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
###