Despite Athens County’s distinct leftward lean, Athens’ Republican voters will still line up at polling stations for the presidential primary as Ohio assumes its typical battleground status for Super Tuesday.
For former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Ohio is just another state, but for former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, winning the Buckeye State is a victory he believes he needs to secure the nomination.
“This is a game of survival,” Santorum said while campaigning Sunday in Memphis, Tenn.
In the latest Quinnipiac University Poll of likely Ohio Republican Primary voters, Romney leads Santorum by 3 percentage points.
Athens County Republican Party Chairman Pete Couladis said he was skeptical the polls would be indicative of the final result.
“In a situation like this, the polls mean nothing,” he said. “Its probably one of those things where we won’t know until the last minute.”
Subpar job prospects for recent college graduates, Couladis said, will motivate current university students to vote Republican at the polls this election year.
Allison Arnold, communications chair for Ohio University College Republicans and an OU student trustee, said in an email that, although she personally prefers Newt Gingrich, she is confident in Romney’s ability to beat Obama in the general election.
While some students have firm left or right ideals, others focus on other factors besides party affiliation.
“Based on what I’ve seen, I’ll probably vote for Rick Santorum,” said Andrew Meyer, a sophomore studying music education. “When it comes to honesty and authenticity, he seems to be the one.”
Of the 1,144 delegates required for the party’s nomination, 419 delegates will be decided on Super Tuesday. Only 355 delegates have been partitioned since January.
Romney has won 203 delegates, Santorum 92, Gingrich 33, and Ron Paul 25.
“I don’t think any state is a must-win,” Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said. “I think the only must-do on a candidate’s check list is getting 1,144 delegates.”
On the eve of Super Tuesday, Couladis criticized the race’s ruthless demeanor so far.
“It’s hard to figure out who’s telling the truth,” Couladis said. “Instead of candidates telling you what they stand for, the super PACs representing the candidates are calling their opponents names, and the problem is that attack ads work most of the time.”
Arnold agreed that the race has been messier than usual but said there are also some benefits to the variety of candidates in the race.
“The race has been chaotic and full of drama. There seems to be more mudslinging and more personal attacks than usual,” Arnold said. “This think tank of different ideas is great so long as Republicans are able to unite.
ld311710@ohiou.edu
