Crossover sabotage requires effort and coordination

Election  results looked very suspicious in the Montana primary election of 1964.  Even though Democratic challenger Mike Kuchera, also known as Polka Mike, lost the primary election to Roland Renne, he actually got more votes (56,710) than the incumbent Governor Tim Babcock (56,425). Reporters asked Governor Babcock for an explanation and the headline read: “Babcock Says There Was GOP Crossover.”  

An evaluation of the election results shows that 21 percent of Republicans voted a Democratic ballot in an attempt to elect the weaker candidate. This was a statewide effort not just a 2014 Ravalli County Central Committee dust up.  

The lesson from history: It is nearly impossible for an organized crossover vote to change the outcome of a primary election.

If a party is going to try, it needs to convince at least 30 percent of its voters to defect. This takes effective organization. Maybe the Republicans could do it but the Democrats?

Recall what Will Rogers said: “I am not a member of an organized political party. I am a Democrat.”

— Carole Mackin,

Helena