6 thoughts on “Independents Outnumber Republicans, Gain on Democrats in Broward County, Florida”

1. d.eris January 28, 2011 at 13:11

   Does this mean we have to start covering Florida Republicans? Not to mention Arizona Democrats?
2. paulie Post authorJanuary 28, 2011 at 13:18

   @1 LOL. You mean based on because they are in third place, right?
3. paulie Post authorJanuary 28, 2011 at 13:20

   Seriously though, Independent registered voters might outnumber registered Democrats and/or Republicans in the whole country, but unless and until they outnumber Democrats and/or Republicans in office I don’t think we should serious contemplate changing our coverage criteria.

   I’m guessing you were joking, but I’ll address it as a serious question just in case I misunderstood you.
4. paulie Post authorJanuary 28, 2011 at 16:23

   For anyone wondering about the reference to Arizona @1:

   http://politeaparty.blogspot.com/2011/01/independents-overtaking-partisan-dead.html

   Independents Overtaking Partisan Dead-Enders Left and Right
   New voter registration numbers are beginning to come in across the country and early signs show significant gains among Independents and decline-to-state voters. In Arizona, Independents now outnumber Democrats and are gaining on Republicans. From AZ Central:

   The number of Arizona voters who do not designate an affiliation with any political party has exceeded 1 million for the first time, according to numbers released Monday by the Secretary of State’s office. . . .

   It also marks the first time the number of independent voters is greater than those registered in one of the state’s two major political parties – in this case, the Democrats.As of Jan. 1, there were 1,010,725 voters registered as “other” in the state . . . . The number of registered Democrats, by comparison, stands at 1,008,689. . . . There are now 1,142,602 registered Republican voters in the state.

   In Broward County, Florida, on the other hand, Independents now outnumber Republicans and are gaining on Democrats. From The Shark Tank:

   In what amounts to an embarrassing piece of news for the Republican Party in Florida, the number of people in Broward County registered as Republicans now trails both Registered Democrats AND Registered Independents. Broward Republicans now trail that highly organized political party, affectionately known as “Other” by close to 1000 votes.
5. d.eris January 30, 2011 at 23:48

   heh. Sorry for my delayed reply paulie. Yes, I was joking. Should’ve put in a 😉

   But I guess there is a real question buried in there for future reference. As you say: “unless and until they outnumber Democrats and/or Republicans IN OFFICE.” Ironically, I guess I’d have to say I can’t wait to cover Dems and Reps.
6. paulie Post authorJanuary 31, 2011 at 07:38

   Yes, I was joking. Should’ve put in a 😉

   I figured that, but I wasn’t 100% sure.

   But I guess there is a real question buried in there for future reference. As you say: “unless and until they outnumber Democrats and/or Republicans IN OFFICE.” Ironically, I guess I’d have to say I can’t wait to cover Dems and Reps.

   Off the top of my head, if independents were to outnumber D/Roids in office, if they were true independents who are all over the political map and not a de facto party/voting bloc like Democrats and Republicans, there would still be a qualitative difference that would justify our current focus. If they became a de facto party – IINOs, if you will – then IMO we should stop covering them at that hypothetical point in time.