Will VA Republicans learn from history? Or repeat it?
Cucinelli lost by about 40,000 votes. He got about 80,000 votes less than McDonell did. They had basically the same ideology.
Cucinelli lost because Republicans did not have a GOTV-Get Out The Vote effort. The Cucinelli people might try the excuse that it was those “other” Republicans who did not get out those “other” Republicans.
The lesson. Run a complete campaign. Regardless of who is the candidate, build the GOTV organization now. Get to know the voters now.
The GOP had the GOTV capability in VA.
They just abandoned Cuch, just like they abandoned Doug Hoffman
in NY23.
You forget the GOP had the added baggage of McDonnell’s corruption allegations along with a fake Libertarian candidate designed to take votes from Republicans while serving McAwful.