Local Republican recovery?

Russ Steele

A local blogger keeps suggesting that Democrats are about to take over the County from what has been a Republican strong hold in the past. While the County did vote for Obama and Brown in the last election, the political sand seem to be shifting under the Democrats according a recent Rasmussen Report.

For the first time in recent years, voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 key electoral issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. The GOP holds double-digit advantages on five of them.

Republicans have nearly doubled their lead over Democrats on economic issues to 49% to 35%, after leading by eight points in September.

The GOP also holds a 54% to 31% advantage on national security issues and a 50% to 31% lead on the handling of the war in Iraq.

But voters are less sure which party they trust more to handle government ethics and corruption, an issue that passed the economy in voter importance last month. Thirty-three percent (33%) trust Republicans more while 29% have more confidence in Democrats. Another 38% are undecided. Last month, the parties were virtually tied on the issue.

As the Clinton re-election team declared back in the 90, "It is the Economy Stupid"  If that is the case again, then we can skip the other nine issues and just note the Republicans lead 49-35 on the economy.

We have more than average upper-income voters in Nevada County, and I suspect many may be quite liberal and appeared to have voted for Obama and Brown.  I am not sure what they thinking then, but I think the prospect of steeply higher taxes will dissipate of some their warm feelings for the Democrats come November 2010.