Dem registrations inch ahead of GOP in Klein’s congressional District 22

by George Bennett Klein Fresh figures from the Palm Beach and Broward county elections offices show Democrats have inched ahead of Republicans in voter registrations in congressional District 22, a seat the GOP held from 1981 to 2007 and that many Republicans still regard as winnable. District 22 voters have sent a Democrat — U.S. Rep. Ron Klein of Boca Raton — to Congress in the last two elections and Democrat Barack Obama carried the district by 4 points in the November 2008 presidential election. But until this month, the district had a plurality of Republican voters. The latest available voter statistics — from this morning in Broward County and from Thursday in Palm Beach County — show 175,785 Democrats and 175,762 Republicans in congressional District 22, which extends from Jupiter to Fort Lauderdale. Another 121,760 voters are registered with minor parties or no party affiliation. The numbers have been trending Democratic for the past several years. In 2002, when the GOP-dominated legislature redrew districts across the state to reflect 2000 census data, Republicans held a 42.8-to-34.9 percent registration edge in District 22. In 2006, when Klein toppled 13-term Republican incumbent Clay Shaw, the GOP still held a 39.6-to-35.2 percent registration edge. Last November, when Klein defeated GOP challenger Allen West, Republicans were clinging to a 37.7-to-37.0 percent edge in registrations. Listen to my news Podcast http://RonMills.us/news Visit My Social Media Blog http://ronmills.us/ Visit me on twitter http://Twitter.com/RainbowUSA Visit Me On Face Book http://RonMills.us/facebook My Biz on Twitter http://Twitter.com/theRbuzz