Yes, but the state has changed quite a lot since them - particularly Northern Virginia. NoVa is much more liberal, much more populated and demographics are working against the GOP here.
I think it’s time to run an honest and motivating candidate like Bishop Jackson for a change
Well, you got your man. He's a strong conservative, I like him personally and will be happy to vote for him - but political realities are what they are. He probably doesn't have much of a chance. He will become known for being primarily a social conservative candidate and most likely lose badly. Worse, it is going to make it much harder for Cuccinelli who was already being tagged as too much of a social conservative. This state isn't what it once was, McDonnell (who is a social conservative) knew that and ran almost exclusively on fiscal matters and studiously avoided talking about socon issues.
The difference between him and Ambassador Keyes was that when Keyes ran against Zero as the substitute nominee for the Senate
I'm not even talking about Keyes blowout loss in Illinois. The man was a grass roots favorite in Maryland before that, and he got slaughtered in every general election. I mean like losing by 30-40 points. The man couldn't even keep elections close. So much for the theory that just running a real conservative is enough. It isn't. You need skilled politicians who don't say things the general public recoils from (even if they are true). Bishop Jackson won't lose by 30-40 points, but the odds are he will lose.
Jackson will come in with the support of his running mates, Cuccinelli and Obenshain. This time it’s Chopra that is the out of touch leftist carpetbagger from New Jersey who is running as the unapologetic gay lobby candidate
I sure hope you're right. I gotta tell you, I think it was going to be hard enough for Cuccinelli. Having nominated Jackson, I think we are in real trouble here. Let's hope I am completely wrong and the Virginia public sees the light and rejects McAuliffe and Chopra.
Oh, I know. I have relatives there. The husband is part of the wealthy big gubmint worker class. They're doing their part to turn the commonwealth into a cesspool like Maryland.
"Well, you got your man. He's a strong conservative, I like him personally and will be happy to vote for him - but political realities are what they are. He probably doesn't have much of a chance. He will become known for being primarily a social conservative candidate and most likely lose badly. Worse, it is going to make it much harder for Cuccinelli who was already being tagged as too much of a social conservative. This state isn't what it once was, McDonnell (who is a social conservative) knew that and ran almost exclusively on fiscal matters and studiously avoided talking about socon issues."
By all accounts, McDonnell shouldn't have won by such a wide margin coming after the disastrous 2008 elections, yet he did. Dems are going to be on the defensive this year with the epic-level corruption. EVERY Dem candidate running should be tied to these scandals, especially the IRS one. Bishop Jackson should focus like a laser on that as another aspect of big government Democrat immorality.
"I'm not even talking about Keyes blowout loss in Illinois. The man was a grass roots favorite in Maryland before that, and he got slaughtered in every general election. I mean like losing by 30-40 points. The man couldn't even keep elections close. So much for the theory that just running a real conservative is enough. It isn't. You need skilled politicians who don't say things the general public recoils from (even if they are true). Bishop Jackson won't lose by 30-40 points, but the odds are he will lose."
I'm aware of his Senate runs in Maryland, but he was never a serious candidate. He was also running against (inexplicably) popular Democrat incumbents and was poorly funded in a state that has been largely Democrat since the 19th century with a rare interruption. The last time an unapologetic Conservative Republican won a Senate race in MD was in the 1950s. The last Republican Senator was the VERY far-left Chuck Mathias who retired in 1987 (and he would've preferred to switch parties had he continued to serve).
"I sure hope you're right. I gotta tell you, I think it was going to be hard enough for Cuccinelli. Having nominated Jackson, I think we are in real trouble here. Let's hope I am completely wrong and the Virginia public sees the light and rejects McAuliffe and Chopra."
That VA Dems would even entertain the notion of running a disastrous retread ultraleftist like McAuliffe gives the appearance that they weren't serious with trying to defeat Cuccinelli. Not to say we should take these races for granted, it's always best to run like you're a few points behind. I certainly have a lot more faith in running Cuccinelli than a Willardbot like Bolling. After all, if running a liberal like Willard was the better way to go to attract more votes, he should've easily carried VA last year... and we know how that went. RINO candidates gain us nothing.