Suburban Diversity

Noam Sheiber at the New Republic has some interesting analysis of the voting in the Philadelphia suburbs. He suggests that we should perhaps view suburbs--and their corresponding partisanship--along a continuum. Noting that Obama did better in the more Republican leaning suburban counties, this brings us back to the "electability" debate and the role of independents. Today, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe argued that Obama's appeal to these swing voters makes him the better candidate for the fall. Data from rural central Pennsylvania points to gains for Obama, relative to Ohio, in heavily Republican areas as well. Though not suburban, these voters seem willing to give Obama close consideration.