John Edwards Win Seven Percent Of West Virginia Primary

AFP notes a strange trend in the West Virginia primary: the surprising turnout of John Edwards.

Clinton beat Obama by a bruising 67 to 26 percent in West Virginia, with 100 percent of the vote counted. Seven percent voted for former senator John Edwards, who dropped out of the presidential race in late January.

Remarks Steve Benen:

How serious were identity-politics considerations? John Edwards -- who dropped out of the race in January -- got 7% of the vote. That's quite a few West Virginians who seemed to be saying, "We don't like the black guy or the woman from New York."

Comments

[M1nkyb0y]

12:00 AM on 05/15/2008

My guess is they probably couldn't read. This is not an area known for intellectuals.
Just saying.....
Did you hear the interviews with some locals on The Daily show.
There really ought to be a freakin' IQ test for voter registration.

[lboucher]

10:34 PM on 05/14/2008

Obama sucks in swing state W, Virginia.

Obama is acting the diffident debutante, pretending not to care that he was given a raspberry by a state he will need in the fall. He was dismissed not only by the voters Hillary usually gets, but was also edged out in blocs that usually prefer him — the under-30 set, college graduates and affluent voters.

[CheshireCat2]

05:43 PM on 05/14/2008

What a piece of shit. This guy worries about homeless vets from his 29,000 sq. ft. home? And he ruined 100 acres for it too?

[CheshireCat2]

05:28 PM on 05/14/2008

This guy is absolutely useless.

[CheshireCat2]

05:26 PM on 05/14/2008

God, I cannot stand this wussy.

[CheshireCat2]

05:18 PM on 05/14/2008

OK Democrats, I am not one but Thank You from the bottom of my heart for NOT nominating this twit.

[comodiode]

05:18 PM on 05/14/2008

Edwards is to endorse Obama tonight according to CNN

[CheshireCat2]

05:26 PM on 05/14/2008

Sounds about right. Or was that Wright?

[glorysong]

04:50 PM on 05/14/2008

The people in West Virginia do not like Black People and will not vote for one. You see they voted for Edwards before they vote for Obama. That is the KKK home town. So of course Hillary would get it. She felt right at Home there. Those are her kind of people. The White working class of Racist people of West Virginia. And they showed how Racist there are.

[CheshireCat2]

04:56 PM on 05/14/2008

You must have lived through the 60's and 70's. It is rather obvious that the psychodelics had an effect on your rationale.

[Chrysofa]

05:16 PM on 05/14/2008

West Virginia is not the KKK home town. And West Virginians do not dislike black people. West Virginia is neither now nor has it ever been since it's inception a region of racist people. All these points can easily be backed up by fact and are generally known. They voted for Hillary because she kissed their collective butts, told them they were vital and necessary. She appeals to the elderly and the undereducated. West Virginia falls into both categories.

Attacks of this type, the type you've posted here, are quite frankly disgusting and unwelcome. I'm sure Fox News has some page more appropriate for your type of weak, unsubstantiated, pathetic emotional appeal.

[Maifmart]

03:25 PM on 05/14/2008

This is the base Hillary says she can build a winning coalition on? Get real, if 7% prefer the white guy who dropped out, what's she think 'd happen when McCain the war hero's name was on the ballot with her?

[ggmome]

02:58 PM on 05/14/2008

Shows to go ya, racism is deaf, dumb, blind as well as stupid... 'Spec they didn't know he is out of the race? Or is this a sign of anything but a AA or a Clinton? Wonder how Hillary would interpet that?

[CheshireCat2]

03:09 PM on 05/14/2008

The funny thing is they are Democrats. Now go back and read your post again. It's your family you mock.

[colbertnationfan]

02:13 PM on 05/14/2008

John Edwards was my Number One pick from day one. Why oh why didn't others see in him what I did I will never know or understand.

That's OK though because he likes Hillary's Health Care plan best, so if she becomes the nominee at Convention we can hope Edwards will jump on the ticket then, if not sooner.

[bowloforanges]

02:31 PM on 05/14/2008

Why do you think he has not backed HRC yet?

[ceesaw]

02:54 PM on 05/14/2008

See this is just the point. These folks in West Virginia are either extremely uninformed,or just plain old Racist. Why don't they know that Edwards is no longer in the race? Or they would rather vote for someone who is not in the race than for a black candidate? The media is making it look as though this is something Obama is responsible for.This is not an Obama's problem.It is America's problem.These people have been hating Blacks forever.They have stated in no uncertain terms that they will not vote for a black candidate.So let them sit up there and wallop in their own ignorance.They do not understand the issues.The issues are too complicated for them.One thing that unites them is the fact that they hate Blacks.What they fail to realize is that that type of mentality is dying out. AGAIN, THIS IS AMERICA'S PROBLEM.

[CheshireCat2]

02:32 PM on 05/14/2008

Probably because the rest of us could see right through him. He made a good living on jurists like you.

[nycdave]

02:03 PM on 05/14/2008

I think it's fair to assume that AT LEAST 7% of WV voters are so uninformed and out of it they don't even know Edwards dropped out.

[gba]

02:13 PM on 05/14/2008

That's incredibly stupid

[nycdave]

02:18 PM on 05/14/2008

Exactly my point... it's not exactly the brightest bulb in the 50-state box.

[ErnestineBass]

02:18 PM on 05/14/2008

Yep. nycdave's is the second assinine comment I've read today.

A class bigot from nyc...hmmmmm?

Go figure.

[sanywhere]

03:18 PM on 05/14/2008

i think it is fair to assume at this point that you are elitist. people are allowed to vote for who they want at whatever point they want. they knew he was not in the race, they were making a point. it is much the same way mc cain is not getting all the vote. it may not be what you and i want but name calling and talking down to wv people is ignorant.

[bossjimgettys]

04:07 PM on 05/14/2008

People who vote against their own best interests are ignorant and gave us 8 years of Bu$shCo. Now they can't afford the gas to go to the supermarket buy food they can barely afford. Not recognizing that many Americans are ignorant is ignorant.

[Thevail]

01:39 PM on 05/14/2008

You know, I've been reading, and watching, etc. and I'm voting Obama, but I do think he's weak on the rural issues. On the other hand, rural, undereducated,christain conservatives do have a real tendency to vote against their own interests. To the point where you really start to realize how necessary education is to a democracy.

If you can't understand a candidates words, how likely are you to get their message loud and clear?
No grasp of macro economics has got to make it very hard to understand several of both democrats policy proposals.

And how can any politician both tell the public the truth and yet shorten every policy proposal to bumper sticker dimensions in words of two syllables or less?

There is a real culture gap in this country, there is a real age gap in this country, and a fairly serious cultural gender gap. The hardest thing is that they all appear to be front and center in the democratic primary. I hope we can get this parties together before november, but it looks like a pretty tall order. Everyone seems to hate everyone else.

[fair1234]

01:39 PM on 05/14/2008

Democrats lets all come together and stop fighting. We need Bush out of the White House and we know that Obama has won this so we need to support him. I got an email this morning that Republicans are going in liberal blogs and saying nasty things about the Clinton or Obama campaign to keep the fighting in the blogs so Please Beware of This!!! I am going to support Obama and I think he will win but I also Love Edwards and have love for the Clintons. We are in this together people so let's end the fighting and smash the Republicans and their shameful war in Iraq!!!! SPREAD THE WORD THAT REPUBLICANS IN DISGUISE ARE TRYING TO STIR UP FIGHTS BETWEEN CLINTON AND OBAMA SUPPORTERS IN BLOGS!!

[CheshireCat2]

01:57 PM on 05/14/2008

It isn't like you really have to try. Just ask a couple of questions and then watch the pummeling begin.

[liberaldemdave]

01:26 PM on 05/14/2008

i just keep wondering to myself...what if? what coulda been?

[CheshireCat2]

01:39 PM on 05/14/2008

Thank God it was only a thought.