GOP primaries: Keep calm and carry on
Five states will vote tonight in the Republican presidential primary. And none of them will matter -- at all.
This is what you should be doing during tonight’s primaries. Photographer: Sergio Dionisio/BloombergThe tendency when covering a still, kind-of, sort-of active primary fight is to imbue the states voting with more meaning than they rightly deserve.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is going to be the Republican presidential nominee. Nothing, literally nothing, that happens tonight in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island or Delaware could change that fact.
Could former House Speaker Newt Gingrich win in Delaware or at least overperform in the First State? Sure. Does it matter? No.
Could Romney be less dominant in Pennsylvania than might be expected of someone who is the de facto nominee? Sure. Does it matter? No.
Romney himself will acknowledge that reality in a way he has been heretofore unwilling to do, according to prepared remarks of a speech he will deliver in New Hampshire tonight.
“After 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and not a few long nights, I can say with confidence – and gratitude – that you have given me a great honor and solemn responsibility,” Romney is expected to say. “And, together, we will win on November 6th!”
Take a look back at 2008 for evidence that tonight doesn’t matter. Arizona Sen. John McCain essentially clinched the Republican nomination on Jan. 29 when he beat Romney in the Florida primary.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee went on to win six states between McCain’s Florida victory and Feb. 9. Yes, six! And it didn’t matter a whit.
The race had moved on. Huckabee’s wins were indicative of little other than the fact that he retained a loyal base of conservatives — largely lumped in the South — on which he built his next career as a radio and TV show host.
Like that race, the storylines of this primary have simply reached their natural conclusion. There is no life left in the field. And Republican voters — no matter what they do tonight — have moved on too.
In a Pew Research Center poll released last week, 88 percent of Republicans who supported someone other than Romney for the party’s nomination said they would back him in a general election fight against President Obama. That sort of unanimity among those who didn’t even want him to be their nominee tells you all you need to know.
The Republican race is over. It ended the day earlier this month when former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum ended his candidacy. No matter what happens tonight, remember that fact.
- Spam
- Obscene
- Duplicate
Blog Contributors
Chris Cillizza
Chris Cillizza is founder and editor of The Fix, a leading blog on state and national politics. He is the author of The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider’s Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics and an MSNBC contributor and political analyst. He also regularly appears on NBC and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show. He joined The Post in 2005 and was named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian in 2009.
Juliet Eilperin
Juliet Eilperin covers the White House for the Washington Post. She served as the Post's House of Representatives reporter from 1998-2004, covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton, lobbying, legislation, and five national congressional campaigns. Since 2004 she has been one of the country’s leading reporters covering the environment, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. She is the author of two books, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives," and "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Follow her on Twitter.
Ed O’Keefe
Ed O’Keefe covers Congress and politics for the Washington Post. He previously covered the 2008 and 2012 campaigns and reported on federal agencies and federal employees as author of The Federal Eye blog. Follow Ed on Twitter.
Aaron Blake
Aaron Blake covers national politics at the Washington Post, where he writes regularly for “The Fix,” the Post’s top political blog. A Minnesota native and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron and his wife, Danielle, live in Annandale, Va. Follow him on Twitter.
Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan covers national politics for “The Fix.” Prior to joining the Washington Post in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, National Journal Hotline’s politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow Sean on Twitter.
Scott Clement
Scott Clement is a survey research analyst for Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Scott specializes in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. He helps design and analyze all Washington Post polls, including the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Follow Scott on Twitter.
Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers national politics for Post Politics and The Fix. She came to the Washington Post in 2010 as a political web editor and anchored the Post's 2012 election blog. She was previously a web editor at The Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter.
Loading...
Comments