If you are familiar with Rush Limbaugh, you may remember him in 2008 urging his listeners to participate in another party’s primary. This can be a strategic action for parties and voters. He called this move “Operation Chaos.”
Recently, in the Michigan primary, Rick Santorum almost pulled off the victory by what Mitt Romney attributes to Democrats voting for the candidate that would make a weaker opponent for President Obama. Democrats provided Santorum with 13% of his votes, normally candidates are receiving around 2% of their votes from the opposing party. This practice is uncommon, but occurs more than I thought it would in elections. Even Romney admitted to voting for the weakest opponent for a Republican in the past. This strategic move puts an interesting twist on party mobilization.
Party mobilization is an effort by a party to get voters to come out and vote in favor of the party. Theories for who parties will mobilize consist of people who have voted in the past, supporters of the party, people who would/could mobilize other voters, and people who would get involved in close races (Gershtenson 2003). These reasons can be directly related to why candidates are mobilizing voters from the opposing party, to vote in favor of their party by voting for the opposing party’s weakest candidate so that he will be running against their party’s candidate. Odd as it may seem, it makes sense if they can make it work.
In late January, Santorum told Minnesota voters that he felt that states should only allow Republicans to vote in Republican primaries and that voters should change their party identification if they wanted to vote in the GOP contest. About a month later, he must have learned about this mobilization trick because he urged Michigan Democrats to “send a loud message to... Romney” by voting for Santorum. Ironically, one of Santorum’s spokesmen mentioned how they figure that if they can get liberal votes now they will keep them in the general election. This obviously will not work if these voters are simply doing it only so they can turn and vote against them when that candidate is up against their party’s candidate. I am curious to see if this practice will pick up and become more common in future elections.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/spin-meter-romney-santorum-both-oversell-rivals-appeal-among-non-republican-voters/2012/03/02/gIQAmTx9lR_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop)
Recently, in the Michigan primary, Rick Santorum almost pulled off the victory by what Mitt Romney attributes to Democrats voting for the candidate that would make a weaker opponent for President Obama. Democrats provided Santorum with 13% of his votes, normally candidates are receiving around 2% of their votes from the opposing party. This practice is uncommon, but occurs more than I thought it would in elections. Even Romney admitted to voting for the weakest opponent for a Republican in the past. This strategic move puts an interesting twist on party mobilization.
Party mobilization is an effort by a party to get voters to come out and vote in favor of the party. Theories for who parties will mobilize consist of people who have voted in the past, supporters of the party, people who would/could mobilize other voters, and people who would get involved in close races (Gershtenson 2003). These reasons can be directly related to why candidates are mobilizing voters from the opposing party, to vote in favor of their party by voting for the opposing party’s weakest candidate so that he will be running against their party’s candidate. Odd as it may seem, it makes sense if they can make it work.
In late January, Santorum told Minnesota voters that he felt that states should only allow Republicans to vote in Republican primaries and that voters should change their party identification if they wanted to vote in the GOP contest. About a month later, he must have learned about this mobilization trick because he urged Michigan Democrats to “send a loud message to... Romney” by voting for Santorum. Ironically, one of Santorum’s spokesmen mentioned how they figure that if they can get liberal votes now they will keep them in the general election. This obviously will not work if these voters are simply doing it only so they can turn and vote against them when that candidate is up against their party’s candidate. I am curious to see if this practice will pick up and become more common in future elections.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/spin-meter-romney-santorum-both-oversell-rivals-appeal-among-non-republican-voters/2012/03/02/gIQAmTx9lR_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop)
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