Voter turnout slides in GOP contests, base doesn't want Romney

[Liberal_in_LA]

Voter turnout slides in GOP contests

Rick Santorum may have scored a political hat trick Tuesday night, but voter turnout was down in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. That continues a trend that began in Florida and occurred again in Nevada.

Political experts say the downward slide in turnout could pose challenges for Mitt Romney, who has had trouble consistently exciting the GOP base.

"Republicans are upset with their field," Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Minnesota, told USA TODAY. "If you look at national polls, a large percentage would like other candidates. It's too late for that and many are stuck with unappealing choices. That produces low turnout and that's a real threat to Romney."

In Colorado, where Romney campaigned heavily, turnout was down about 7% from 2008, according to data compiled by MSNBC's First Read. In Minnesota, turnout was down by 24%. And in Missouri, which was a "beauty contest" primary with no impact on delegate allocation, voting was down 57%.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/02/gop-primary-turnout-mitt-romney-enthusiasm-gap-/1?csp=34news

[Old and In the Way]

1. Actually, the down trend started in Iowa and continued through last night.

Only interrupted by turnout in South Carolina. I couldn't be happier seeing Rick, Newt, Mitt, and Ron split the delegates all the way to the convention. By the time the primary season is over for the Republicans, "None of the Above" will be the most viable Republican in the GE.