won better than two to one, this higher turnout obviously helped her.
We don't need totally to just assume that the local state senate contest is what drew many voters out. The numbers verify that to a degree. At seven of 16 polling places no more people voted in the US Senate race than the 19th state senate race.At four out of 16 polling places more voters cast ballots in the local state senate race than in the US Senate race. In the 4th of th 35th,the 8th of the 36th,the 6th of the 37th and the 3rd of the 39th a few more voters cast ballots in the 19th State Senate race. In the 6th of the 35th and 5th of the 36th and the 8th of the 37th the number of votes was exactly the same. In any of the tie districts if any voters came in to vote only in the US Senate race, it means that some others voted only in the local race. At any rate, these numbers appear to prove that at seven out of 16 polling places the US Senate race did not generate more interest ( as gauged by actual votes cast) than the local state senate race.
It is a handful of voters and it won't matter unless the winning margin is narrow,but it is curious that in the highest profile statewide Republican primary in years in which the two candidates appeared to represent clearly different views of what the Republican Party is or should be, that some voters would see that contest as no more compelling than their state senate contest. It is not possible to tell whether these voters are waiting until November and will vote for the GOP nominee as a matter of course and were sitting out the intraparty squabble or viewed the Castle/O'Donnell race as a "pox on both houses" and will not vote for O'Donnell or will not vote at all in this race in November.
State Senator Booth does not have a general election opponent and possibly people realized the primary would settle who takes the seat and that became some of the motivation.
Although Booth is unopposed in the general election, 3 out of four state rep districts whose parts comprise the 19th state senate district have contests for state representative which should keep turnout respectable relative to the statewide turnout.The 35th, 36th and 37th each has a contest. In the 39th which supplies only two of the 16 election districs in this senate district , Rep Daniel Short is unopposed.
Since in these four rep districts O'Donnell did particularly well in 2008's US Senate general election, these merit watching this year. She beat Joe Biden in the 35th and the 39th .She lost the 36th by only 130 votes while losing by over 600 in the 37th.
If Chris Coons is to beat her he needs to offset a possible loss in this area with votes in other (most likely upstate) areas of the state and cut into her margin in this area. I am betting we will be seeing him at the Apple Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville next weekend.
District Democrats Republicans Others Total
01 OF 35- 1,082 ----1,247 -------587 ---2,916
02 OF 35- 1,942---- 1,621------- 981--- 4,544
03 OF 35- --247-------264------- 142----- 653
04 OF 35- 1,217----- -780------- 495--- 2,492
06 OF 35- --482------ 468------- 306--- 1,256
07 OF 35--- 319------ 228------- 161----- 708
RD Total--5,289-----4,608------2,672---12,569
04 OF 36- 1,017------ 777------- 604--- 2,398
05 OF 36--- 260------ 254------- 154----- 668
06 OF 36- 1,106------ 768------- 545--- 2,419
08 OF 36--- 629------ 386------- 273--- 1,288
RD Total- 3,012---- 2,185----- 1,576--- 6,773
04 OF 37-- -179------ 234------- 118----- 531
05 OF 37--- 464------ 639------- 272--- 1,375
06 OF 37--1,130------ 948------- 578--- 2,656
08 OF 37--- 248------ 136------- 106----- 490
RD Total- 2,021---- 1,957----- 1,074--- 5,052
01 OF 39--- 264------ 405------- 168----- 837
03 OF 39--- 572------ 691------- 328--- 1,591
RD Total--- 836---- 1,096------- 496--- 2,428
SD Total- 11,158--- 9,846----- 5,818--- 26,822
UNITED STATES SENATOR
District Total CASTLE M O'DONNELL
01-35 ---556--- 136----- ----420
02-35-- -688-- 198--------- 490
03-35-- --89--- 23---------- 66
04-35- --329--- 102-------- 227
06-35- 180----- 40--------- 140
07-35- 98------ 33--------- 65
04-36- 277----- 77-------- 200
05-36- 95 ------25--------- 70
06-36- 304---- 108-------- 196
08-36- 156----- 44-------- 112
04-37- 112----- 30--------- 82
05-37- 338---- 144-------- 194
06-37- 487---- 262-------- 225
08-37-- 52----- 16--------- 36
01-39- 166----- 45-------- 121
03-39- 288---- 110-------- 178
Total -4215---1393--------2822
District Total BODENWEISE BOOTH J W
01-35-- 550---- 367---------- 183
02-35-- 685---- 315---------- 370
03-35--- 87----- 56----------- 31
04-35-- 330---- 189---------- 141
06-35-- 180---- 121----------- 59
07-35--- 96----- 45----------- 51
RD Tot- 1928--- 1093--------- 835
04-36--- 272---- 162--------- 110
05-36---- 95----- 55--------- 40
06-36--- 299----- 126-------- 173
08-36--- 157----- 79--------- 78
RD Tot-- 823---- 409--------- 401
04-37--- 111---- 56----------- 55
05-37--- 335--- 108---------- 227
06-37--- 491--- 113--------- 378
08-37---- 52--- 30----------- 22
RD Tot-- 989-- 307---------- 682
01-39--- 164-- 83----------- 81
03-39--- 290-- 132--------- 158
RD Tot-- 454-- 215--------- 239
Cand Tot- 4194- 2037----- 2157
http://elections.delaware.gov/results/html/election.shtml
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