CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      FOOD & BEVERAGE
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Beauty
        • Home
        • Pets
        • Kitchen
        • Fitness
        • I'm Looking For
        BEST PICKS
        • Best VPNs
        • Best Gaming PCs
        • Best Air Fryers
        COUPONS
        • Vistaprint Coupons
        • Ulta Coupons
        • Office Depot Coupons
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • Walmart Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE

        North Florida Republicans Stressed Out

        Stress Cases

        Hillsborough County goes blue and Romney supporters get glum. Winston Ross on swing state stress.

        Winston Ross

        Updated Jul. 14, 2017 2:06AM ET / Published Nov. 06, 2012 9:35PM ET 

        Emmanuel Dunand / AFP / Getty Images

        TAMPA, Fla.— Next to the giant, plastic American flag on the wall at the Americans for Prosperity’s Hillsborough County headquarters is a calendar, titled “days until lame duck,” starting with the number 1. Fox News is on the projector screen, laptops showing the latest results are on the table, and the chicken wings are getting cold.

        This group may call itself non-partisan, but there can be no doubt about which candidate the people in this room want to win tonight: former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

        Manning those laptops is Karen Jarosch, field coordinator for this chapter of AFP. She swears she’s not freaking out, but as the results keep refreshing on those computer screens, she doesn’t exactly look ebullient either.

        Fifty-five of 347 precincts tallied. Obama 52, Romney 47. Statewide, 11 percent of the vote in, Obama up 51 to 49.

        On the television, a Fox anchor is talking about how critical not just Florida’s 29 electoral votes are to Romney’s victory chances, but the votes right where Jarosch is sitting, right here in Hillsborough County. Southern Florida is mostly democrat, the north and panhandle mostly Republican. It is here where things could swing either way.

        "That’s not true, is it?” someone calls out, seeing Jarosch’s screen. But it is. And then moments later, the crushing news. Hillsborough County, a big chunk of that crucial corridor in the heart of the Sunshine State, is called. It’s Obama. Not good news for this crowd.

        "I’ll be disappointed,” Jarosch admits, if Obama wins reelection. “But America will go on, and we will continue to fight for the principles and values we believe in.”

        READ THIS LIST

        DAILY BEAST
        • Cheat Sheet
        • Politics
        • Crime
        • Entertainment
        • Media
        • World
        • Innovation
        • U.S. News
        • Scouted
        • Travel
        • Subscription
        • Crossword
        • Newsletters
        • Podcasts
        • About
        • Contact
        • Tips
        • Jobs
        • Advertise
        • Help
        • Privacy
        • Code of Ethics & Standards
        • Diversity
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Copyright & Trademark
        • Sitemap
        • Best Picks
        • Coupons:
        • Coupons:
        • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
        • HP Coupon Codes
        • Chewy Promo Codes
        • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
        • NordVPN Coupons
        • JCPenny Coupons
        • Nordstrom Coupons
        • Samsung Promo Coupons
        • Home Depot Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • eBay Coupons
        • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
        © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC