The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

PRIMARY ELECTION NIGHT HQ UPDATE: Lincoln Defeats Halter in Arkansas Senate Democratic Runoff UPDATE: Nikki Haley Tops SC GOP Primary With 49%; Runoff vs. Barrett UPDATE: Angle Wins NV-Sen GOP UPDATE: Whitman, Fiorina Win California GOP Gov., Sen. Primaries UPDATE: Graves Wins GA-9 Runoff

Posted on | June 8, 2010 | 28 Comments

12:56 a.m. ET Wednesday: Congratulations are in order for Nevada Tea Party people:

Republicans nominated former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle as their candidate to take on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Angle, the favorite of tea party activists, was endorsed by the Tea Party Express. She dispatched her two main rivals, and the Associated Press declared her the winner in the race with 39% of the vote and 59% of precincts reporting.
She was not the choice of the Republican establishment, who believed that former state GOP Party Chairwoman Sue Lowden stood a better chance of defeating Reid this November. Lowden was running a distant second with 28% of the vote.

Tough luck, GOP establishment. Also, in case you didn’t notice: Republican women went 4-for-4 in major primaries Tuesday.

12:40 a.m. ET Wednesday: The progressive netroots community raving moonbats blew $3.6 million trying to beat Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary. Dan Riehl has the DailyKos screen-cap.

12:27 a.m. ET: Maybe Dave Weigel thought no one would notice:

Matthew Berry, an openly gay FCC lawyer who’d attracted some national attention, went down to a narrow defeat at the hands of Iraq War veteran Patrick Murray . . .

Meanwhile, in the Nevada Republican Senate primary, Tea Party-backed candidate Sharron Angle defeats GOP establishment-backed Sue Lowden.

12:10 a.m. ET: OK, the double California bummers are compensated by an anonymous White House reaction to the defeat of union-backed Bill Halter in Arkansas:

“Organized labor just flushed
$10 million down the toilet”

Just imagine what Rahm Emanuel had to say about that. And listening to MSNBC talking heads singing the blues about the Arkansas results is pretty sweet, too.

Midnight ET: Billionaire beats billionaire in Republican primary in California:

After two former Silicon Valley executives pulled nearly $100 million out of their own pockets to carpet-bomb the state with TV ads, the venomous GOP battle between Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner was all over 15 minutes after the polls closed.
Results from mail-in ballots across the state showed Whitman, a billionaire who once ran eBay, beating state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner by 65 percent to 26 percent.

Also, Carly Fiorina has bought the GOP Senate nomination in California. Way to fight back against that “party of the rich” stereotype, y’all.

Meanwhile, we hear that birther czarina Orly Taitz is leading the GOP primary for California secretary of state.

Yeah. Big thumbs-up. Heck of a job, California.

11:26 p.m. p.m. ET: Blanche Lincoln survives! Moonbat hearts are crushed. I just watched Ed Schultz on MSNBC, spinning bizarre election-fraud conspiracy theories for Bill Halter’s defeat. Life is good!

11:15 p.m. ET (Smitty): Lincoln at 52% over Halter’s 48% with 89% of precincts in.

11:04 p.m. ET (Smitty): VA Update: It’s Fimian in VA-11 against Connolly, and Patrick Murray against Congresstool Extraordinaire Jim Moran. Northern Virginia owes the rest of the country an example of getting behind the GOP candidate and offering heavy support, as we try to eliminate the blue death creeping south across the Potomac.

10:51 p.m. ET: Nikki Haley’s percentage in the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary vote is 48.9% with 97% of precincts reporting, so there will be a June 22 runoff against Gresham Barrett. In the Democratic primary, Vincent Sheheen cruised to the nomination with 59%.

10:35 p.m. ET: With 60% of precincts reporting in the Arkansas Democratic runoff, Bill Halter has now edged ahead 51-49% over Sen. Blanche Lincoln.

10:20 p.m. ET: In addition to Haley’s shockingly strong performance, here’s another South Carolina shocker:

U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis (R., S.C.) is poised to become the latest incumbent to be ousted in a primary contest. He trails a distant second in the Republican primary in South Carolina’s fourth district.

9:57 p.m. ET: Now with 89% of precincts reporting in the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary, Nikki Haley is still just shy of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. She’s the biggest winner tonight, while the big losers are Jake Knotts, Larry Marchant and — most especially — Will Folks.

9:48 p.m. ET: Well, kiss my grits!

South Carolina state Rep. Nikki Haley (R) edged close to 50 percent in the Palmetto State governor’s primary race, an indication that personal attacks aimed at her in the final week of the campaign had backfired.
With 74 percent of votes counted, Haley stood at 49 percent while Rep. Gresham Barrett took second with 21 percent.

9:35 p.m. ET: Cassy Fiano: “Nikki Haley is kicking ass in South Carolina.” Clyde Middleton is tracking the Arkansas runoff results at Liberty Pundits.

9:30 p.m. ET: In Arkansas, with 4% of precincts reporting, incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln leads challenger Bill Halter 53%-47% in Democratic primary runoff.

9:25 p.m. ET: Republican Tom Graves wins the special election runoff in Georgia’s 9th District. He will enter Congress immediately.

9:10 p.m. ET: Michael Barone on Fox just said that the GOP turnout in VA-8 (to challenge Democrat Jim Moran) is more than double previous years. In South Carolina, with 35% of precincts reporting in the GOP gubernatorial primary, it’s Nikki Haley 46%, Gresham Barrett 26%.

8:35 p.m. ET: Now, with about 14% of precincts reporting, Nikki Haley leads Gresham Barrett 39%-29%, while Vincent Sheheen looks like he’ll avoid a runoff on the Democratic side.

8:26 p.m. ET: In very preliminary South Carolina returns, Nikki Haley has 42% of the vote.

7:35 p.m. ET: From USA Today:

Polls have closed in South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, where state election officials report low to moderate turnout today. The results of some of the most compelling races will come later tonight, after voting ends in Arkansas, Nevada and California.

Readers should feel free to contribute by linking/reporting the latest results in the comments.

7:50 p.m. ET: South Carolina results at WHNS-TV, the Fox affiliate in Greenville, S.C.

8:05 p.m. ET: As all decent patriotic Americans must despise Rep. Jim Moran, please follow the Virginia 8th District GOP primary results at Red NoVA8.

UPDATE 8:08 p.m. ET: Scott Rigell has been called the winner in Virginia’s 2nd District Republican primary.

EXPECT FURTHER UPDATES . . .

PREVIOUSLY (6:30 p.m. ET):
Republicans for Blanche Lincoln *
* – Offer expires June 9, 2010

Smitty will be online later to handle the major task of providing coverage of tonight’s primary elections in several states, while I toil on a non-blogatory project. When the indispensible (and inimitable) sidekick called to check in this afternoon, I mentioned the runoff in the Arkansas Democratic senatorial primary.

“So we hope that Blanche Lincoln will be reading her political obituary?” Smitty inquired.

“No, no, no, Admiral Smith!” I replied, and explained that it is the duty of all good Americans to hope that Senator Lincoln breaks the vicious little hearts of Bill Halter’s moonbat supporters, so that she’ll be a wounded prey come November. Writing in the Manchester (U.K.) Guardian — which explains the Brit-style spelling — Jim Antle summarizes Blanche’s predicament:

Senator Blanche Lincoln has irritated organised labour and other liberal activists by voting against them on card check legislation for union organising, a public option for healthcare, and various free trade agreements, among other deviations from party orthodoxy. So the unions and the progressive netroots are fuelling lieutenant governor Bill Halter’s primary challenger.

Quite so and, as with the May 18 Pennsylvania primary — where the weakened incumbent Arlen Specter faced the young challenger Joe Sestak — the upstart progressive insurgent represents the stronger political choice for Democrats in November. Just as Republicans fare better when the GOP nominee enjoys strong support from the conservative grassroots, Democrats are more likely to win if they nominate someone who inspires enthusiasm by their (misinformed, demented and/or evil) core constituencies.

This may seem counterintuitive to advocates of moderation and centrism, but in any reasonably competitive election, a nominee who doesn’t have the loyalty of his own party will seldom defeat a hard-core partisan of the opposite party. This is why John McCain was such a weak candidate against Barack Obama two years ago.

Human Events has a roundup of pertinent info on the Arkansas runoff, including this poll result:

Bill Halter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49%
Sen. Blanche Lincoln . . . . . 45%
Research 2000, survey of 600 Democratic voters, June 2-4. (Margin of error +/- 4 percentage points.)

So the wackos, zanies, union goons and other menaces to society who constitute the core of the Democratic Party are this close to bestowing their stooge Bill Halter with the nomination. She’s probably doomed beyond all hope of redemption, but if somehow Blanche Dubois Lincoln can pull off a miraculous victory tonight, the moonbats will be so demoralized they’ll contemplate suicide.

Which is why every patriotic soul must permit himself to hope that the worthless old hag wins.

In other key races tonight:

  • California Senate — Carly Fiorina  buys the GOP nomination, which means the only hope for Republican victory in November is that Sen. Barbara Boxer gets caught on video in a Helen Thomas-style gaffe, disparaging gays and/or Mexicans. Barring an eruption of sudden-onset Tourette’s Syndrome — the Senator denouncing her hairdresser Ramon as a “g–d– beaner faggot” in an accidental CNN live-mike situation — we can expect Kollyfornia to keep electing Democrats and continue slouching toward Zimbabwe.
  • California Governor — Meg Whitman buys the GOP nomination, but stands a reasonable chance against Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown in November. Frankly, Republicans could nominate Martin Bormann and stand a 50-50 shot against Jerry Brown, a fossilized remnant of a bygone political era for whom no intelligent person could be nostalgic. Notice I said “no intelligent person.” But this is, after all, Kollyfornia . . .
  • Nevada Senate — Sharron Angle will follow in Rand Paul’s footsteps to become the second Tea Party-backed candidate to win a GOP Senate primary. Democrats and some Republicans are trying to depict Angle as a wacko extremist who will lose in November. No, she’s a GOP Bill Halter, and is likely to win in November, even if she does start ranting about “beaner faggots.”
  • South Carolina Governor — Nikki Haley places first in the GOP gubernatorial primary, although it’s doubtful she’ll avoid a runoff. However, let’s hope Haley does win it outright tonight, delivering a well-deserved kick in the gonads to Will Folks, Larry Marchant and Jake Knotts.
Category: Arkansas, California, Election, Nevada, Senate, South Carolina

Comments

28 Responses to “PRIMARY ELECTION NIGHT HQ UPDATE: Lincoln Defeats Halter in Arkansas Senate Democratic Runoff UPDATE: Nikki Haley Tops SC GOP Primary With 49%; Runoff vs. Barrett UPDATE: Angle Wins NV-Sen GOP UPDATE: Whitman, Fiorina Win California GOP Gov., Sen. Primaries UPDATE: Graves Wins GA-9 Runoff”

  1. Joe
    June 8th, 2010 @ 10:50 pm

    Tough sleding but possible. Kollyfornia might be receptive to Fiorina.

  2. Joe
    June 8th, 2010 @ 6:50 pm

    Tough sleding but possible. Kollyfornia might be receptive to Fiorina.

  3. Americaneocon
    June 8th, 2010 @ 11:07 pm

    Just make that “evil” constituencies … no Brit spelling needed.

  4. Americaneocon
    June 8th, 2010 @ 7:07 pm

    Just make that “evil” constituencies … no Brit spelling needed.

  5. ak4mc
    June 8th, 2010 @ 11:11 pm

    if somehow Blanche Lincoln can pull off a miraculous victory tonight, the moonbats will be so demoralized they’ll contemplate suicide.

    They’ll contemplate, but they won’t actually do it.

    If anyone wonders why every Obama promise comes with an expiration date…

  6. ak4mc
    June 8th, 2010 @ 7:11 pm

    if somehow Blanche Lincoln can pull off a miraculous victory tonight, the moonbats will be so demoralized they’ll contemplate suicide.

    They’ll contemplate, but they won’t actually do it.

    If anyone wonders why every Obama promise comes with an expiration date…

  7. Miss Sharon
    June 8th, 2010 @ 11:17 pm

    I am not practiced well with delayed gratification…but point well made. Come on Blanche crawl over the line. ::said very tepidly::

    Hope Nikki wins out right! ::said with extreme enthusiasm::

  8. Miss Sharon
    June 8th, 2010 @ 7:17 pm

    I am not practiced well with delayed gratification…but point well made. Come on Blanche crawl over the line. ::said very tepidly::

    Hope Nikki wins out right! ::said with extreme enthusiasm::

  9. Cassy Fiano
    June 8th, 2010 @ 9:13 pm

    […] The Other McCain Primary results liveblogging; Haley out to early lead […]

  10. Cassy Fiano » Nikki Haley is kicking ass in South Carolina
    June 8th, 2010 @ 9:26 pm

    […] Hot Air Politico The Other McCain Ace of Spades Liberty Pundits The Campaign […]

  11. Get Your Primary Night Results From The Primary Source: The Other McCain « The Camp Of The Saints
    June 8th, 2010 @ 9:34 pm

    […] are live blogging […]

  12. Jamie
    June 9th, 2010 @ 2:38 am

    Here is the futility of being a Democrat for statewide office in South Carolina: Nikki Haley received more otes alone in the GOP primary than the grand total of votes cast in the whole Democrat gubernatorial primary–and still faces a run off:

    http://www.wistv.com/Global/link.asp?L=444819

    Something else to note–Tim Scott, a black Republican, has been forced ito a run off most likely with the son of legendary Sen. Strom Thurmond, but still has a large advantage.

    The Democrats only put up one minority candidate besides Jim Clyburn’s reelection for major office–Robert Ford–and he came in dead last in the democrat gubernatorial primary.

    Jake Knotts notwithstanding, you have to admit those raaaaacist Republicans certainly seem willing to vote for blacks and Indians while Democrats have trouble with the idea.

  13. Jamie
    June 8th, 2010 @ 10:38 pm

    Here is the futility of being a Democrat for statewide office in South Carolina: Nikki Haley received more otes alone in the GOP primary than the grand total of votes cast in the whole Democrat gubernatorial primary–and still faces a run off:

    http://www.wistv.com/Global/link.asp?L=444819

    Something else to note–Tim Scott, a black Republican, has been forced ito a run off most likely with the son of legendary Sen. Strom Thurmond, but still has a large advantage.

    The Democrats only put up one minority candidate besides Jim Clyburn’s reelection for major office–Robert Ford–and he came in dead last in the democrat gubernatorial primary.

    Jake Knotts notwithstanding, you have to admit those raaaaacist Republicans certainly seem willing to vote for blacks and Indians while Democrats have trouble with the idea.

  14. Estragon
    June 9th, 2010 @ 5:05 am

    I’m just outside Tim Scott’s district and the area he served, but in the Charleston news and media market, so I’ve watched the guy from the School Board to County Council over a number of years. He’s the real deal, has been arguing for fiscal sanity and traditional values respecting issues regularly before the bodies upon which he served at every opportunity.

    Strom’s son Paul Thurmond was at about 16% to Scott’s 30%, but will be a formidable opponent who has also paid some dues (not as much as Scott has, by experience he would win in a walk), and also has successful business experience. Whoever wins the run-off is effectively the next congressman; the 1st district is the seat held by Mendel Rivers, Jr., Cousin Arthur Ravenel, and Mark Sanford (most recently by Henry Brown, a decent but unremarkable public servant).

    I expect Barrett to do some simple math and figure out that if he could get all the McMaster and Bauer supporters to the polls, he would have to win over 98% of them to beat Haley if she held just her own. Doesn’t add up, and I don’t think he has the money left to try.

  15. Estragon
    June 9th, 2010 @ 1:05 am

    I’m just outside Tim Scott’s district and the area he served, but in the Charleston news and media market, so I’ve watched the guy from the School Board to County Council over a number of years. He’s the real deal, has been arguing for fiscal sanity and traditional values respecting issues regularly before the bodies upon which he served at every opportunity.

    Strom’s son Paul Thurmond was at about 16% to Scott’s 30%, but will be a formidable opponent who has also paid some dues (not as much as Scott has, by experience he would win in a walk), and also has successful business experience. Whoever wins the run-off is effectively the next congressman; the 1st district is the seat held by Mendel Rivers, Jr., Cousin Arthur Ravenel, and Mark Sanford (most recently by Henry Brown, a decent but unremarkable public servant).

    I expect Barrett to do some simple math and figure out that if he could get all the McMaster and Bauer supporters to the polls, he would have to win over 98% of them to beat Haley if she held just her own. Doesn’t add up, and I don’t think he has the money left to try.

  16. Estragon
    June 9th, 2010 @ 5:07 am

    And yes, I know Rivers was a Democrat – but he would not be today. Actually, had he lived, the Democrats would probably have been too afraid of him to veer so far left.

  17. Estragon
    June 9th, 2010 @ 1:07 am

    And yes, I know Rivers was a Democrat – but he would not be today. Actually, had he lived, the Democrats would probably have been too afraid of him to veer so far left.

  18. Jamie
    June 9th, 2010 @ 6:14 am

    You are correct, Estragon. The Republican Governors Association has already requested Barrett not contest the run off with Haley.

  19. Jamie
    June 9th, 2010 @ 2:14 am

    You are correct, Estragon. The Republican Governors Association has already requested Barrett not contest the run off with Haley.

  20. Bob Belvedere
    June 9th, 2010 @ 11:26 am

    Thank you for the up-to-the-minute coverage and straight analysis, Stacy and Smitty. I really needed a Juan Williams-free zone in which to get the election results from.

  21. Bob Belvedere
    June 9th, 2010 @ 7:26 am

    Thank you for the up-to-the-minute coverage and straight analysis, Stacy and Smitty. I really needed a Juan Williams-free zone in which to get the election results from.

  22. Clavius
    June 9th, 2010 @ 3:34 pm

    [blockquote]Meanwhile, we hear that birther czarina Orly Taitz is leading the GOP primary for California secretary of state.

    Yeah. Big thumbs-up. Heck of a job, California.[/blockquote]

    Hey, we’ve got our problems, but this comment is totally unfair. Have you been watching too much MSNBC? Are you totally clueless?

    Taitz lost 75% to 25%.

    Keep your California bashing on the facts, please.

  23. Clavius
    June 9th, 2010 @ 11:34 am

    [blockquote]Meanwhile, we hear that birther czarina Orly Taitz is leading the GOP primary for California secretary of state.

    Yeah. Big thumbs-up. Heck of a job, California.[/blockquote]

    Hey, we’ve got our problems, but this comment is totally unfair. Have you been watching too much MSNBC? Are you totally clueless?

    Taitz lost 75% to 25%.

    Keep your California bashing on the facts, please.

  24. Clavius
    June 9th, 2010 @ 3:38 pm

    Sorry for messing up the quote tags.

    [quote]is this a quote?[/quote]

  25. Clavius
    June 9th, 2010 @ 11:38 am

    Sorry for messing up the quote tags.

    [quote]is this a quote?[/quote]

  26. ak4mc
    June 9th, 2010 @ 11:34 pm

    Pointy brackets are key, Clavius.

  27. ak4mc
    June 9th, 2010 @ 7:34 pm

    Pointy brackets are key, Clavius.

  28. Flight Made (Grand) Junction Re-direct Adroitly : The Other McCain
    June 13th, 2010 @ 11:30 am

    […] ShemaleCarol’s ClosetSouth Carolina Sacred Honor WatchThe Classic LiberalAmerican GlobPRIMARY ELECTION NIGHT HQ UPDATE: Lincoln Defeats Halter in Arkansas Senate Democratic Runoff UPDAT…Cassy Fiano and Cassy Fianohere.The Camp of the SaintsDem Nominee Faces Porn ChargeThe Classic […]