PRESS RELEASE from Republican National Committee

For Immediate Release
January 31, 2012
Highlights from Conference Call With RNC Political Director Rick Wiley on Florida Primary Election

RNC Political Director Rick Wiley:
 
“As Floridians go to the polls for the presidential primary, we’re excited at the RNC. It’s the next contest to retire Barack Obama. And you look at Florida, it’s hard to imagine it’s not going to be one of the most contested prizes in our path to 270, 29 electoral votes is a big haul for a battleground state…
 
“It’s a prototypical swing state. The president only garnered 51% of the vote in 2008 over John McCain so he leaves himself very little wiggle room as he’s trying to plot his reelection campaign…
 
“Some of the challenges that the president faces in Florida, it’s ranked number 1 in the nation in terms of the percentage of the electorate over the age of 65, 27% of registered voters are over the age of 65, it has the second largest Jewish population…, the third largest Hispanic population, those key constituencies that elected Barack Obama in 2008, he’s faltering in all of those…
 
“You look at the Obama campaign and they are out there right now making telephone calls because they have to shore up the base whereas Republicans, when we start our voter identification program, we’re able to go straight to Independents and lay out the groundwork as to why this president shouldn’t be reelected…
 
“A couple other key points in Florida, the Democratic Party’s advantage in party registration is shrinking…it has declined in each of the last 26 months…it’s dropped 30% from 700,000 to 500,000 today, so we’re closing that gap…
 
“Voter participation rate amongst all age groups, the over 65 population is right now one of the weakest demographics for Obama. A new Quinnipiac poll just out last week showed he is only garnering 38% job approval rating from voters over 65, so he’s going to have a strong uphill battle…when we get into Florida.
 
“You look at what happened in NY-9 with the election last year of Bob Turner, you have a high Jewish population in Florida, and Barack Obama it seems he has numerous embarrassing statements and a bumbling foreign policy doctrine towards Israel. And I think he’s going to have to do a lot of explaining when he gets to Florida about his policies there...
 
“Hispanic voters have been unimpressed by this president, mainly because of his failed economic policies and broken promises when it comes to the economy. Resurgent Republic was just in the field recently, and they surveyed Florida Hispanic voters that showed he’s polling 11 points behind his 2008 performance…56% of Florida’s Hispanic voters said Obama has been weaker than expected as a leader…60% has said his campaign promises have remained unfulfilled, and two-thirds or 63% of Cuban voters have said it is time to give someone else a chance…as we get through this primary process in Florida today, you get a sense from the Republicans on the ground that there’s a lot of enthusiasm around our candidates in Florida…they’ve been criss-crossing the state talking about this president’s failed record…
 
“Close elections are about momentum. And momentum in Florida is moving in the direction of the Republican Party right now and in spite of its nickname the Sunshine State looks awful cloudy for Obama. And I think we’re in a great place where it’s going to rain on his parade in November.”
 
Click Here To Listen To The Full Audio: http://www.gop.com/audio/1.31.2012_Florida.mp3  
 
 
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