Applesauce » The Applesauce Challenge

The Applesauce Challenge

September 15th, 2008 at 06:30am Pat Cunningham

(This post from last Thursday morning has been bumped to the top to gain wider attention from readers, and I’ve extended the deadline indefinitely.)

Here’s a political exercise for all you Applesaucers — regulars and newbies alike: Tell me which presidential ticket you expect to win in November, and tell me how.

No political rhetoric, please — just numbers. There are 538 electoral votes, 270 of which are needed to win. Tell me how those electoral votes will be divided between the McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden tickets.

Don’t just guess at the totals. Rather, assign the electoral votes from each state to one side or the other. For example, you might want to assign Alaska’s three votes to McCain and Illinois’ 21 votes to Obama. Don’t stop when one side reaches 270 votes. Assign all the votes.

Your ballot may look like this: McCain: Alabama (9); Alaska (3); etc., etc. And then, Obama: California (55); Colorado (9); etc., etc. At the end of each candidate’s list of states, put a total of electoral votes.

The balloting will remain open until a few days before the election.

NOTE: Any political rhetoric or lack of state-by-state assignment of electoral votes will result in deletion of your ballot. Don’t waste your time and mine.

Here are the states and their electoral votes:

Alabama - 9 Alaska - 3 Arizona - 10 Arkansas - 6 California - 55 Colorado - 9 Connecticut - 7 Delaware - 3 District Of Columbia - 3 Florida - 27 Georgia - 15 Hawaii - 4 Idaho - 4 Illinois - 21 Indiana - 11 Iowa - 7 Kansas - 6 Kentucky - 8 Louisiana - 9 Maine - 4 Maryland - 10 Massachusetts - 12 Michigan - 17 Minnesota - 10 Mississippi - 6 Missouri - 11	Montana - 3 Nebraska - 5 Nevada - 5 New Hampshire - 4 New Jersey - 15 New Mexico - 5 New York - 31 North Carolina - 15 North Dakota - 3 Ohio - 20 Oklahoma - 7 Oregon - 7 Pennsylvania - 21 Rhode Island - 4 South Carolina - 8 South Dakota - 3 Tennessee - 11 Texas - 34 Utah - 5 Vermont - 3 Virginia - 13 Washington - 11 West Virginia - 5 Wisconsin - 10 Wyoming - 3

Source: United States National Archives & Records Administration

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized

6 Comments Add your own

1. Egyas | September 11th, 2008 at 9:22 am

Ok, I’ll take a crack at it. Here are my ROUGH numbers…..

Alabama - 9
Alaska - 3
Arizona - 10
Arkansas - 6
Florida - 27
Georgia - 15
Idaho - 4
Indiana - 11
Iowa - 7
Kansas - 6
Kentucky - 8
Louisiana - 9
Minnesota - 10
Mississippi - 6
Missouri - 11
Montana - 3
Nebraska - 5
North Carolina - 15
North Dakota - 3
Ohio - 20
Oklahoma - 7
South Carolina - 8
South Dakota - 3
Tennessee - 11
Texas - 34
Utah - 5
Virginia - 13
Wyoming - 3
272

California - 55
Colorado - 9
Connecticut - 7
Delaware - 3
District Of Columbia - 3
Hawaii - 4
Illinois - 21
Maine - 4
Maryland - 10
Massachusetts - 12
Michigan - 17
Nevada - 5
New Hampshire - 4
New Jersey - 15
New Mexico - 5
New York - 31
Oregon - 7
Pennsylvania - 21
Rhode Island - 4
Vermont - 3
New Mexico - 5
West Virginia - 5
Wisconsin - 10
260

Now, realistically, to me Iowa, NM, and a few others are way too close and volatile to call this early, but if I had to guess RIGHT NOW that’s what I’d guess at.
2. Egyas | September 11th, 2008 at 9:23 am

Sorry, my cut-paste from Notepad cut off the first line. Section 1 (272 votes) was McCain, and section 2 (260 votes) was Obama.
3. LD | September 11th, 2008 at 11:44 am

Here you go:

MCCAIN-PALIN
Alabama - 9
Alaska - 3
Arizona - 10
Arkansas - 6
Florida - 27
Georgia - 15
Idaho - 4
Indiana - 11
Kansas - 6
Kentucky - 8
Louisiana - 9
Mississippi - 6
Missouri - 11
Nebraska - 5
North Carolina - 15
North Dakota - 3
Oklahoma - 7
South Carolina - 8
South Dakota - 3
Tennessee - 11
Texas - 34
Utah - 5
Virginia - 13
West Virginia - 5
Wyoming - 3
237

OBAMA-BIDEN
California - 55
Colorado - 9
Connecticut - 7
Delaware - 3
District Of Columbia - 3
Hawaii - 4
Illinois - 21
Iowa - 7
Maine - 4
Maryland - 10
Massachusetts - 12
Michigan - 17
Minnesota - 10
Montana - 3
Nevada - 5
New Hampshire - 4
New Jersey - 15
New Mexico - 5
New York - 31
Ohio - 20
Oregon - 7
Pennsylvania - 21
Rhode Island - 4
Vermont - 3
New Mexico - 5
Wisconsin - 10
295
4. Kaus | September 11th, 2008 at 11:50 am

Obama
California 55
Colorado 9
Connecticut 7
Delaware 3
District of Columbia3
Hawaii 4
Illinois 21
Iowa 7
Kentucky 8
Maryland 10
Massachusetts12
Michigan 17
Minnesota 10
New Hampshire4
New Jersey 15
New Mexico 5
New York 31
Oregon 7
Pennsylvania 21
Rhode Island 4
Vermont 3
Washington 11
Wisconsin 10
Obama total 277

Mccain
Alabama 9
Alaska 3
Arizona 10
Arkansas 6
Florida 27
Georgia 15
Idaho 4
Indiana 11
Kansas 6
Louisiana 9
Maine 4
Mississippi 6
Missouri 11
Montana 3
Nebraska 5
Nevada 5
North Carolina 15
North Dakota 3
Ohio 20
Oklahoma 7
South Carolina 8
South Dakota 3
Tennessee 11
Texas 34
Utah 5
Virginia 13
West Virginia 5
Wyoming 3
Mccain total 261
5. Peter Gunn | September 11th, 2008 at 1:28 pm

Obama-Biden
376 Delegates

Alabama - 9
Arkansas - 6
California - 55
Colorado - 9
Connecticut - 7
Delaware - 3
District Of Columbia - 3
Hawaii - 4
Illinois - 21
Indiana - 11
Iowa - 7
Kansas - 6
Kentucky - 8
Louisiana - 9
Maine - 4
Maryland - 10
Massachusetts - 12
Michigan - 17
Minnesota - 10
Mississippi - 6
Missouri - 11
Nebraska - 5
Nevada - 5
New Jersey - 15
New Mexico - 5
New York - 31
North Carolina - 15
New Hampshire - 4
North Dakota - 3
Ohio - 20
Oregon - 7
Pennsylvania - 21
Rhode Island - 4
South Carolina - 8
South Dakota - 3
Tennessee - 11

_____________________

McCain-Palin
111 Delegates

Alaska - 3
Arizona - 10
Georgia - 15
Florida - 27 *
Idaho - 4
Montana - 3
Oklahoma - 7
Texas - 34*
Utah - 5
Wyoming - 3

* Denotes Challenges due to Suspected Voter Fraud !

I’m being very liberal here by giving Arizona to McCain.

But better to ere on the high side than the low in all fairness

End Result:
Obama 376
McCain 111
6. Quintin Jordon | September 15th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

I have to say Kaus picked the same states that I was going to use for my numbers. Well done, Kaus.

If you keep thinking like me, you might be accused of being a liberal, which I am not.

The one state I wonder about is Virginia. Is there a chance for Obama?