We picked off one incumbent each cycle in 2010 and 2012. We also saw a sh-load of Dems not run for re-election over that time, including this year. Mississippi should have been our ‘1’ in 2014, if not for racist activities by our own party.
We have the party leadership and big money now lined up against us. So, the question is what is next. IMO, the focus has to be on the House. They have to run every two years, and if it is clear a core group from their base is willing to leave the congressional line blank or go third party in 2016 (a heavy turnout year on the left), then they’ll get off their butts. Self-preservation is key. We need to be active in Senate races, too, as in the past, but the key is the House. The Senate always lags in responsiveness because they only run every six years and can easily outspend when needed. It’s really, really hard to beat incumbents in Senate primaries. We’ve gone from basically 2-3 conservatives in the Senate to more than 10 in three cycles. It’s heavy lifting, and slow, unfortunately.
I agree. The best way to turn the Senate conservative is to first turn the House. That would give a bench from which to draw conservative Senate candidates and would provide an institutional counterweight to the Senate’s uniparty, statist tendencies.