Will the Republicans come up with a credible challenger to Sen. Maria Cantwell for 2012? The topic came up at Drinking Liberally last week, and I’ve been been thinking about it on and off since then. Specifically…who?
Jim Brunner puts together a good analysis. At this point, the big challenge for any potential Republican is money. The clock is running. Cantwell is raising money. Her non-existent Republican opponent isn’t.
Former Washington state Republican Chairman Chris Vance has the political side figured out. (I like how he is able to say reality-based stuff that current Chairman Kirby Wilbur could never say):
“[R]ight now, it’s very much in doubt whether there is going to be a strong candidate.”
“The Republican brand got hammered on the West Coast during the Bush years, and it has not recovered….There are just so many more Democrats than Republicans in Washington state right now — the math just becomes very difficult.”
and
“If a Republican is going to have any chance to beat Cantwell, they have to immediately and sharply distance themselves from the national Republican Party”
Brunner offers three possible challengers: Susan Hutchison, who lost a race for King County Executive to Ron Sims Dow Constantine in 2009, Rep. Dave Reichert, and Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryant.
Not impressive.
Dino! Your party needs you!
So, according to Vance, the best approach for a Republican candidate is to not be a Republican.
That ought to be distance enough.
I love this part of the quote:
“The Republican brand got hammered on the West Coast during the Bush years….”
In other words, the best way to make people vote Democratic is for the Republicans to actually win an election. They do such a lousy job at governing, they actually create Democrats in the process.
The best thing for he state Rs to do is run no one for Senate. They need to concentrate all their resources on the gubernatorial race.
Maybe I’ll declare as a Republican candidate so the hardcore Rs can check off a name with an R behind it. I’d have to change my name, though, as I think putting an R after “proud leftist” probably may not be enough to secure the wingnut vote.
re 3: A split picture on television with McKenna on one side and Barney Fife on the other is an image that no amount of money can overcome.
Why?
Because it’s an apt comparison of two pipsqueek authoritarians.
How about “Low Tax” Loper? Is he available,or is he still in jail?
@3 They should let some freelancer (Clint Didier?) take a run at it — on his own time and resources.
I think the GOP brand is about to get a lot stinkier. Republican budget negotiators have made President Obama an offer he can’t possibly accept: Cut trillions of dollars from Social Security and Medicare, don’t raise taxes one cent or close a single tax loophole, and don’t cut Pentagon spending a penny. These guys WANT a Treasury default and the economic chaos that will follow! Proof of that? A lot of them are saying even if Obama caves in to ALL of their demands, they STILL won’t vote to raise the debt ceiling!
The GOP has morphed from the party of “less government” to “no government at all.” Their idea of governing is GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. Republicans are the New Anarchists.
Here’s how Republicans “support the troops”: American soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t going to get their paychecks next month.
@6 Looper is doing life without possibility of parole, but that doesn’t mean we can’t put his name on the ballot with an “R” next to it. What’s the filing fee?
Here’s your candidate, GOPers!
http://www.trutv.com/library/c.....per/2.html
Susan Hutchison, who lost a race for King County Executive to Ron Sims in 2009
I think you mean the race after Sims vacated it.
Riiiiigght.. If only that were true Chris Vance.
The Democratic politicians are Republican-lite and the “people”???
Suburbanites who say don’t raise taxes and here’s my Eyman votes to prove it but take care of my own backyard thank you very much.
I guess that’s long winded for “vote my pocketbook”..
Keep sending back the incumbents to DC to keep building their Senate seniority and they keep bring home the bacon.
But here at home – vote for Scott Walker west aka Rob McKenna to balance the budget on the backs of the poor and government workers.
I love how people vote these days.
I think Dino blew it by going after Murray so close to his two gubernatorial losses. By waiting and going up against Cantwell he might have had a better than even chance of winning. Cant well seems to be the quiet Senator but then Dino would have to prove he’s a better business person than Cantwell.
Dan Savage ought to run against Cantwell as a Republican!
I wonder what would happen if a bunch of folks on the left started throwing their names in the ring as Republicans.
It’s pretty pathetic that the WSRP is in the exact same spot that they were in 6 years ago in regards to Cantwell.
Somehow, I doubt Mike! will run again.
Vance always struck me frequently wrong, but a good human. Wilber’s never passed the good human test for me.
@13 Americans want as much government as they can get without having to pay anything for it.
Chris Vance knows his party has gone crazy. Good to hear some honesty within the GOP.
It doesn’t matter if any Republican runs against Cantwell in 2012. In Western Washington, the Dems control and run everything. And even is a Rep happened to come out on top in the senatorial election, certain elements who doe the vote-counting would insure Cantwell won.
Republicans, don’t bother fielding a candidate against Cantwell in 2012. You can’t win, so there’s no point in trying.
“certain elements who doe the vote-counting would insure Cantwell won”
heh- Paranoid much?
Steve @ 22
Doesn’t that shit get tiresome? I would have thought that Politically Incorrect was too smart to buy into that nonsense.
@21 Hey, Dean Logan doesn’t work for KCRE anymore, so you can come out of your bunker now.