'Republicans aren't good at ground games in Alaska. That's their weakness'

The Guardian ^ | July 23 2014 | Chris McGreal

[PoloSec]

Art Hackney has more than three decades of strategising for Republican election campaigns in Alaska under his belt. And he’s rarely been so frustrated.

From an office lined with awards for punchy political campaigns on behalf of senators, congressmen and governors, Hackney has watched the prospects for the man he picked to take Alaska's seat in the US Senate for the GOP ebb, something he blames on Republican strategists "back east", who, he says, have got the state all wrong.

"It's a little worse than frustrating. It's immensely perplexing, because it's beyond belief what happened," he said.

The national Republican leadership in Washington – 'Outside', as anywhere beyond Alaska's borders is widely spoken of – has targeted the state’s junior senator, Mark Begich, as a vulnerable Democrat in its bid to win control of both houses of Congress in November’s elections.

Looking from Outside it should, theoretically, be easy enough for the GOP to defeat Begich. President Obama is deeply unpopular in Alaska and Republicans hold the state's other Senate seat, its only seat in the House of Representatives, its governorship, and control of the state legislature.

But Hackney said that has led GOP Outsiders to assume Alaska is a classic Republican state and impose a template election strategy with campaign ads about issues Alaskan voters have barely heard of and attacks on the incumbent that have backfired.

Meanwhile, Begich is running what even opponents acknowledge is a strong campaign on the ground – he’s renowned for stopping unannounced at bingo halls to call numbers – that has given him a shot of holding his seat. Polls put him neck and neck with potential Republican candidates.

[lostboy61]

Love the way people think the good old boy system is only here in the South. I lived in Alaska for years and it’s as bad as Chicago or New York.