Posted on 02/11/2005 5:55:01 AM PST by RKBA Democrat
Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr. is considering jumping into the Virginia gubernatorial race, which already has at least three candidates. -SNIP-
Mr. Potts, who is considered a moderate in the party because he voted for last year's tax increases, would run as either a Republican in a June primary against two known candidates or as an independent in November.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I look forward to voting against this tax-increasing SOB. Prepare to be steamrolled, Mr. Potts.
Russ Potts is an idiot and worse than Cha-Ching-Chester. He's only po'd because we ran a strong primary challenger against him in 2003 and he got his wittle feewings hurt.
I'm not making this up. I sat in a legislative hearing last year and watched him and Cha-Ching-Chester advocate a bill to essentially punish the third party groups that said nasty things about them.
Good Grief.............and these are the people that are supposedly respresenting the taxpayers?
No wonder we'seen such idiocy in legislative proposalsl this session..........(and last.....)
Potts is a slimey reprobate...MUD
What in heaven's name are these people thinking? For crying out loud, Tim Kaine is sitting back, watching the show and will make inroads while we're fighting insurgencies.
Sheesh. The stupid party strikes again.
Plain and simple, retribution.
Potts knows he doesn't have a prayer. And if he really thinks he does, he should seek professional help.
They sound like a bunch of 2nd graders in the school yard.....
This time it is not the STUPID PARTY that is the problem...the rest of the state is united behind Kilgore.
Potts is a liberal jerk, water carrier for the teachers unions and trying to sabotage Kilgore to PUNISH Republicans for not being liberal like him.
I look forward to sending donations to his GOP challenger for the VA Senate !!!
Speaking of which, we need to start recruiting a challenger now. . . .
Like I said, 2nd grade.
Iceskater said: "What in heaven's name are these people thinking? For crying out loud, Tim Kaine is sitting back, watching the show and will make inroads while we're fighting insurgencies."
As your friendly neighborhood conservative Democrat, I think the question y'all should be asking is: who profits?
And with that in mind, here is a link to the state board of elections campaign finance website where you can seek some answers for yourself:
http://www.sbe.state.va.us/Campaign_Finance/General%20Laws/About_Campaign_Finance.htm
(click on view disclosure reports, click "search based on candidate information", click continue, pull up the 2003 reports and then pull up Russ Potts, click select all, click view schedules, click schedule A "contributions over $100).
It's 53 pages, but you can scan the names in about 15 minutes. The generosity of certain senators is, well, remarkable.
That's about it...RINOs in action...MUD
I might prefer a relatively conservative Democrat, of which we still have one or two in Virginia.
Unfortunately, no conservative Democrats running for governor. Might have one for LT Governor or AG, though.
Obviously you haven't had the dubious honor of being in his presence. Not only is he anti-gun, pro-abortion, and one of the biggest piggies at the public trough, he's not that nice in person either. I know plenty of Dems who I don't agree with politically, but at least we're on polite and friendly terms.
Personally I hope Potts runs as an Independent. Not only will he pull a lot of Dem votes from Kaine, he'll also be setting up his own demise in a 2007 primary for his Senate seat.
Potts is in the race!!!
Kilgore Communications Report
Russ Potts – Strayed from the Republican Party Some Time Ago
Strayed: v: a. To move away from a group, deviate from the correct course, or go beyond established limits. b. To become lost. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
The announcement today that Russ Potts (I-Winchester) will run for Governor an Independent can only be seen as a tremendous setback for the Kaine for Governor campaign. Now, the High Tax/Big Government Spending lobby has two liberal candidates to choose from in the race for Governor. What we have here today is not a split within the Republican Party, but rather a colossal fissure among the High Tax/Big Government Spending coalition.
Russ Potts will only take votes away from Tim Kaine’s base of supporters who believe a $1.4 billion tax increase and a $1.5 billion budget surplus is not enough for their big government appetite.
There are now two liberal candidates for Governor who are equally committed to raising taxes next year and only one candidate who is not only against further tax increases, but also is in favor of tax relief. The Kilgore for Governor campaign has two advantages: first, a majority of the voters agree with Jerry that we do not need to raise taxes, and second, the minority supporting tax increases have two candidates to split their votes between.
Russ Potts’s candidacy poses additional electoral math problems for Tim Kaine. First and foremost, he will run lockstep with Tim Kaine on the issue of abortion and will be appealing to those liberal activists who support abortion on demand and feel like Tim Kaine has taken their support of his candidacy for granted. Russ Potts’ strong ties to the leadership of the teachers’ union and the Virginia Chapter of the AFL-CIO will more than certainly draw votes away from Tim Kaine.
Russ Potts is not a strong candidate even in his own backyard. He came within 106 votes of losing to conservative Mark Tate in 2003 in the Republican Primary. Clearly Republicans in the Northern Shenandoah Valley are not enamored by Russ Potts and will wholeheartedly embrace Jerry Kilgore as the only Republican candidate in the race for Governor. The votes Russ Potts are most likely to receive in the Northern Shenandoah Valley are those that Tim Kaine would have received from Democrats, the teacher’s union and environmental extremists.
By running as an Independent, Russ Potts has admitted what we already know — Jerry Kilgore has rallied a united and enthusiastic Republican Party behind his candidacy for Governor. Russ Potts’ decision to run as an Independent also demonstrates his belief that Jerry Kilgore would have soundly defeated him in the June 14 Republican Primary.
Every public and private poll conducted has shown Jerry Kilgore with a clear lead in the race for Governor and in the race for the Republican nomination. Jerry Kilgore’s support goes much deeper than just Republican elected officials. Russ Potts candidacy as an Independent was not born out of principle, but rather is one of necessity.
Those people that know Russ Potts best are supporting Jerry Kilgore for Governor. People like his own Delegate, Bev Sherwood. People like Delegate Clay Athey, Delegate Joe May and Delegate Scott Lingamfelter who represent portions of Russ Potts’ Senate District. His Republican colleagues in the Senate. His Congressman, Frank Wolf, and both U.S. Senators are supporting Jerry Kilgore. Every GOP Unit Chair in Russ Potts’ district is supporting Jerry Kilgore.
The support from everyday people across Russ Potts’ district has been tremendous as well. To date, Jerry Kilgore has raised over $86,000 from individuals and businesses located in those counties that comprise Russ Potts’ district. The grassroots support for Jerry Kilgore runs deep and will not be affected by Potts’ entry into the race. His anemic showing in his 2003 Republican Primary coupled with the overwhelming support of Jerry Kilgore by those in Potts’ district indicates those who know him best have repudiated him. Consequently, there is no reason to believe that Russ Potts’ liberal message will resonate with voters across Virginia - assuming he gets on the ballot.
Russ Potts strayed from the Republican Party a long time ago, it should come as no surprise that he is running as an Independent. He has been flirting with this idea for the last year and has retained a consultant based in Connecticut who works for Independent liberals (like Lowell Weicker) to run his campaign. This partnership makes plenty of sense given that Russ Potts has more in common with Connecticut values than he does Virginia values.
In the past year and a half, Russ Potts has been critical of and hostile to the policies and agendas of President George W. Bush, U.S. Senator George Allen, then-Governor Jim Gilmore, then-Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Kate Griffin and others who believe in the Republican philosophy of trusting free people and free enterprise.
Just exactly whom in the Republican Party does he find acceptable and where are all these disaffected Republicans he claims support his cause? Show us a list Mr. Potts.
Paid for an Authorized by Virginians for Jerry Kilgore
Word on the Republican street is that Potts has cut a deal with Kaine. Basically, Potts gets into the race to split the GOP vote, which means Kaine gets elected. After winning, Kaine then turns around and gives Potts a nice, high-paying appointed position down in Richmond.
I wouldn't doubt it a bit...remember a NOVA RAT Senator Brickley? When the GOP was even with the RATS fer the number of Senators, Brickley got a plum job in the Gilmore Administration heading up State Parks fer a few years. Turns out his retirement was then based on the six-figure salary he received from State Parks and not the relatively paltry amount we pay our part-time legislators.
But Potts ain't gonna fool many Republicans, imho...MUD
I wouldn't doubt it a bit...remember a NOVA RAT Senator Brickley? When the GOP was even with the RATS fer the number of Senators, Brickley got a plum job in the Gilmore Administration heading up State Parks fer a few years. Turns out his retirement was then based on the six-figure salary he received from State Parks and not the relatively paltry amount we pay our part-time legislators.
But Potts ain't gonna fool many Republicans, imho...MUD
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