Published: February 19, 2008 09:27 am         

Republicans voting for Obama, Clinton?

With McCain’s GOP nomination virtually assured, rumors say some Texas Republicans are apparently planning to vote in the Democratic primary, hoping to affect the outcome of that tight presidential race.

By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

State officials are predicting a high voter turnout among Democrats for that party’s primary on March 4 because of the heated contest between presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

That doesn’t even take into account the number of Texas Republicans who might decide to vote in the Democratic primary.

With GOP front-runner John McCain all but assured the party’s nomination, some Republicans are apparently tinkering with the idea of trying to derail the bids of one of the two Democratic candidates by crossing over and voting in that primary – despite the number of contested state and local Republican elections taking place.

One rumor is that Texas Republicans will jump over and vote for Obama, perceived by some Republicans as the “weak sister” – the candidate who Republicans feel McCain could beat in November. Another rumor has it they will cross over and vote for Clinton to keep the race tight, which in turn could exhaust more Democratic funds and possibly cause a split within the party.

Texas has no pre-election party registration and voters are considered independent until they cast their vote on March 4.

Palo Pinto County Republican County Chair Barbara Upham said individuals should vote their conscience instead of conducting what she said people sarcastically refer to as “strategic voting.”

“I believe in a person voting their convictions. Vote for the candidate because you truly believe they are the best candidate. It’s the only reason someone should vote for a candidate,” she said.

Some suggest that “strategic voting,” or voting against a specific candidate rather than for someone, could backfire and negatively impact locally contested Republican primaries. In Palo Pinto County, there are contested Republican primaries in the Precinct 1 County Commissioner and Precinct 5 County Constable races – both located within the county’s largest population base of Mineral Wells.

Likewise, Palo Pinto County Republicans also have a contested primary involving the State Senate District 30 seat between incumbent Craig Estes and challenger Charles Stafford.

According to Ken Johnson, who faces Bob Manskey in the local GOP primary for Precinct 1 County Commissioner, a “crossover vote is usually used to vote against somebody. It’s not going to mean as much in the long run. They lose a lot.”

“It’s more important [for citizens] to vote in their primary to get their best candidates on the November ballot,” he said.

“People in this county have seen elections where people have won or lost by a single vote, so everybody’s vote counts,” said Manskey.

“Regardless of who you vote for, you’re not wasting a vote [as some might think]. You’re voting for a person you feel would be best for the job,” he added.

Increasingly over the past decade, the local Republican Party has witnessed growth in the number of voters and candidates in its elections.

According to Upham, 2006 was the first time ever that the Republican primary ballot had a locally contested race in this historically Democratic county. She added that it was the first time in history that Palo Pinto County Republicans had twice the number of primary voters as Democrats, mostly because of the race for county judge.

With a tight primary race between U.S. senators Obama, with 1,262 delegates as of Feb. 12, and Clinton, with 1,213 delegates, Texas Democrats are in a prime position to help decide the party’s presidential nominee.

With 126 Democratic Party delegates at stake in the primary, Texans are expected to turn out in large numbers to vote.

Arizona Sen. John McCain is leading that party with over 800 delegates. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has an estimated 243 delegates and Texas Rep. Ron Paul has an estimated 14 delegates.

In a memo Friday to county election clerks, administrators and county party chairs, the Secretary of State’s office warned that other states have experienced high primary turnout and that Texas might, too.

Since McCain has a large delegate lead and is widely presumed to be the likely Republican nominee the race for the Republican presidential candidate is not nearly as close and could be considered less exciting than that of the Democrats.

“The senator certainly encourages people to take advantage of early voting. It’s there as a convenience for all voters to provide maximum participation,” said Jody Withers, Communications Director for Estes, R-Wichita Falls.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.