Republicans ‘Need a Jolt’ After Low-Turnout Primary Says GOP Chair
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The RI Republican Presidential Primary yielded little surprise, low turnout, and criticism from GOP Chair Mark Zaccaria, who said his party needed a jolt.
Zaccaria, gathered with supporters of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, at Temple restaurant in Providence, after the polls closed, said he was disappointed with the turnout. “They figured it was a done deal and didn’t bother coming out. We cannot afford this kind of laxity in November,” he said, nonetheless optimistic that the presidential and Congressional races, along with some hot General Assembly races, will bring Republicans to the polls in November.
Fewer than 14,000 of Rhode Island’s nearly 72,000 Republican voters hit the polls Tuesday, well below turnout in the earlier, more fiercely contested 2008 GOP primary.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Romney march
Romney continued his final march to the nomination with a five-state sweep, including an easy win in Rhode Island. With 97 percent of the vote in, Romney had notched 63 percent of the vote to 23.9 for Paul, a showing strong enough to earn him four or five or the state’s 16 delegates, said Mark Zaccaria, state GOP chairman. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich took 6.1 percent of the vote, with former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, who has dropped out of the race, of Pennsylvania getting 5.8 percent. Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer received just 0.3 percent of the vote.
Former Gov. Donald Carcieri, elected as a Romney delegate to the Republican National Convention, acknowledged that the chances of a Romney victory in Rhode Island in November are pretty remote, but was pleased to see his fellow class of 2002 governor continue hauling in the delegates. “He’s got the skill set necessary to be a great president,” Carcieri said.
The key to the party’s hopes in both the presidential and local races this fall, said Carcieri, is the performance of city and town committees in ginning up enthusiasm that wasn’t necessary reflected in turnout yesterday.
“Town committees need good leadership that gets people engaged. When I ran for governor I made sure to visit all the town committees, and we had some good ones. That’s where you get your future candidates from,” he said.
Paul showed strength in Rhode Island among younger members of the GOP. Whether their enthusiasm will translate to votes for Romney, however, remains to be seen. Travis Rowley, RI Young Republicans chairman and a Paul supporter, said he’s prepared to support Romney, but admits not all of his colleagues are willing.
“He has to be convincing that he’s a true conservative, not just saying the right things. Ronald Reagan was a union Democrat for years, but he convinced people he was a true conservative,” Rowley said.
Two other Paul supporters, though, are not counting themselves likely Romney voters. Blake Filippi noted Paul’s appearance last weekend in Philadelphia that drew 3,000 supporters in drenching rain. “That’s what the party needs,” he said of that display of enthusiasm for Paul, “and I don’t think Romney has it.”
Will Grapentine, who originally supported Santorum before defecting to the Paul camp, said his decision to support Romney may come down to his choice of running mate. “I want to see an outside-the-box VP pick,” he said, hoping for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, “or an unknown with solid Tea Party credentials. But (Romney) needs to talk about big ideas.”
