Devin Prewett, 24, came to the caucus to give his full support to Paul. He even turned his Subaru Outback into a moving Paul billboard.Keep in mind that Mr. Prewett and all other participants at the caucus were required to sign in and attest that they were Republicans. Maybe this Paululan disloyalty explains why thousands of primary ballots are being disqualified because voters refuse to sign a ballot oath identifying themselves as a Democrat or a Republican.
Prewett said the lack of media coverage for Paul doomed the candidate's push for presidency.
"I really think if Ron Paul had the media coverage his message would get out and he would be a more popular candidate," he said.
If Paul doesn't receive the nomination, Prewett said his next choice would not be a Republican.
"If (Paul) doesn't get on the ballot the next best choice is Obama and I would be willing to jump to the Democrats," he said.
The only thing that Obama and Paul have in common is their stated intent to immediately withdraw the troops from Iraq. I can't see Mr. Prewett as being much of a Libertarian if he buys into Obama's nanny statist, big government policies. A sheep in wolf's clothing.
From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:
Whitman County residents turned out in droves to the county's presidential caucuses Saturday.
Pullman resident and Republican Precinct Committee Officer Nancy Gregory said the nearly 100 people at the Pullman caucus was the most she had seen in years.
"Every (election) I come to the caucus meetings, and there are about three or four times more people here today," Gregory said Saturday.
The turnout and passion this year reminded Gregory of former President Ronald Reagan's initial push for the White House, she said.
"This is how we elected Ronald Reagan," Gregory said. "We got all the Reagan supporters out at the caucuses and all the delegates, or most of them, were Reagan supporters."
While the turnout was high - estimated by Republican Party Chairwoman Susan Fagan to be 170 people countywide - in comparison to past caucuses for the Republicans, there was no runaway winner.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee led all candidates with 29 delegates, followed by Sen. John McCain and Rep. Ron Paul, each with 20 delegates. Mitt Romney finished with 10 delegates, despite having suspended his campaign last week. A total of eight delegates were uncommitted.
The results from the county's tight three-way race was similar to those from the rest of the state. Overall, McCain finished with just over 25 percent of the statewide vote, followed by Huckabee with 23.8 percent and Paul with just under 21 percent. Romney received 16.7 percent of the state's delegates.
Fagan said she had only heard positive results from the county's 12 Republican caucuses.
"Everybody said they had more people than ever and the discussions were really good," Fagan said. "Everyone is focused on the elections ... "
Democrats also enjoyed a strong turnout, with about 1,000 people taking part in Whitman County caucuses, said Carolyn Kress, party chairwoman.
"We probably tripled what we did four years ago," Kress said. "We were needless to say pleased. It was very successful, we just couldn't ask for more."
The results in the county mirrored those statewide, with Sen. Barack Obama receiving a majority of the delegates. Obama tallied 142 delegates from the county, compared to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's 40. Statewide, Obama received 67.5 percent of the delegates, while Clinton showed with 31.2 percent.
While the high turnout in the Democratic caucus was partly attributed to the tight race between Clinton and Obama, much of the increased turnout at the Republican caucus can be chalked up to younger generation's renewed interest in politics.
The unusual amount of young participants did not go unnoticed by 76-year-old Pullman resident Miriam Rehwaldt.
"There are so many young people; more young people than anyone," she said.
Many of the younger voters came out to support Paul.
Alex Marcelo, 20, described his vote for Paul as a "principle vote," acknowledging that Paul likely will not win the Republican nomination. However, Paul has given him a renewed faith in the Republican Party.
"Because of the Bush administration, I had written off the Republican Party for a long time," Marcelo said.
"Fundamentally, what attracts me to Ron Paul is he believes in the Constitution. Ron Paul reminds us the Constitution is there to limit the government, not the people."
Marcelo was elected as one of two delegates from Precinct 218 in Pullman to head to the county convention in Colfax on March 8.
Marcelo has pledged his vote for Paul. He said if Paul does not receive the nomination he would not be able to support the party's current front-runner.
"I honestly can't support (McCain)," Marcelo said, adding that Huckabee would be his second choice.
Devin Prewett, 24, came to the caucus to give his full support to Paul. He even turned his Subaru Outback into a moving Paul billboard.
Prewett said the lack of media coverage for Paul doomed the candidate's push for presidency.
"I really think if Ron Paul had the media coverage his message would get out and he would be a more popular candidate," he said.
If Paul doesn't receive the nomination, Prewett said his next choice would not be a Republican.
"If (Paul) doesn't get on the ballot the next best choice is Obama and I would be willing to jump to the Democrats," he said.
Switching parties is definitely not an option for Rehwaldt, a longtime Republican.
"I will go for anybody who will beat Hillary or Obama," she said. "I am a Republican, so I will back whoever."
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