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The results of last night’s Kentucky GOP Senate primary suggest that Rand Paul had a stronger appeal among affluent voters then low income voters. Despite running a better campaign then Trey Grayson, (even winning Grayson’s home county) the fact that Paul did not perform as well in poorer counties raises questions of just where Paul’s “Tea Party” and anti-incumbent appeal lies.
While it is still too early to have a full set of data, the available data suggests a positive correlation between the median income of a county in Kentucky, and Rand Paul’s win percentage. FrumForum calculated Rand Paul’s win percentages in each county, and compared them to the median income of each county. (Economic statistics available here, and county results available here.) The results are presented below:
The median family income for the entire state of Kentucky is $52,800. In counties with a median income higher then the state average, Rand Paul won a greater share of the votes, in many cases more then 60%, and certainly more then 50%. Paul did not win as many counties that were below the state’s median income by as high a threshold, and in some of the poorer countries, got even less then 50% of the vote. Support for Rand Paul seemed to be a largely more affluent phenomenon.
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My pieces on FrumForum: http://www.frumforum.com/author/noah-kristula-green
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It’s hypocritical for us to criticize the Tea Partiers and other conservative activists for their refusal to support Scozzafava–while Frum Forum is continuing to try to undercut Rand Paul. (And Scozzafava was the choices of the GOP leadership, whereas Rand Paul is the choice of the voters.)
The voters have spoken. Rand Paul is now the GOP nominee for the upcoming campaign to the general election. Though he’s not my first choice, he will be a useful counterweight to the excesses of Pelosi and her crew.
And that’s all that matters right now.
It’s Rand Paul or his Dem opponent. Those are the two choices.
Because he’s a fiscal conservative and doesn’t dwell on pointless social issues, probably.
Would you young folks please, please learn to spell? Noah Kristula-Green has a degree in political science from The University of Chicago and still spells THAN as THEN. Doesn’t say much for that school or his professors. Here, Noah, is a free English lesson from a troglodyte conservative:
“than” is comparative, “then” refers to time and consequence or conditions. In this case you want to use the word, “than”
.”..in many cases more THEN 60%, and certainly more THEN 50%. Paul did not win as many counties that were below the state’s median income by as high a threshold, and in some of the poorer countries, got even less THEN 50% of the vote”
franco 2 // May 19, 2010 at 6:05 pm
…….when you learn what a rhetorical question is we’ll be ready for the English lessons……in the meantime I’d stick with the obscenities you’re very good at those
It is fascinating to watch the obsessions of liberals (like David and his New Republic waterboy), with Rand Paul. They would never obsess so much about most “conservative” officeholders like Mitch McConnell. That is because they know fundamentally that the McConnell’s of the world do nothing to threaten their hegemony– while Paul and his ideas are a mortal threat to their shallow politics.
Also, correlation boy, by not removing income outliers from your dataset, you don’t really look like a serious social scientist. Also, “Earth to Stupid” perhaps Paul’s overperformance in more affluent areas reflects the fact that these are the people who will be paying the taxes to pay off our unsustainable debt.
Really, you’re running this a**hat for the Senate?
INTERVIEWER: Would you have voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
PAUL: I like the Civil Rights Act in the sense that it ended discrimination in all public domains, and I’m all in favor of that.
INTERVIEWER: But?
PAUL: You had to ask me the “but.” I don’t like the idea of telling private business owners—I abhor racism. I think it’s a bad business decision to exclude anybody from your restaurant—but, at the same time, I do believe in private ownership. But I absolutely think there should be no discrimination in anything that gets any public funding, and that’s most of what I think the Civil Rights Act was about in my mind.
INTERVIEWER: But under your philosophy, it would be okay for Dr. King not to be served at the counter at Woolworths?
PAUL: I would not go to that Woolworths, and I would stand up in my community and say that it is abhorrent, um, but, the hard part—and this is the hard part about believing in freedom—is, if you believe in the First Amendment, for example—you have too, for example, most good defenders of the First Amendment will believe in abhorrent groups standing up and saying awful things. . . . It’s the same way with other behaviors. In a free society, we will tolerate boorish people, who have abhorrent behavior.
Will the Democrats have to do anything more than make him explain over and over and over again why he sides with the Klan?
Thank you teabaggers.
I have seen and read a few articles around the web discussing this very issue. Some unscientific polls indicated many Tea Party activists are well above the nation’s median yearly income. I too had thought this odd until, and not unlike genuineconservative notes, it is those in higher levels of income who pay more in taxes.
> stronger appeal among affluent voters then low income voters
“than”
Rachel Maddow’s interview of Rand Paul last night was pretty devastating. Seems that ole’ Randy thinks that private companies should have the right to discriminate based on race or national origin. So, “Blacks not Allowed” signs would be be perfectly legal in a Rand Paul world. Wow. Simply, wow.
Slide // May 20, 2010 at 7:17 am
So, “Blacks not Allowed” signs would be be perfectly legal in a Rand Paul world. Wow. Simply, wow.”
…….Don’t forget the jews…..they were often on the signs too………I can actually remember segregation (water fountains, station waiting rooms etc) when travelling with my parents in the south and I also saw it in South Africa during apartheid ……it was pretty grotesque
sinz54 // May 19, 2010 at 5:54 pm : “Rand Paul is now the GOP nominee for the upcoming campaign to the general election. Though he’s not my first choice, he will be a useful counterweight to the excesses of Pelosi and her crew”
Hardly. Rand Paul extremism will be the story. He will make “Pelosi and her crew” look like the rock of stability compared to his wacky, wacky ideas. He is the best thing that happened to the Dems. A Senatorial candidate that supports the right for businesses to discriminate and go back to segregated lunch counters? And he is is going to make Pelosi look like she is out of the mainstream.
Guys, you have really got to get out of the echo chamber.
Slide // May 20, 2010 at 8:39 am
“sinz54 // May 19, 2010 at 5:54 pm : “Rand Paul is now the GOP nominee for the upcoming campaign to the general election. Though he’s not my first choice, he will be a useful counterweight to the excesses of Pelosi and her crew”
…….Sinz has a classic case of Alf Landon syndrome……I call it this because in 1936 the greatest landslide in US history when the Republicans only captured two states Landon STILL got 36% of the vote…….so if 36% were brain dead enough in ’36 to vote for Landon against FDR why should it be any different today…….basically you could make anyone from Hitler to Gandhi the Republican candidate and Sinz would be for them
Sorry, left wingers, but we don’t care about the demonization attempts. Our country’s future is at stake. You will be ignored, just like Barry Soreoto will be, after the fall elections.