Abasekeli bokhetho lukamongameli weRiphabhulikhi u-Mitt Romney bahlola indlela abangalindelekile yokuya e-White House benqamula emahlathini amakhulu nasezingomeni zamajikijolo asenyakatho yeMaine.
UMengameli uBarack Obama kulindeleke ukuthi awine kalula iPine Tree State okhethweni lwangoNovemba 6.
Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi, abalingani bakaRomney bathenga isikhathi se-TV ngethemba lokuphatha ingaphakathi lezwe elinabantu abambalwa futhi bakhiphe ivoti elilodwa lekolishi lokhetho eMaine elingasondeza indoda yabo eduze kwama-270 adingekayo ukuze awine i-White House.
Njengoba amavoti akhombisa ukushisa okufile kuzwelonke, amaRiphabhlikhi esifundazweni agxile ekushayeni izingcingo kanye nemizamo yokungqongqoza emnyango emaphandleni asenyakatho neMaine - esinye sezifundazwe ezimbili ezidlala ngesethi yemithetho ehlukile okhethweni lukamongameli.
Izifundazwe eziningi zinikeza wonke amavoti azo okhetho kowinile, kodwa i-Maine ne-Nebraska zinikeza ivoti elilodwa lokhetho kwabaphumelele esifundeni ngasinye sekhongolose, ababili eMaine nabathathu e-Nebraska.
Umuntu ozongenela ukhetho ezweni lonke - okungenzeka kube ngu-Obama eMaine - uthola amavoti amabili okhetho engeziwe, okusho ukuthi kukhona amavoti amane azothathwa eMaine.
Nakuba ukuwina ivoti elilodwa nje lokhetho enyakatho yeMaine kusengumdlalo omude, amaRiphabhulikhi aseMaine anethemba ngamathuba kaRomney. Bakhomba ucwaningo lwangasese oluthole ukuthi uRomney ehola u-Obama ngamaphesenti angu-5 engxenyeni esenyakatho yesifundazwe ekuqaleni kwale nyanga, nakuba elandela u-Obama esifundazweni sonke.
UMark Brewer, uprofesa wesayensi yezepolitiki eNyuvesi yaseMaine, uthe kungenzeka, uma kungenjalo, ukuthi uRomney angawina ingxenye yombuso.
“Akukho okuningi okwenzekayo phansi okungaholela ekutheni ukholwe ukuthi angakwenza lokhu,” kusho uBrewer. “Kodwa ubani owaziyo? Ukuvota kuncane kakhulu lapha."
AmaRiphabhulikhi acabanga ukuthi kungenzeka. "Ngicabanga ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi uzowina," kusho uDavid Sorensen, umkhulumeli weqembu lesifundazwe laseRepublican.
Amathuba abonakala enqwabelane ngokumelene noRomney, nokho. I-Maine ayikaze ihlukanise amavoti ayo okhetho futhi ayikaze ivotele umongameli weRiphabhulikhi kusukela ngo-1988. Uchungechunge lwezinhlolovo ngoSepthemba lubonise u-Obama ehola u-Romney ngamamajini anezinombolo ezimbili ezweni lonke.
Impi elimazayo, ethathe izinyanga eziningi eqenjini lombuso phakathi kwabalandeli baka-Romney nabasekeli beqembu elincike ku-libertarian u-Ron Paul nayo ibangele izishoshovu eziningi zaseRiphabhulikhi ukuthi zihlale eceleni kulokhu kuwa.
"Ngicabanga ukuthi uRomney uzokwenza kahle, kodwa ukube babamukele abantu bakwaRon Paul esikhundleni sokubahlukanisa njengoba benza bekungaba yinto eqinisekile," kusho isishoshovu saseRiphabhulikhi uChris Dixon, umsekeli kaPaul.
AMAINE AMABILI
Ngenkathi abasizi begqamisa imizamo yokukhulisa umjaho ube yizifunda ezake zacatshangwa ukuthi ziphephile ku-Obama, njengeMinnesota, Pennsylvania kanye neWisconsin, uMaine ubengakaze abe ku-radar yomkhankaso we-Romney kuze kube manje.
U-Romney ngokwakhe unomuzi endaweni engumakhelwane waseNew Hampshire, futhi umkhankaso wakhe uzinze eBoston, okuyibanga elingangehora ukusuka emngceleni weMaine. Kodwa akakaze avakashele lesi sifundazwe kusukela ngobusika obudlule.
Ukhetho lugqamisa igebe phakathi kwalokhu abahlali abakubiza ngokuthi “Ama-Maine Amabili” - ugu oluseningizimu nesifundazwe sonke, lapho amathuba enciphe khona phakathi kokuncipha kokugawulwa kwemithi, ukulima amazambane kanye nokufaka izinhlanzi emathinini.
Ukwehluka kwezifunda okufana nalokhu ngokuvamile akunandaba kupolitiki yomongameli ngoba amazwe amaningi aklomelisa amavoti awo okhetho ngokuyikho konke noma lutho.
U-Obama uthole elinye ivoti lokhetho ngale ndlela ngo-2008 lapho ewina isifunda esisodwa sekhongolose eNebraska.
INebraska akulindelekile ukuthi ihlukanise amavoti ayo kulo nyaka, kodwa ababambisene noRomney babonakala bethanda ukungezwani eMaine.
I-Restore Our Future, iqembu langaphandle elisekela lowo owayengumbusi waseMassachusetts, lisebenzise u-$300,000 ekukhangiseni kukamabonakude engxenyeni esenyakatho yesifunda ngesonto eledlule, futhi lihlela ukusebenzisa u-$490,000 esifundeni sonke esontweni lokugcina ngaphambi kokhetho.
Izikhangiso ezidlala emakethe kamabonakude wase-Portland zifinyelela kubavoti eNew Hampshire, kodwa lezo ezidlala e-Bangor nase-Presque Isle ziqondiswe ngokuphelele kubavoti esifundeni sengqungquthela sesibili sase-Maine, esihlanganisa ingxenye yezwe yabantu abampofu kancane.
AmaRiphabhulikhi aseMaine athi agxile emizamweni yawo yokuphuma evotini esifundeni sesibili, futhi athemba ukuthi ukuqhuma kwamandla kungabasiza ekususeni uMichael Michaud, iDemocrat emele isifunda kuCongress.
AmaDemocrat ayakuhleka lokhu, ekhomba ukuvota kwawo okuyimfihlo okukhombisa u-Obama noMichaud behola kahle. Umkhankaso we-Romney uzoba nokubonakala okubonakalayo kuhulumeni uma becabanga ukuthi banethuba, bathi.
"Asibuboni ubufakazi bokuthi le 'khanda mbumbulu' lika-Romney linesisekelo sangempela," kusho u-Ben Grant, usihlalo weDemocratic Party wesifundazwe.
(Reuters)
