173,000 switched sides for primary election

Republican voters had various reasons for switching parties.

COLUMBUS (AP) — The number of Republicans who switched sides to vote for Democrats in Ohio’s March 4 presidential primary easily eclipsed President Bush’s 120,000-vote margin of victory in the state that decided the presidency four years ago, documents released Monday show.

Although a small portion of total voters, the 173,000 people who previously voted Republican but voted Democratic in the primary could be an important group in the November election, when Ohio is again expected to be crucial.

The party-switching in 85 of Ohio’s 88 counties with data available could be a sign of excitement about Democratic candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. But not all of these voters can be counted on to again vote Democratic against presumptive Republican nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain.

Some of the crossover voters felt their choice counted more on the Democratic side because McCain had all but won the Republican nomination. Some said they disliked Clinton so much that they wanted to vote against her. And some of the wild-card voters sought by both sides are still torn, but they voted in the Democratic contest to try to make sure each party had a nominee they could potentially support. The reasons were varied and complex.

“I could not stomach to have another Clinton in the White House,” said Karen Purdy, one of the Republicans who switched. “I thought the country needed a fresh start and I thought Obama could do that.”

Purdy, of Elida in traditionally Republican Allen County in northwest Ohio, doesn’t know which candidate will get her vote in the fall. Her husband, Dennis, switched to help out Obama as well but is voting for McCain in November.

Republicans switching sides represented roughly 8 percent of the 2.2 million Democratic ballots that were cast in Ohio in a contest in which Clinton beat Obama by about 10 points. About four of every five voters who switched parties for the primary went from Republican to Democratic.

The election shattered Ohio primary turnout records, with about 3.5 million people voting — or about 45 percent of registered voters.

Democrats have pointed to high turnout across the nation as a sign that voters are discouraged with the Republican majority in Washington and eager to vote for Democratic candidates who would both make history. Clinton, whose campaign is now on the ropes after a large defeat in North Carolina and a slim win in Indiana, would be the first female president. Obama would be the nation’s first black president.

Interviews with crossover voters in Allen County showed a wide range of reasons for the switch.

The county, which has twice voted for President Bush by a two-to-one margin, was one of several previously Republican-dominated counties that had more Democrats than Republicans after the primary, due largely to the number of newly registered Democratic voters.

Voters in Ohio may choose a ballot from either party but generally must sign a statement saying they uphold the principles of that party. Once voters choose a particular ballot, they are considered members of that party.

But Carla Zerbe is the kind of crossover voter the Democrats may lose unless the unlikely happens and Clinton wins the nomination. If Obama wins, she will vote Democratic if he chooses Clinton as his running mate. If not, she will probably vote for McCain.

Lynn Gibson is still another version of the Ohio crossover voter. The “Harry Truman” Democrat switched to Republican for the first time in his life for local races, but he doesn’t plan to vote for any of the presidential candidates.

Obama and Clinton? “They’re socialists not Democrats,” Gibson said.

McCain? “He’s a Democrat-light.”

“I’m tired of voting for someone who’s the lesser of two evils,” he said.