Van Hollen courted 'Good Democrats'

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | 11/15/2006 | Spice Boys

[KCRW]

What do you do if you're the Republican candidate for attorney general and stuck at the top of the ticket is a guy who is going nowhere fast?

Abandon your party's gubernatorial candidate by urging voters to split their tickets.

That's what Attorney General-elect J.B. Van Hollen did on the eve of the election last week. His campaign slapped together a leaflet aimed at supporters of Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, proclaiming: "You can be a GOOD DEMOCRAT and VOTE AGAINST Kathleen FALK."

Not the type of pitch that will earn you brownie points with your party. Aw, but what the heck, Van Hollen won, making him the only Wisconsin Republican to win a statewide seat.

Brian Fraley, Van Hollen's campaign mouthpiece, said the literature should not have bothered Mark Green, the GOP standard-bearer who lost to Doyleby 53% to 45%.

[Sam's Army]

I always thought Van Hollen was better before Sammy Hagar joined them, but that's just me.

[Northern Yankee]

I sure hope Van Hollen can keep an eye on Doyle.

[fieldmarshaldj]

=crickets chirping=

;-)

[LouD]

JB was the sole piece of good news on election night.

As for Mark Green - If he won Racine County, there's no reason he couldn't have won the state.

[steveegg]

What you didn't point out was that the Van Hollen campaign only handed out those flyers (copy courtesy of the Journal Sentinel here) to households displaying "Doyle/Lawton" lawn signs.

Also, what the Spice Boys didn't mention was that they got scooped by the Cheddarsphere - Sean Hackbarth of The American Mind both noticed the flyer and got the reaction (the react direct from the JB Van Hollen campaign is also in the first link).

[CharlesWayneCT]

So long as he didn't say "Vote for Doyle", what's wrong with him saying "you can be a good democrat"?

[Dick Vomer]

Van Hollen courted 'Good Democrats'

.....ain't talking 'bout love....my love is rotten to the core....

[robjna]

As usual , the republicans cannot seem to see what is right before them. Green was in-efective in name recognition. Scott Walker had that and could've easily won the Govenors race. Green should've been the one to step down for the good of the state, not Walker. The republican party of Wisconsin screwed the pooch on this one.