The Republican Primaries: Losers and Winners

Published in Le Figaro
(France) on 7 March 2012
by Jean-Sebastien Stehli (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Meredith O'Connell. Edited by .

Edited by Casey J. Skeens

Super Tuesday has now come and gone. After Republicans voted in 10 states, the question is: Who are the winners and the losers of the day?

Winners

Rick Santorum, who swept Tennessee and Oklahoma right in the middle of prime time, and who was leading during the counting of the ballots right up until late that night, making most Americans believe that he had finally won the state from Romney (though not by a lot). Especially since no one gave the ex-senator from Pennsylvania a chance, he gave off the impression of over-performing. Psychologically, he scored the most points.

The South. The fact that Romney hasn't made a clean sweep and won most of the Super Tuesday primaries means that the Southern states, particularly Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana will be under the spotlight for the next few days. The South will be important in deciding the future Republican candidate, which is great for these states.

Mitt Romney, of course. He won 6 of the 10 Tuesday primaries. It’s a bit difficult to not consider him the Republican party's candidate, and yet….

Losers

Ohio. Even if Romney and Santorum finished neck in neck, the problem in Ohio isn’t new: Ohio takes ages to count the ballots (over five hours to count 1.9 million ballots, which is barely 25 percent of the votes). For a state this crucial, at this moment, this close to the presidential elections, this is a problem.

Romney. He won Ohio and five other states after burning through $10 million, but when all is said and done, he still hasn't convinced everyone, except those within the electoral body who are very rich. In Ohio, 3 out of 10 voters have an annual family income of $100,000 and more, and the majority of them voted for Romney. But 58 percent of those who voted for Santorum are unsatisfied with Romney. No doubt there will be problems on the horizon...

Gingrich, who only won Georgia, his home state.

Mississippi and Alabama are up next this coming Tuesday, and the show goes on. The Republicans will choose Romney as their candidate, but he will cross the finishing line in tatters. Obama is already rubbing his hands together in anticipation of a showdown.


Quelques heures après le Super Tuesday, quels sont les vainqueurs et les vaincus de cette journée où les électeurs Républicains ont voté dans 10 Etats?

Vainqueurs:

* Rick Santorum qui a remporté le Tennessee et l'Oklahoma en plein pendant le prime time. Et qui a mené dans le décompte des voix jusqu'à tard dans la nuit, ce qui a fait croire à la majorité des Américains qu'il avait remporté cet Etat finalement revenu à Romney (pas de beaucoup). Surtout, alors que personne n'aurait donné une chance à l'ex-sénateur de Pennsylvanie, il donne l'impression de sur-performer. Psychologiquement, il a marqué le plus de points.

* Le Sud. Le fait que Romney n'ait pas réussi à emballer la machine et à remporter la majorité des primaires de ce Super Tuesday, donne aux Etats du sud, notamment à l'Alabama, au Mississippi et à la Louisiane une place sous les spotlights, dans les prochains jours. Le Sud sera important dans le choix du futur candidat Républicain. C'est bon pour ces Etats.

* Mitt Romney quand même. Il a remporté six des 10 primaires de ce mardi. Difficile de ne pas le considérer comme le candidat des Républicains, et pourtant...

Losers:

* Ohio. Même si Romney et Santorum ont terminé coude à coude, Ohio a un problème qui n'est pas nouveau: il lui faut un temps fou pour compter les bulletins de vote (plus de 5 heures pour compter 1,9 millions de bulletins, soit à peine 25% de l'électorat). Pour un Etat central lors de l'élection présidentielle, c'est un problème.

* Romney. Il a remporté l'Ohio après avoir dépensé 10 millions de dollars et cinq autres Etats, mais au bout du compte, il n'arrive pas à convaincre, sauf les plus riches parmi le corps électoral. Dans l'Ohio, 3 électeurs sur 10 ont un revenu annuel familial de 100.000 dollars et plus et la moitié de ceux-ci a voté pour Romney. Mais 58% de ceux qui ont voté Santorum sont insatisfait de Romney. Problèmes à l'horizon...

* Gingrich, qui ne remporte que son Etat, la Géorgie.
Mardi prochain, Mississippi et Alabama sont en piste. Le spectacle continue. Romney sera le candidat choisi par les Républicains, mais il franchira la ligne d'arrivée en lambeaux. Obama s'en frotte déjà les mains.
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