COSTA MESA, Calif.–If the votes for macabre pumpkin-carved likenesses of President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney at the Orange County Market Place are any indication, the former Massachusetts governor will squeak by the incumbent in next week’s election.
Pumpkins of “Evil Mitt” and “Bone Chilling Obama,” created by Doug Goodreau, stood for an election of their own Sunday at the Orange County Market Place’s 15th annual Trick or Treat festival.
Evil Mitt received 162 votes and Bone Chilling Obama got 145 votes, said Jill Lloyd, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Market Place.
It was the fourth presidential pumpkin election at the Market Place in Costa Mesa, and judging from past history, it’s an accurate prognosticator.
The George W. Bush pumpkin defeated the Al Gore squash in 2000, and Bush triumphed again over the John Kerry pumpkin in 2004. In the last presidential election, the Obama pumpkin got more votes than the John McCain likeness, Lloyd said.
Farmer Mike Valladao of San Jose carved the presidential pumpkin heads in the past three elections. This was Goodreau’s first year, and he has a spookier style than the cartoonish flair of Valladao’s, according to Lloyd, who noted that this year’s election asked Market Place visitors to pick the “scariest” pumpkin.
