Obama takes Florida from red to blue

By Jim Ash
FLORIDA CAPITAL BUREAU CHIEF

Barack Obama appeared on the verge Tuesday night of making Florida history, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the conservative-leaning state in a dozen years.

With 85 percent of precincts reporting, Obama led with 50.7 percent of the vote. Republican John McCain trailed with 48.5 percent, according to the Associated Press. Here's the count:

nObama; 3,683,993.

nMcCain; 3,527,838.

Obama campaign officials were cautiously optimistic.

"It's clear that the American people want fundamental change - and that when we come together, anything is possible. That's what today is all about," said Obama spokesman Kevin Cate.

Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer issued a statement moments after McCain conceded around 11 p.m.

"I can't say thank you enough to the thousands of volunteers and supporters who worked so hard for our cause," Greer said. "Your efforts made a significant impact ... enabled Republicans to maintain our majorities in the state House of Representatives and the state Senate, as well as Florida's Congressional delegation."

The results came as the state was also poised to break a 1992 record of 83-percent turnout set in the 1992 presidential race. Secretary of State Kurt Browning reported only minor voting-equipment glitches across the state and long lines at some college campuses where students were making last-minute address changes.

Florida hasn't voted for a Democrat since former President Bill Clinton beat Republican Bob Dole in 1996, 48 percent to 42 percent. President George W. Bush beat Democrat John Kerry 52 percent to 47 percent in Florida four years ago.

Obama had a large money advantage and a superior organization that included more than 500 paid staff spread across more than 50 field offices. Republicans were dwarfed, with "more than 100" paid staff members and 40 field offices.

The personnel and money allowed Obama to blanket the state with campaign ads and concentrate on Southwest Florida, the Space Coast and Northwest Florida, Republican strongholds that Democrats all but ignored in years past.

Last month, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe vowed to spend $39 million in Florida to secure the win.

For McCain, Florida and its 27 electoral votes were always do-or-die.

Final polls showed the state was still up for grabs on Election Day. The Republican polling firm Strategic Vision of Atlanta released a survey earlier in the day that showed Obama ahead of McCain 49-47, just within the 3-percent margin of error.

The narrowing polls gave Republicans hope that their advantage in absentee votes would make McCain "the comeback kid," in Florida.

But McCain appeared to have trouble overcoming Obama's momentum in early voting that had 4.2 million Floridians casting ballots early through absentee ballots and in person at 267 early voting sites across the state.

McCain's Florida effort, run largely through the top campaign officials and the Republican National Committee, also suffered from infighting. Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer was forced earlier this month to tour McCain field offices to buck up the troops.

Florida's top Republican, Gov. Charlie Crist, paved the way for McCain's primary victory with a last-minute endorsement and he was even once considered a vice-presidential candidate. But Crist dropped largely out of sight in the weeks following the Republican National Convention in September, when McCain named Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his surprise running mate.