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Nov 5, 2008 5:58 pm US/Central
Voters Turn Dallas Co. A Shade Of Democratic Blue
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Democrats are continuing to enjoy a power surge in Dallas County.
Last night, supporters exchanged hugs and handshakes as they celebrated their victories. From top to bottom, Dallas County voters mostly chose Democrats for president, sheriff, county commissioner and judges.
"Once again we swept, as we did in 06, our county wides," said Darlene Ewing, Chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party.
In less than a decade, it has gone from Republican to a Democratic county.
"I think we were aided by discontent with Republican leadership and people were ready to throw people out of office and start over fresh," said Jeff Dalton, Director of Coordinated Campaign.
Statistics show this is a growing trend. In the 2000 presidential election, about 45 percent of Dallas County voters went for Al Gore. That went up in 2004, with almost 50 percent voting for John Kerry. This year, about 57 percent voted for Barack Obama.
"We wanted to maximize our straight ticket voting. Our motto was, 'Don't stop at the top,'" said Dalton.
Party leaders attribute the win to many factors, including being more organized than ever. "The Democratic Party isn't just an organization. It is organized," said Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price.
They say their efforts coupled with the excitement for the national race, helped them win locally. The momentum started in the primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in March.
Democrats say they also ramped up their advertising and targeted new voters.
Now that the polls are closed, the newly elected and re-elected say they need to find a way to reach out to the voters who didn't support them.
"The public was very clear in saying, 'We want things done that aren't done.' So we have to get in there and do it," said Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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