Obama Second to None as Romney Closes Gap

The last presidential primary was held Utah yesterday. All through the early months of the Republican primaries we heard about the enthusiasm gap, the lack of enthusiasm among Republican voters for frontrunner Mitt Romney.

That enthusiasm gap has disappeared with Romney closing out with more primary votes than John McCain in 2008 and second-highest primary vote total among Republican nominees going all the way back to Ronald Reagan.

Republican	Year	Votes
Mitt Romney	2012	9,685,780
John McCain	2008	9,615,533
George W. Bush	2004	7,853,863
George W. Bush	2000	12,034,676
Bob Dole	1996	9,024,742
George H.W. Bush	1992	9,199,463
George H.W. Bush	1988	8,253,512
Ronald Reagan	1984	6,484,987
Ronald Reagan	1980	7,709,793

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has been running in Democratic primaries of his own. These primaries lacked a serious challenger to be sure, but as a show of support for the President, the results exhibit a serious lack of enthusiasm, not so much an enthusiasm gap as an enthusiasm chasm.

Democrat	Year	Votes
Barack Obama	2012	6,158,064
Barack Obama	2008	17,584,692
John Kerry	2004	9,930,497
Al Gore	2000	10,626,568
Bill Clinton	1996	9,706,802
Bill Clinton	1992	10,482,411
Michael Dukakis	1988	9,898,750
Walter Mondale	1984	6,952,912
Jimmy Carter	1980	10,043,016

Only 35% of Obama's primary voters from 2008 came out for him again in 2012. He got the least primary votes of any Democratic nominee since Jimmy Carter in 1980. In fact, less than any Democratic or Republican nominee since 1980.

Let's compare the 2012 Barack Obama primary vote to some past second-place primary finishers. Yes, he beats John McCain's 2000 primary total. But he trails Hillary Clinton (2008), Ted Kennedy (1980), and even Jesse Jackson (1988).

Second Place	Year	Votes
Barack Obama	2012	6,158,064
Hillary Clinton	2008	17,857,501
John McCain	2000	6,061,332
Jesse Jackson	1988	6,788,991
Ted Kennedy	1980	7,381,693

What conclusion to take from so many Democratic voters sitting out of this historic poor vote showing? Six million votes is a second place finish. Barack Obama lost the 2012 primaries to None of the Above.