Presidential race fuels record turnout

It looks like a record-breaking night as far as turnout goes in Orange County, making it truly a Super Duper Tuesday locally too.

“You know, it is higher [than I expected],” Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley said. “I thought the turnout at the precincts may be a little lower because a lot of people voted by mail, but that’s not the case.”

Kelley estimated that, when coupled with the high number of voters who submitted their ballot by mail, total voter turnout could be as high as 70%.

“That is a record in Orange County for a presidential primary,” he said.

An unscientific survey of local voters showed a slight edge for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, mirroring what appears to be the state’s too-close-to-call contest. Local voters appeared to like Mitt Romney with Ron Paul the second most popular, Mike Huckabee close behind him and John McCain a distant last.

“I just feel like Clinton’s views are stronger,” Ashley Moorhouse of Costa Mesa said. “Her replies during the debates were more factually based.”

“He’s the closest to what I believe,” Brian Gerbode of Newport Beach said of Huckabee. “He’s not my ideal candidate, but is a conservative that believes in lower taxes, individual liberties, and immigration control.”

Initial results from the Orange County Registrar of voters — comprised solely of early ballots — put Clinton ahead of Obama in the county, 58.5% to 28.3%. Those numbers reflect absentee ballots and not election-day returns.

On the Republican side, McCain earned a smaller lead over rival Romney, 42.1% to 27.8%, according to the early-vote returns. Huckabee came in third, with 10.4%.

Both presidential drop-outs, John Edwards and Rudy Giuliani, received 10.6% and 10.2% of the vote respectively, though the vast majority of these votes were submitted prior to their concessions last week, and their share of the vote likely will drop as ballots cast today are counted.

Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who initially supported Fred Thompson in the presidential contest, said he was watching the incoming results as a neutral observer.

“I would imagine, looking at the early results, that McCain will win the preponderance of the votes in Orange County,” he said. “On the national level, it looks like the campaign is going to continue in both parties, as there won’t be any clear front runner tonight.”

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at chris.caesar@latimes.com.