Chuck Todd: African-American Turnout Putting Deep Red States In Play (VIDEO)

Appearing on Meet the Press, NBC's Chuck Todd noted that early voting is "through the roof," and that turnout is threatening John McCain even in states that lean his way, including Georgia and North Carolina. Turnout among African-Americans might be "somewhere between 95 and 100 percent in some of these states," he noted, upturning some red-leaning southern states. According to Todd, GOP strategists are now asking, "Is South Carolina now in single digits? What's going on in Mississippi?"

Todd also said that Obama has built enough strength in other states that he can likely lose Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio and still get to 270 electoral votes.

Watch:

Comments

[HerbTee]

I am praying for a landslide to teach the ReTHUGliKKans some bitter lessons! I am praying they will finally learn that they cannot divide up this country into Black and White and rich, middle and working class enclaves. I am praying that a sound lesson be learned that a person's religion is their own and is not something to mock, ridicule, cast dispersions on, to force on others or dictate to others on which God we should pray to or worship and what internal beliefs we should hold. I am praying that fearmongering, warmongering, the arrogance of entitlement, intolerance, racial division, religious hatred, jingoism, B i b l e-thumping religious dogma and xenophobic idealogy will no longer work on the masses of the American people. I am praying that the American people now send a loud and strong message to the ReTHUGs that it is the dawning of a new day as we further progress into the 21st Century.

[proveit2me]

Ya know, as a democrat, I'm used to defeat. Generally I believe we could lose a pie-eating contest to Kiera Knightley. But, by cracky, I'm starting to think we might actually pull this one off...

[indepavoter9]

To all my Caucasian and African American brothers and sisters...Come out, come out where ever you are !!!! - It's time for change .

[InspiredbyObama]

Hopefully the dumb myth that blacks don't vote will be dissmissed..........

Frankly, McCain would be doing us (the American ppl) & himself/his family a favor by conceding!

[NoOneSpecial]

He'll concede early next week!

;-)

[veteran1964]

I am a 63 year old white Viet Nam Veteran and I own guns and am bitter as hell. I also am an Obama supporter, in the midst of a Republican country town, but I want to thank our African American voters for getting off their burros and going to the voting booth. They make all of us proud and they are standing up and finally showing an interest in change. Our lives will still be tough if Obama wins because Bush and Cheney and the Republicans have destroyed our country and it will take ALL OF US to help this country get back on track. Don't expect giveaways but rather everyone will have to join together and make this nation a better nation than it has been in the last seven years. God Bless all of you and GO VOTE.....Don't stand and talk....VOTE...Go tell your neighbors to VOTE...Go tell your friends to VOTE.....CANVAS, MAKE CALLS.....WE have one week left...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

[solarenergy]

Well said.

[HerbTee]

Hear, hear...very well said!!

[HerbTee]

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. I'll also add that I hope future politicians will finally cease to treat African Americans as a voting bloc that is either assured, does not matter much or cannot sway an election of either party. For politicians to care so much more about the evangelical vote, the C u b a n vote or the J e w i s h vote, but not care as much about the Black vote is very insulting to me.

African Americans, when we are united under a cause or have candidates who care about our interests too, are a powerful voting bloc and should be treated with respect. I do hope my fellow African Americans will see this and will finally understand this once and for all.

[ruthinking]

The turnout by African Americans AND Hispanics will teach the Republicans a big lessons; that they cannot win elections with the "we want Fox" crowd alone. Maybe that will stop the hatemongers, like Palin, in their tracks.

[markkraft]

Let's face it... early voting is locking in Colorado already for Obama, in that over 30% of the voting in that state is early.

Early voting is locking in Virginia, because the black community is coming out to vote in record numbers, registrations were in very pro-Democratic regions, and Obama is polling pretty well even in the west of Virginia, to the point that even W. Virginia is becoming a fairly competitive race.

And in Iowa, even the local Republican Party is suggesting that McCain shouldn't worry so much about the state there, because the election there has already been lost.

The race is already over. McCain has already lost. This will be abundantly clear in a whole host of states just minutes after polls start to close, and people see how big of an initial lead Obama has based on the early votes that have already been counted. Too many early votes have already been locked in at big 8%+ margins for Obama in battleground states to make it possible for McCain to win these states over by Election Day.

[Housewife]

We'll see if the American people have the courage to withstand the ensuing onslaught of fear to come.

[codwix]

In the coming days the Republican chant will become:
Steal baby steal, steal baby steal!
They will do anything to maintain power, this is serious business.
Beware.

[InspiredbyObama]

I agree... we ALL need to KEEP OUR EYES OPEN!!!!!

[XME]

If Obama won by a "landslide", it would make my year. I want there to be NO doubt that McCain didn't stand a chance, that voter "fraud", etc. accussations won't do him a bit of good because he wasn't even close.

[DShawn233]

Poor Brokyawn, I am really getting to like how pained he looks with each passing day that he sees Mc Gaffe failing to catch up to T hat One.

[macraw71]

I voted early three weeks ago here in Atlanta area and the AA turn out was high. Just like Chuck stated it was like 95% the day I cast my ballot.

[Cookie08]

Just for the heck of it, I would like Obama/Biden to win every state that was slave holding. That would be truly astounding.

[JDinBalt]

That would be beautifully ironic :)

Out of those 15 former slave-holding states - the 11 Confederate states and the 4 border states - it looks like they'll win at least two of them, probably three, and at the most optimistic number, seven:

CONFEDERATE STATES:

Alabama (projected numbers from 538.com, as of 10/26) - M +22.2
Arkansas - M +12.3
Florida - O +2.5
Georgia - M +4.9
Louisiana - M +12.1
Mississippi - M +10.6
North Carolina - O +1.3
South Carolina - M +12.7
Tennessee - M+15.7
Texas - M+12.2
Virginia - O+6.6
(West Virginia - M+7.6)

BORDER STATES:

Delaware - O +19.4
Kentucky - M +14.4
Maryland - O +27.3
Missouri - O +1.1
(Washington, DC - O+76.7)

So according to this, out of all the former slave holding states (Southern + Border States) we have Maryland and Delaware definitely going to Obama (that's 2, not counting DC), plus Virginia which 538 says is "Likely Obama" (that's 3). Florida, North Carolina and Missouri are currently "Leaning Obama" and could still go either way. A best case scenario for Obama / worst for McCain is that they all swing Obama (that's 6). With the chatter about Georgia being a possible upset win for Obama, that would make it 7. I think out of all of these, Obama will probably only get MD, DE and VA, maybe FL and NC

[southernsepia]

This would be a neat trick - as we conveniently forget, at one time slavery existed in all of the colonies. There were slaves in each colony of pre-revolutionary America. This changed after the war with England.

[Thefamilyvan]

I hate to say it, but it's really about time that a large African American turnout occur in the southern states. There usually is a large African American turnout in the traditional "blue states" but I've always wondered WHY there wasn't the same effect in the southern states where the population of African American voters is so high. Nonetheless, it's good to see that they have something to vote FOR instead of against.

[SeanGardner]

As Chuck Todd said today, McCain should be concerned because if Gerogia, North Carolina, Florida and Missouri go BLUE because of an energized black vote, then South Carolina and Mississippi - two other Southern States with very, very high African-American populations - are not out of reach.

This scenario is nothing short of a nightmare. But to see these glorious Southern State turn BLUE would be surreal. I grew up hearing stories of how great men and women in my family over two centuries in NC struggled and persevered. Given all that they went through - slavery, the limited euphoria of Reconstruction, convict leasing, witnessing more than a few lynchings, etc. - an Obama victory would be incredible.

It would be surreal.

[kjstjohn]

About 15% of black men in the South are disenfranchised because of a felony conviction. That is a hurdle.

[OB08]

Whatever... Get out and vote, vote, vote and stay positive.

[Yermammy]

That law varies from state to state. In Illinois, it's legal as long as you're not on parole.

[kutkreata]

they can vote in here TN if they are off paper. They just had to get their rights restored & down here we worked really hard to make try to make that happen.

[SeanGardner]

I strongly disagree. If Obama was running an "identity politics" campaign and appealing overwhelmingly to blacks, then you might have a point. But from the beginning, Obama has run a "coalition politics" campaign, where black votes are no more central than white, Latino, or Asian American votes. In fact, just this year, Democrats won two special elections for congressional seats in DEEP RED Louisiana and Mississippi. Remember that? Both districts are conservative districts. If it were not for the uber-energized black vote in these 60% or more Republican Districts, DEMS would not have those seats.

The Southern black vote is energized! And like many in Obama's multi-cultural coalition of voters, Southern blacks believe they can help make DEEP RED States BLUE. And in Southern States where their numbers are rich and plentiful, they will have an impact.

In 2007, on this very site, I submitted that if Obama were the nominee, the black vote would bring him into contention in GA, NC, FL, SC, MS, MO, and VA. And there was a grip of HUFFPOST commenters who scoffed at that suggestion. But now we know from the daily reporting and breakdown of early votes that constantly come in, Sen. Obama is leading handsomely. So I don't see the hurdle you envision. I see a small challenge. And if the last two years have told us anything, it"s that Obama thrives on a challenge. He's the freakin' man!!!

[HerbTee]

Kjstjohn, that is not true in all states. There are states where felons can vote under specific circumstances. Anyone who was convicted of a felon, has served their time and is on favorable parole may qualify to have their voting rights restored. Folks who fall under these circumstances should check with their county elections commission within their respective states. If they haven't done so by now and are not registered, it's probably too late for this election. But it can have an impact for these folks in the future and especially in 2012 when Obama/Biden is up for re-election.

[AlligatorShuz]

According to the U.S. Census of 2000 African Americans 51% of the population in the State of Louisiana. What most pollesters are going by is the people who voted in 2004. There are people in the south who has never voted a day in their lives. Alomost 60% of African American people still live in the south. The GOP is loosing ground in South Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas

[kjstjohn]

And about time. The GOP is not a pretty thing in the South.

[InTheSouth]

I would second that statement.