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

[Triciann]

Why was Edwards still on the ballot? I wonder where those votes would have gone if his name hadn't been there?

West Virginia is not America. Again Clinton and her campaign team show that they have gotten stuck in the 20th century and this election is not about that, it's about the future. Obama will win with the support of a different kind of voter. These voters don't like Clinton or Clinton politics. So he will maybe lose West Virginia in November but look at the states he could win where she wouldn't get a chance.

Clinton would be a liability on the ticket. She appeals to people's greed. In beautiful weather I see mothers drive their children an eighth of a mile to the school bus, sit with the engine idling for 5 minutes and then driving home. These people also want a gas tax holiday. I wish they would think about the world they are destroying for their children. A bit of walking might also reduce some of the obesity. Can they think? Is the education system in some parts of this country actually reducing people's ability to think?

[Moka11]

How much of the 7 percent of West Virginians who voted for Edwards didn't know Edwards dropped out?
How much of the 67 percent who voted for Hillary believe Obama is a muslim?
How much of West Virginia thinks Hillary will win East Virginia in their primary? what about South Virginia and their primary?
Just curious if the exit pollsters asked.

[jimchap]

now, Senator Edwards, cede your delegates to Obama so we can get on with it before Hillary
melts down in public. She seems more crazy by the minute

[eej]

I think Edwards would make a fine running mate but I do not see it happening.

[Emper0r]

I like Edwards, but hell, he couldn't even deliver North Carolina, his home state, for John Kerry in '04. I think there's better choices out there.

[gba]

When did a democrat last win NC, and why did Kerry not let Edwards campaign?

[Joeblue]

You have alot of faith in voting machines?

[ohiodem250]

I agree with gba. The Kerry campaign ran ZERO campaign ads in North Carolina and Sen. Edwards made ZERO rally-like stops in North Carolina. In Iowa this year, at town hall meetings, people would ask Sen. Edwards about what made him different than Kerry and what he learned from being on that ticket. His answer: 1) You swing hard when someone hits you; in other words, you can't be swiftboated; 2) If the nominee, he would run a 50-state strategy instead of focusing on swing states; 3) He would not have left money in the bank like the Kerry campaign did; and 4) He would have contested Ohio in court.

[ElliottPhD]

The election results say more about the people of WV than the qualifications of the candidates. When my sister in her mid-twenties moved to a WV town, she was treated like a celebrity because she still had all her teeth. The State is largely economically- and educationally-depressed. Once elected, Pres. Obama should try to help the Appalachian region advance.

[skepticalindenver]

This is choice. How does West Virginia answer to their choice of a black or woman? Seven percent choose the white guy that they know isn't running....LOL. The next time someone from WV comes on here and tells me how people are unfairly branding their state with stereotypes......I will chuckle and think....yeaaahhhhhh righhht!

[Noracharles1995]

No, West Virginians are choosing the candidate that can understand their problems and how hard it is for them to get by. Hillary and Obama grew up in comfortable economic circumstances, John Edwards didn't. He gets it, that's why he got 7% of the WV vote even though he's no longer in the race.

[Veman]

Obama did not grow up in economic comfort Noracharles, get your facts straight. He was still paying off his student loans up until a few years ago.

[suekzoo]

Obama grew up in comfortable circumstances? I think that would be news to him.

[cindyw]

I'm not sure how comfortable Obama's economic circumstances were as a child, but I agree with you about John Edwards. Hillary's victory in WV probably has some correlation to Obama's race, as it will in Kentucky, but I have to believe those who voted for Edwards did so because they believe Edwards was the better candidate, as I did, despite the fact that I'd love to see a black man or a woman in the White House.

[tobecorrect]

Ooook.....I dont think growing up in a single parent home living on food stamps constitutes to the most comfortable economic circumstances,

[skepticalindenver]

While you may feel that way yourself, you are deluding yourself about the motives of the masses. Come on, 7 percent of people voting for a long since "dead horse?" There are other places in the country hurting too, but not as racist.....

[NoLove4HillaryAnymore]

They are a bunch of KKKs! I will brand them very well for you.

[Wood]

It's not a new concept to them ... just the voter she's looking for.. uneducated and white...

[IslandGyal]

Thank you, whether that want to admit it or not, they didn't vote on the issues, they voted on identity. That’s no reason to win or lose an election. They let the White Bill Clinton, philanderer extraordinaire, pass, but no, not the Christian Black guy.

[5thGenDem]

There must be a serious serious problem with this idea else Sen Byrd would have been all over it with Federal funding.

[ahsaki80]

It's unfortunate to know that there are still people living in this day as though it were 1958 instead of 2008.

[nellie]

Editor:

John Edwards WINS Seven Percent

[leftbehind2000]

Surprisingly well? Edwards is the right color, of course.

West Virginia separated itself from Virginia over the issue of slavery 150 years ago. Now they won't vote for a person simply based on his color. Now that's progress...

Perhaps we should allow WV to separate from the union entirely.

[solarenergy]

The only hope for West Virginians is to build thousands of wind turbines on their mountain tops -- rather than bulldozing said mountains into the valleys to dig up toxic coal.

This is a serious proposal. The clean power generated could be used up and down the east coast, cleaner safer jobs would be provided for the miners, and the environment would benefit. Everyone -- except the coal mine owners -- wins.

We could give the mine owners food stamps, if they qualify.

[tipiglen6]

I second that enthusiastically! And the same goes for Eastern Kentucky.

[leftbehind2000]

Yep. We already know now that there is a lot of wind blowing in WV. We can hear it whistling through the ears of its residents.

[rzan]

Excellent idea. These people have been exploited by mine owners for too long. They need some kind of break.

[Noracharles1995]

Turbines are already on mountains at least in Tucker County. Exploration is also under way for natural gas and oil as well. Coal beds sometimes contain both.

I'm hoping the turbines do enough for West Va's economy that the oil/gas exploration is unnecessary. However with the cost of oil these days, it's probably going to become a reality.

[daddydamon]

Maybe they will secede again, like they did from Virginia in the 1800s. Let them be independent and have the crazy woman from NY, I mean, Arkansas, I mean, Illinois be their Empress. No one will miss them, and no one will care.

[kellygrrrl]

West VA seems to be a very interesting island unto itself.