Republicans: Playing with Numbers

Playing with Numbers

Glowing with confidence after President Reagan's landslide re-election, the Republican Party last spring launched an ambitious drive to persuade Democratic voters to switch their party affiliation. Dubbing their plan Operation Open Door, Republican National Committee leaders hoped to win 100,000 converts in 100 days in four target states: Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Last week R.N.C. Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf declared the operation "a remarkable success" that indicated a growing political realignment in the U.S. More remarkable was the way the R.N.C. compiled its totals. In Florida, the Republicans claimed to have won 28,064 defectors, a respectable number, if considerably short...

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