Sunday, December 28, 2008
Not So Fast! There are Battlegrounds in 2009
There is a lot of talk in the blogosphere (and in what’s left of the newspapers) about the 2010 election cycle. The talk is about Camelot Barbie and her quest for Hilary’s Senate seat; there is talk about Harry Reid’s uphill battle to retain his own seat; and there is talk about Jeb Bush running for the Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez. These are interesting topics, but conservatives must focus on the first task at hand - the 2009 statewide races in Virginia, New Jersey and perhaps Illinois.
Believe me, I can’t wait to see Harry Reid lose his Senate seat. After all Nevada is at its core a red state. Believe me, I would love to see Jeb Bush steamroll to a victory in a U.S. Senate race. And I would really love to see Caroline Kennedy AKA “Camelot Barbie” defend a Senate and her non-existent resume. Those are great topics, but we have to keep our eye on the ball: There are important statewide elections in 2009 that deserve our attention.
VIRGINIA: The governor’s race is at the top of the ballot in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The GOP has put its decade-long infighting aside and has rallied behind Attorney General Bob McDonnell. McDonnell is a popular figure who has a strong law-and-order record both as a Delegate and as Attorney General. He has deep roots in the two most populous and vote-rich area of the state, and has proven that he can win a statewide election. He has a very strategic advantage in that he has no primary opponent. The Democrats, on the other hand are holding a three-way primary between R. Creigh Deeds, Brian J. Moran and Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe, of course, is the former chairman of the DNC and a Clinton crony. Moran, a state legislature, is the choice of the Virginia Democrat establishment. The united GOP will have a chance to reverse the blue tide in the Commonwealth.
NEW JERSEY: The New Jersey governor is the constitutionally most powerful governor in the nation. There are no other elected constitutional officers, so the governor appoints everyone in the cabinet, as well as every new judge in the state. Wall Street Magnate Jon Corzine holds the position now. He is there because he has used his vast fortune to win a Senate seat in 2000 by outspending his opponent by a 9:1 margin, and has underwritten Democrat bosses and machines across the Garden State for eight years. New Jersey is a very BLUE state. However, Corzine’s approval ratings are upside-down, so the GOP sees an opening. The GOP will chose its nominee on June 4, in a primary. There are three declared candidates - two mayors and a state assemblyman - but the GOP awaits the entry of popular U.S. Attorney Chris Christie. If the GOP can unite behind a candidate, then they have a chance to pull an upset.
ILLINOIS:It looks like Barack Obama’s Senate seat is no longer for sale. It may have to be decided in a special election, which should give the GOP an opening.
The GOP is on a mild winning streak, having won three special elections in Georgia and Louisiana since the election of Obama. If we can focus on 2009, then we can build on those victories.
