No surprise here: Connecticut Republicans have handed Mitt Romney their support in a landslide victory in today's primary.
According to the Hartford Courant, Romney has secured 67.5% of the vote for the 96% of districts reporting results as of 10:30 p.m. Those results show the other candidates received the following votes:
- Ron Paul - 13.4%
- Newt Gingrich - 10.3%
- Rick Santorum - 6.9%
All's Quiet on the Voting Front
It's a good thing poll checkers brought books and patience with them to today because it has been pretty quiet so far on this Republican Primary day.
As of about 8:30 a.m., about eight votes had been cast in the 119th district, and about the same in the 118th -- the two districts represented at the Harborside polling location.
"It's like watching paint dry," says Poll Moderator Rich Carey. "If we get 20% I'd be surprised."
Carey has been a moderator at various locations since 1975. Among his team at Harborside are Bette Petrucelli and Judith Pierce. The two poll checkers had books in front of them that they had just started reading. "We're ready for a long day," Petrucelli says.
The Original Report Follows:
With wins in several key GOP stronghold states and Rick Santorum dropping out of the race, Mitt Romney may have the Republican Party's nomination all but locked down, but that doesn't mean Connecticut Republicans shouldn't get out today to register their vote in the Primary.
In , 7,688 registered Republicans are eligible to vote today when polls open at 6 a.m. Assistant Republican Registrar Dick Dowin isn't expecting turnout to be high. He estimates that about 2,000 votes will be cast by the time polls close at 8 p.m.
"Realistically, Romney is the only viable candidate," Dowin says. "Anyone who was going to vote for Santorum is likely to stay home.”
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Milford Republican Town Committee Chairman Lisa Bull DiLullo hopes that isn't the case. Her expectations are for 100% participation.
"I expect every Republican to go out and vote tomorrow," she said Monday. "That’s the goal: full and robust participation in the whole process."
Despite the common public perception, "The numbers matter in Connecticut,” DiLullo says.
While Santorum is out and Romney is the front-runner, Republican voters will have their choice between four candidates:
- Mitt Romney
- Newt Gingrich
- Ron Paul
- Rick Santorum
DiLullo says, "I’m going to vote for Romney, for two reasons really."
- "I think he is magnificiently qualified, and qualification matters."
- "I really believe in my heart that he is very capable of beating Barack Obama. I think he is a highly electable candidate.”
New Polling Places for Some
The recent will result in a change of polling location for some voters today. Bowin says he doesn't expect it to be as much of an issue as it potentially could be come November when the legislative seats are up for grabs.
DiLullo is one of those who will be voting at a new place. The had sent her a letter a few months ago informing her of the change. She misplaced that letter, though, so she called the office to doublecheck.
"Everyone in that office is so accommodating," DiLullo says. "If there are any question about where to vote, call them up and ask."
We've attached a PDF that shows where each legislative district will be voting today.
