Barbara Boxer is the third-highest vote getter in the country

[liberalpragmatist]

I just find that an interesting fact.

Of course, it's debatable whether that actually means anything. After all, she is from the most populous state, California.

Still, I think it's interesting. She got upwards of 6 million votes or something, which makes her the third-highest vote getter in the state.

How the hell did she outpoll Kerry in California though? You'd think that Californians who voted for Boxer would vote Kerry too. If Kerry had won California by 20 points that would've gone a long way towards at least closing the popular vote gap, which would've helped destroy this talk of "mandate"

[Sandpiper]

1. Boxer ran on her liberal credentials

As opposed to Kerry's slightly left of center campaign.

That's the reason for the difference.

[Maat]

2. And we love her 'liberal' self.

I voted for her proudly.

[MrBenchley]

3. Worth noting too...

For all the attention Barack Obama's landslide in Illinois got, Chuck Schumer got an even bigger landslide in NY.

[Sandpiper]

4. Bench!!!

Haven't seen you in a while.

How ya doin?

[Julien Sorel]

5. If the national candidate is outpolling the regional

candidates, then we did a crappy job of picking candidates. The national candidate should be a compromise to appeal to as many states as possible, whereas the regional candidate should be tailored to his or her region. For example, the conservative senate and gubernatorial candidates generally outpolled Kerry in conservative states by quite a bit, indicating they were properly to his right. That he got outpolled by one of the most liberal senators in one of the more Democratic states, while also being outpolled by the conservative candidates in conservative states, is evidence Kerry was pretty close to the center.

[greenohio]

6. Yeah thats it Boxer for president. We're destined for victory.

We are really in the wilderness now.

[Leilani]

7. I would think that Californians thought she did a good job for them!

As simple as that.

She probably does good outreach, battles for California, & I heard her opponent was a dog.

I don't think her win has national implications.

[quiet.american]

8. Apt Name

I'd forgotten about Barbara Boxer during my recent lamentations about impotent Democrats.

I'll never forget the first time I saw her in a debate -- on C-Span -- practically single-handedly taking on Repug senator after Repug senator -- and wiping the floor with them.

Go, Barbara, go!