McCain's appeal is coastal

Doug Johnson at the Rose Institute's blog has an interesting twist on the usual California divide between the Democratic coast and the Republican interior (itself an update on the old north-south split.) He found that the coastal-inland schism in political thought also was on display in Tuesday's Republican primary. McCain and Giuliani ran strong only on the coast, in mostly Democratic areas. They prevailed in 16 congressional districts. The more conservative Republican candidates, if added together, won the day in 37 districts, including all of the California interior. Romney, Huckabee and the extras in the cast are in green:

"Even within the Republican Party, it seems, there is an inland/coastal split," Johnson writes. "If McCain hopes to make California competitive, he will have to bridge that divide while maintaining his appeal among independent voters."