Unofficial election results are in for Duval County – that’s Jacksonville. Look at these vote totals
Barak Obama 40,830
Mitt Romney 36,645
Hillary Clinton 27,238
John McCain 24,104
Mike Huckabee 13,827
John Edwards 12,125
What to make of this? Remember that the Democrats say they won’t seat delegates from Florida. How is it, then, that Barak got more votes than any other candidate? African-Americans make up only about 27% of the registered voters in Duval County. It’s probably safe to assume the large majority of them are Democrats.
Did pro-Obama voters turn out because of Bill Clinton’s remarks on race before the South Carolina primary? Did they turn out because of Hillary’s flaunting of the (absurd) Democratic party rules that disenfranchise Florida voters? Is this a sign of an Obama surge following South Carolina?
And what of Romney beating McCain? This is Republican town and a Navy town with two major bases within the city limits. In fact, McCain was stationed aboard the Forestall, which was based in Jacksonville. During his imprisonment, McCain’s then wife lived in Jacksonville. McCain’s state-wide victory actually came in one county – Dade County(Miami). The Cuban-Americans won the Republican primary for him. Where did Hillary’s votes come from? Further investigation is needed.
But Jacksonville and Duval County are probably a better cross section of America than South Florida. The population is diverse, it is young (median age 34) and it has a broad economy. This political season is worth watching – it gets interestinger and interestinger.