Posted on 06/20/2010 8:38:06 PM PDT by Steelfish
Five Governor's Races Could Indicate GOP Success In 2012
By Chris Cillizza June 21, 2010 The roots of a Republican political renaissance in 2012 lie in the Rust Belt. That swath of manufacturing- based states in the Midwest -- Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan -- with tentacles that reach as far east as Pennsylvania, has been the epicenter of the economic difficulties in the country over the past few years.
Each state is hosting a competitive gubernatorial race this fall. Republicans argue that a clean sweep (or close to it) would immediately change the electoral calculus heading into the nationwide redistricting in 2011 and President Obama's reelection race in 2012.
"With apologies to the Northeast, South, Mountain West and Left Coast, the industrial Midwest is the measure of success or failure for the Republican Party," said GOP consultant Curt Anderson, who has worked in the region on and off for the past 15 years. "We cannot win a national election without doing well in this region, and we can't be healthy as a party without doing well there."
Ten years ago, Republicans controlled the governorships in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Today they hold none of those seats, after the party suffered an across-the board wipeout due, at least in part, to President George W. Bush's increasing unpopularity as the last decade wore on.
But with a Democrat in the White House and economies in these states flagging badly, Republicans are increasingly optimistic that a sweep, or something close to it, could come to pass.
In Michigan, the declining auto industry and stratospheric unemployment rate (13.6 percent in May) have turned term-limited Gov. Jennifer Granholm into an unpopular figure and led a number of prominent Democrats to take a pass on the race.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Ted Strickland is the ultimate dirty player. After what they did to Ken Blackwell last election, Kasich has his hands full.
“...the industrial Midwest is the measure of success or failure for the Republican Party,”
This is why I have been a fan of Rep. Paul Ryan (WI) in 2012.
WaPo is setting up a red herring. Michigan and Illinois will be easily won by the Dems because any Republicans with an iota of brains have already fled. After they win (regardless of how much cheating they have to do), the media will come back with “See? The Democrats are still popular. Obama is still popular. The Tea Parties are overrated. blah, blah, blah”. The Left will set up a straw dog and then use it to discourage conservatives.
What Strickland did to Blackwell is nothing compared to what state GOP boss Bob Bennett did to him.
The party threw their own candidate under the bus. Of course, having half the Taft abortion facing criminal charges didn't help.
Strickland is a deceptively good candidate if only because he has kept a low profile on key issues like gun control and spending. And he comes across as inoffensive and humble.
Kasich can take him on the issues but he has to disarm the obvious attack ads about his role with Lehman Bros., and his refusal to release tax returns. He doesn't have to by law, but he should have anticipated this line of attack--it was obvious in advance-- and had a strategy in place.
Also, the guy quoted is totally off base. He says the GOP can’t do well in a natl election without doing well in MI, WI, IL, OH and PA. Where was he when W won twice and lost MI, WI, IL and PA both times? W went 2/10 in those states and served 2 terms.
Now, something has clearly gone wrong as the GOP went 15/15 in those 5 states in the 80s. But they can still win without cleaning up in them as W proved.
Watch Oregon’s Gubenatorial Race......we have not had a GOP Guv in 25 years.....and I think we might....in November.
As usual, nobody is talking about Maine going RED;
http://www.lepage2010.com/video.php
Take the time to watch this 5 min video.
A remarkable story.
The red state crowd needs to listen to those of us who live in the so called blue states rather than listening to idiot pundits and writers.
Only around 8 or 10 of our 83 counties in Michigan consistently vote democrat. (College towns and large cities)
The only reason I have a marxist representative now is due to the stupidity of the NRCC stripping Walberg of funds in the final weeks of the last election. He lost by a whopping 2%. Today he leads by double digits.
Are you sure?
We’ve had so many productive people leave our state. For the most part, the ones left behind don’t vote the *right* way.
I hope you’re right though.
Granholm is beyond description, and I’m so glad she’ll be outta here. I hope to God that poser in the White House doesn’t give her a job anywhere. She’s... beyond what I am able to describe. Just thinking about her makes my blood boil.
Do we have any solid plans here in MI?
Are the candidates willing to bow out closer to election time so that we don’t have to split the vote among them?
If we can narrow them down to just one, then I’d like to see that person (their assistant) write something informative up, like a letter us regular folks could print out and give to our neighbors. Something organized (although I hate that word now).
I’d do it. It would be a cheap way to get the word out because you know most people don’t pay too much attention to politics. Hand them a letter (or stick it in their door) with brief but convincing info on our candidate. Name recognition alone is a huge factor in winning seats.
I’m not asking you this, but I want to know what our plan is! We can’t just hope people will vote for our guy just because of Jenny.
Same goes for all other elections. What’s our plan? We need a solid plan. Do we even have a plan???
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