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Obama gains ground among valley voters
(by Sali McSherry - November 12, 2008)
Obama gains ground among valley voters
By SALI McSHERRY
By 25 votes, John McCain supporters in traditionally Republican Chagrin Falls Village lost to Barack Obama supporters in the presidential race last week, according to unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. The vote was 1,242-1,217 for Mr. Obama.
Chagrin Falls Republican Ward Leader Benjamin Medhurst said, "I think, on a national level, people were just dissatisfied with the appearance of what the Republican Party had done in office." Republican control of the presidency and Congress had an impact on Mr. McCain's candidacy, he noted.
Geauga County's Republican tradition continued, however, with Mr. McCain taking a 28,314-20,692 majority of the votes, according to unofficial results from the Geauga County Board of Elections.
Geauga County Democratic Party Chairwoman Janet Carson said Mr. Obama received about 41.4 percent of the vote countywide, compared to 39.3 percent for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.
Of Bainbridge Township's 12 precincts, two had a majority of supporters for Mr. Obama, including the heavily African-American Chagrin Falls Park neighborhood.
The Geauga County Board of Elections did not have the 2004 results available Tuesday for comparative purposes.
In Cuyahoga County, majorities in Moreland Hills, Orange, Pepper Pike and Solon went for the Democrat, President-elect Obama. Those communities had similar patterns in the 2004 presidential election with majorities going for Mr. Kerry's unsuccessful candidacy to unseat President George W. Bush.
In Woodmere, with a substantial African-American population, Mr. Obama received overwhelming support, 336-40, which reflected a significant increase in voting over 2004, when the Democratic held a 269-42 advantage.
A majority of residents in Bentleyville, Hunting Valley, and Gates Mills voted for the Republican, Mr. McCain, as they did for Mr. Bush in 2004. The vote in Chagrin Falls Township was 51-33 in favor of Mr. McCain.
In the 2004 presidential election, a majority of Chagrin Falls Village residents voted for President Bush, with a vote of 1,148-933.
On Maple Street, in the heart of Chagrin Falls, resident Edward Fire, a member of Patriots of Change, displayed two signs for Mr. Obama on a street rich with McCain-Palin and "Nobama" signs.
"The reason why Obama carried Chagrin Falls I think is a combination of things. The war continues to be a major concern, and, obviously, the economy, particularly the devastation after the middle of September," Mr. Fire said.
In the Chagrin Valley, Mr. Medhurst said, "We did a great job getting positive attention for the Republican Party in general." Some people involved in the party were able to pull some strings, and Chagrin Falls hosted former Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giulani shortly before the election. Several weeks earlier, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, a friend of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, visited the village.
Pepper Pike Mayor Bruce H. Akers, a Republican, said that, while some people think the city is comprised of a Republican majority, that hasn't been the case for several presidential elections. Only one precinct out of eight voted Republican in this election, he said. More people leaned towards Mr. Obama, he said, because he and his team ran a "phenomenal campaign."
Mrs. Carson, who also is a member of Patriots for Change, said independents and soft Republicans generally show up for the presidential elections. While Democrats are more aligned with philosophies, Republicans are more single-minded and aligned with their party, she said. In general, she said, Mr. Obama appealed to a much broader base, including traditional Democrats, blue-collar workers, minorities and the highly educated. He didn't resonate with senior citizens as much, she said.
Yard signs were crucial to the average voter, because it was important to show acceptance across the board, throughout the community, Mrs. Carson said.
Mr. Medhurst said he believes the national media coverage of the race could have been more fair. But the main issue was the perception by many people of the Republican Party, he said.
Mrs. Carson is already thinking about the next election. She said the Geauga County Democratic Party "needs to spend more time getting the information out across the county throughout the year," instead of just at election time.
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