"I am hoping that Dick Cheney comes out and tells people to vote for Kris, thus assuring Adam wins,"

[Laura PourMeADrink]

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/americanidol/2009/05/19/2009-05-19_lambert_vs_allen_american_idol_finale.html

'American Idol' duel: Glam Adam Lambert takes on red-state Kris Allen in blockbuster election finale
BY David Saltonstall
DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Tuesday, May 19th 2009, 4:00 AM

Micelotta/Getty

It will be rocker Adam Lambert (left) and smooth-sounding Kris Allen duking it out in the finals for the coveted title of 'American Idol.'


Adam Lambert, Kris Allen are 'American Idol' final two; Danny Gokey voted off
Now comes the real blockbuster election - one that will hinge just as much on complex demographic, technological and geographic factors as last year's epic presidential battle.
We are talking, of course, about "American Idol," the season finale of which will begin Tuesday night and end Wednesday night with the crowning of a new Idol.

Theories abound over who has the inside edge - the neo-glam, San Diego-bred Adam Lambert, 27, or the younger, more down-home Kris Allen, 23, of Conway, Ark.

Veteran political consultants say the 2008 presidential election is a useful prism through which to view this high-profile faceoff.

"The profiles of Adam and Kris suggest that this is really a red state versus blue state showdown," suggested Chris Lehane, a California-based political consultant who worked on the presidential campaigns of Al Gore and John Kerry.

The way Lehane sees it, Adam is the liberal in this race, the hipster from big blue California with a certain progressive flair, including painted fingernails and copious amounts of eyeliner.

Kris is more of a red-state country boy - a baby-faced, guitar-pickin', churchgoin' son of the land of Woo Pig Soiee, which voted solidly Republican in the last election.

"It will come down to whether Adam is able to build on the blue-state, progressive wave we have seen building since 2006, or whether this is a last gasp for the red state viewer/voter," explained Lehane by e-mail.

As a Californian, Lehane conceded he's pulling for favorite son Adam.

"I am hoping that Dick Cheney comes out and tells people to vote for Kris, thus assuring Adam wins," joked Lehane, a father of two "Idol"-watching tots.

Other political pros gives Adam the edge based on a key demographic component - cell phones, and who owns them.

Millions of "American Idol" watchers vote each week by texting on their cell phones, often repeatedly. And many believe Lambert's Generation X and Y groupies are more likely to own cell phones than Allen's younger, preteen followers.

"It depends on who texts," said Hank Sheinkopf, whose client list has included everyone from Bill Clinton to Mayor Bloomberg. "And my feeling is that more of those people are Adam's."

Sheinkopf is also picking Lambert to win, "because he's got colored fingernails and talent. But it's going to be close," added Sheinkopf, also a father of two "American Idol" devotees.

Fewer than a million votes - out of some 90 million cast for three contenders - separated Adam and Kris during the last round of voting.

Others believe it's way too early to count Kris out, in part because of the "swing vote" represented by the last contestant bounced, Danny Gokey.

The Wisconsin-bred Gokey had a mainstream, Middle American appeal, so his followers may now be more likely to gravitate toward the similarly wholesome Kris than the flamboyant Adam, the thinking goes.

"So long as we don't have any kind of a recount," Lehane joked, "we'll all be happy."