Will Orleans be the most-Trump county in NY?

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2016 at 4:56 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Richard Coleman of Eagle Harbor Road in Barre made this sign with his grandson. “Your putting your stamp out there, rather than somebody else’s,” Coleman said about the home-made sign. Coleman said he supports Donald Trump for his push to strengthen the military and boost the economy.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Richard Coleman of Eagle Harbor Road in Barre made this sign with his grandson. “Your putting your stamp out there, rather than somebody else’s,” Coleman said about the home-made sign. Coleman said he supports Donald Trump for his push to strengthen the military and boost the economy.

Of the 62 counties in New York, Orleans is expected to have one of the biggest shows of support for Donald Trump today.

Orleans is solidly Republican and two years ago when Rob Astorino ran against Andrew Cuomo for governor, Orleans voters gave Astorino 73.4 percent of the vote. That was the second highest percentage of all counties. Only Wyoming County, at 76.0 percent, topped Orleans in backing the Republican candidate. (State-wide, Cuomo won re-election with 54 percent of the vote.)

Ed Morgan, the Orleans County Republican Party chairman, said he expects big numbers for Trump in Orleans. The Orleans GOP Committee was the first of all the NY counties to endorse Trump back in February.

Trump signs far outnumber ones for Clinton on the local landscape.

Morgan said the GOP county leaders compare votes in their counties to see the Republican support. Morgan said Orleans might be able to wrestle bragging rights from Wyoming when it comes to which county votes the most Republican today.

He said the Republican ideals strike a chord with many local residents.

“We’re a rural county with working people,” he said. “We’re a giving county.”

The voter enrollment rolls count 10,732 Republicans in Orleans, compared to 5,518 Democrats.

There are 23,263 registered voters total. The number of independent voters – blanks – at 5,100 nearly matches the number of Democrats. Appealing to independents and third parties can help a Democrat in a Republican-dominated county.

There are also 1,113 registered members of the Independence Party and 542 Conservatives. Other party enrollments include: Working Families, 154; Green, 64; Libertarian, 35; Women’s Equality, 3; and Reform, 2.

Even Jeanne Crane, the leader of the Orleans County Democratic Party, said she expects Orleans County will give Donald Trump strong support today.

The county is solidly Republican, and that enrollment advantage is tough for a Democratic Party candidate to overcome, she said.

Crane has been encouraged by many blue signs in lawns in support of Hillary Clinton for president. Crane said those public displays aren’t always easy in a county where Democrats are at such a disadvantage.

“It’s tough for a Democrat in Orleans County because we’re outnumbered 2-to-1 by the Republicans,” she said.

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