Obama Holds Pennsylvania, Surprising No One But the Pundits

As most rational observers expected, President Obama has carried Pennsylvania, like every Democratic nominee four the last five cycles before him.

As most rational observers expected, President Obama has carried Pennsylvania, like every Democratic nominee four the last five cycles before him. The last time a Republican won the Keystone State Michael Dukakis was the Democratic nominee. It was also the last time the Republican nominee carried California.

I understand why candidates want to pretend that these states are competitive. And, maybe, one day they will be again. But there was no reason to pretend Pennsylvania was in play in recent weeks. Yet, the media has persisted in doing just that.

This, of course, also all-but-mathematically forecloses any possibility of Romney reaching 270 Electors without winning Ohio.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. So far, the polling has been vindicated.

  2. James Joyner says:

    @Steven L. Taylor: Yup. Math, how do it work?

  3. PJ says:

    The voting needs to be unskewed!

  4. Andre Kenji says:

    Without PA and MI there is no way that Romney could be competitive.

  5. James Joyner says:

    @Andre Kenji: There was pretty much one path: Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio plus either New Hampshire or Colorado.