Super Tuesday Draws Gilmer Voters

Gilmer County Voters braved the brisk weather this morning to vote in Georgia’s Primary Election as part of Super Tuesday. As voters marched to the polls, FYN had the opportunity to speak with several citizens about who they voted for and the issues that concerned them most in the current election.

The Republican Primary has heated up over the last few months, where some candidates, like Michelle Bachman and Rick Perry have dropped out, while others have had their turn at the top of the race. Most recently, Rick Santorum has surged in the polls, where his numbers have varied from week to week, sharing the wavering heights with Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

Of the 27 voters polled in Gilmer County, 17 said they voted for Gingrich, four for Santorum, four for Romney, and one for Ron Paul. As such, Gingrich had a strong turn-out early on. Some possible reasons for this strong turn-out are that Georgia is Gingrich’s home state and that his recent energy plan, where he says he can lower gas prices to two dollars and fifty cents a gallon, has struck a chord with Georgians.

One supporter, Earline Crooke, said she voted for Obama because she felt she needed to exercise her right to vote, even though President Obama currently stands unopposed on the Democratic ticket.

Also, 25 out of the 27 voters said they would vote for the Republican nominee whether it was the candidate they voted for or not. Here, the sentiment was abundantly anti-Obama.

In the last few weeks, the national media has emphasized Rick Santorum’s social stances, diverting focus from economic issues. FYN wanted to know which issues voters believe the national media should focus on in preparation for the Presidential Election. All voters except one said the media should focus more on economic than social issues, although most people considered themselves both fiscal and social conservatives, seeing the two as inseparable.

With a host of issues pressing on the American public, FYN asked with which issues voters were most concerned: The Federal Debt, Jobs, (high) Taxes, Character (of presidential choice), Religion/Faith, and National Security. Of these six issues, 18 voters said they were most concerned with jobs (job creation), 17 said the Federal Debt, 11 National Security, and seven Religion/Faith.

In addition to today’s Primary and November’s Presidential Election, Gilmer Voters are faced with another election in July. Due to the recent realigning of the state’s congressional district, Gilmer County voters will have the opportunity to vote for the new Ninth District Congressional seat, currently held by Representative Tom Graves. With the new realignment, Rep. Graves will move to the also new 14th Congressional District leaving a vacancy. To date, the candidates running for that seat are Clifton McDuffie, Doug Collins, Hunter Bicknell, Martha Zoller, and Robert Fitzpatrick. As of this morning, none of the voters polled had decided who they would vote for the Ninth District and very few were aware of the realignment.

No matter which candidate is victorious tonight, Georgia is a big prize. The winner could possibly receive 76 delegates. Doubtless, the stakes are high and either a Santorum or Gingrich win could be damaging to Romney and prove a boon to native son Gingrich.

FYN will report the election results when they are finalized.