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Article published Nov 4, 2008 Tenn. backs McCain, breaks streak of winning picks
By Bill Poovey The Associated Press
Republican John McCain carried Tennessee and its 11 electoral votes in the presidential race against Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday, the first time since 1960 that the state hasn’t backed the national winner.
With 81 percent of precincts reporting, McCain had 1,242,226, or 61 percent of the Tennessee vote, to Obama’s 766,584, or 38 percent. Obama won the historic election anyway with a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Virginia.
Tennessee election coordinator Brook Thompson said no major voting problems were reported on Tuesday. He projected up to 2.9 million Tennessee voters, or 72 percent of those registered, would voted in the presidential election, a state record.
Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander cruised to re-election. The Democrats’ 5-4 majority in the U.S. House delegation appeared safe, with seven incumbents re-elected, Republican Phil Roe winning in northeastern Tennessee and Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen expected to easily defeat an independent candidate.
Exit polls showed that McCain’s victory hinged on carrying two out of three independent voters. Independents make up about a third of voters in the state. He also prevailed with voters worried about the economy and those who wanted a candidate who shares their values, the polls showed.
Obama was strong among urban voters and younger voters, according to the exit polls.
Abraham Doctor, a 27-year-old restaurant manager in Franklin, said he voted for McCain because of his views on the economy and national security.
“My grandparents were successful because of capitalism,” he said. “We’re entrepreneurs and private business owners, and feel like perpetuating that type of environment is so important to the integrity of our country that everybody’s got a shot no matter what.”
At Hickory Hill Community Center in southeastern Memphis, 24-year-old Leslie Wooten said she cast her first vote in a presidential race for Obama, partly because he is black.
“That’s a big issue for me,” she said. “It’s like another Martin Luther King moment, a big moment for our race, someone who’s gotten all the way. It’s the dream thing.”
In Chattanooga, Gary and Susan Patterson waited until the last minute to vote, not because of their schedule but because they hadn’t made up their minds. They walked out of the North Chattanooga Recreation Center a few minutes after 8 p.m.
“I could have voted at 7 a.m.,” said Gary Patterson, a 62-year-old employee of the Hamilton County highway department. “I was still undecided and I didn’t vote for a president. I really didn’t like either of them.” Susan Patterson voted for McCain.
Marnay Goodlow, a 19-year-old student at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, cast his ballot just before the polls closed after he went to four different precincts before finding the right one at the recreation center. He said he took a close interest in the election.
“A lot of times when we were sitting around watching TV, somebody would say, ’Put it on BET,”’ said Goodlow, who voted for Obama and high-fived the doorframe on this way out. “I’d tell them to put it on CNN.”Democrat: McCain win no surprise
Tennessee Democratic Chairman Gray Sasser said McCain’s victory was no surprise and Democrats made significant gains.
“I’m really proud that the effort that a lot of Democrats put forth on behalf of Barack Obama,” including many who are new to the political process, Sasser said.
“We think there are some long-term dividends,” he said.
Tennessee Republican spokesman Bill Hobbs said “Tennessee Republicans will support the new president “when he is right.”
“Republicans are not going to give up on their principles, either. We will continue to fight for what we believe in.”
Copyright 2008, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.