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Swing voters hold sway

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor September 25, 2008 04:02 PM

A new study out today puts in stark numbers the importance of swing voters -- specifically whites with at least a high school diploma, but no college degree.

The study done for the Democratic Leadership Council, the moderate group that helped put Bill Clinton in the White House, estimates those voters swing the outcome of a general election by an "astonishing average of 6.7 percentage points between elections that Democrats win and lose."

"That is more than double the margin by which President Bush defeated John Kerry in 2004. Cutting into Republicans' traditional margin with these voters could well mean the difference between a broad Democratic triumph and a narrow Democratic defeat," the study says.

And those voters are precisely the ones whom Barack Obama struggled to win over during the Democratic primaries against Hillary Clinton.

The study used exit poll results from six recent national elections, and found that, "On average, white men with at least a high school diploma but no college degree swing the outcome 3.7 percentage points, and white women with the same education swing it 3 percentage points."

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2 comments so far...

  1. From Fox News today:

    "Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings on Wednesday warned two minority groups to beware of Sarah Palin because “anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks.”

    Hastings, who is black and a Democrat, made the comment in Florida at a panel discussion hosted by the National Jewish Democratic Council. The group recently criticized Palin’s invitation to an anti-Iran rally held during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad’s visit to New York to speak before the U.N. General Assembly."


    This is the type of anti-white, anti-women remarks you will hear from an Obama White House. Rev Wright-type Congressional Democrats will have a free reign to say whatever hateful racist things they want with Obama in the White House.

    Are you happy now all you fellow Jewish and white women voters?!!!

    You should be disgusted with the Democratic Party leadership. It is THE MOST devisive racist political party in US history.

    Posted by Jewish voter from Brookline September 25, 08 04:15 PM

  1. My coment is:::this sight did not help me at all. I searched the word sway and pulled this up!!But no evidence of the word sway. I thik yoiu should fix that problem!!!!

    Posted by no one October 15, 08 11:09 AM
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About political intelligence Field reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors covering the 2008 presidential campaign and the national maneuvering of Bay State politicians.

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