Posted on 01/24/2007 8:57:53 AM PST by Antoninus
California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter will formally announce his candidacy for president Thursday — less than two weeks after he took the first official step by filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to establish a presidential campaign “exploratory” committee.
According to a statement released Tuesday, Hunter will make his announcement at the Marriott Renaissance Park hotel in the South Carolina city of Spartanburg — located in the state’s overwhelmingly Republican northwestern region. The breakfast event is titled “America: The Strength of Freedom,” which also is Hunter’s campaign slogan.
“I will speak about a new American sunrise of opportunity, faith and freedom for the citizens of our great nation,” said Hunter.
The choice of South Carolina as the venue symbolizes the strategy Hunter is using, as he seeks to extend beyond his very limited political base in the San Diego-area 52nd Congressional District and overcome a big deficit in national name identification.
The 58-year-old Hunter, a 14-term incumbent who chaired the Armed Services Committee prior to the Democrats’ House takeover and now is its ranking member, is campaigning both on his hawkish views on defense issues and his equally staunch conservatism on financial and social issues.
In order to gain any traction in the presidential race, he must quickly make an impression on voters in places such as strongly conservative-leaning South Carolina, which in recent years has emerged as a Republican Party stronghold.
South Carolina has several military bases, so Hunter may at least get a hearing from voters there because of his background on national security issues. He is one of the staunchest defenders of the Bush administration’s policies in the Iraq war.
Hunter, who has served on the Armed Services Committee since he was elected to Congress in 1980, has a personal background of military service as a member of the Army from 1969 to 1971. He received a Bronze Star for participating in 25 helicopter combat assaults during the war in Vietnam.
In his release, Hunter touted his experience as well as his political leanings, stating that he is “considered by many to be the most conservative Republican in the presidential race.”
Along with his defense posture, Hunter is a fervent opponent of illegal immigration, and reaffirmed his socially conservative platform Monday on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
Hunter, according to the Associated Press, told participants of the March for Life anti-abortion rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.: “If we have a judicial applicant, a judicial nominee who can look at a sonogram of an unborn child and not see the value of human life ... if I should become president of the United States, he will not receive a judicial appointment.”
Hunter, though, faces strong competition for the conservative vote from the only other Republican officeholder who is an official presidential candidate: Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, who received a 100 percent score from The American Conservative Union in 2005. The other official candidate, attorney John Cox of Illinois, is emphasizing his own socially conservative stances.
Among others who have set up presidential exploratory committees or are considering bids, there are social conservatives — such as Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo and former Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III — who would be directing appeals to that wing of the Republican electorate.
Hunter enters relatively unknown outside defense-related circles. Having never run for office on a larger stage than his congressional district, he will likely find fundraising a significant challenge.
That certainly will not be the case for prospective front-running candidates such as Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, nationally known figures who have formed exploratory committees and currently lead the GOP field in national polls.
Last week, though, Hunter took a swipe at McCain by releasing a straw poll taken in Arizona’s Maricopa County (Phoenix), in which Hunter finished first and the homestate senator ran fourth. Though Republicans in the state’s most populous county called the results surprising, McCain’s maverick tendencies have angered members of his party in the past.
I always find this amusing for some reason. Folks who SAY they will never vote for X because X is not " Y" enough. In the end X is much more "Y" than Z who has 0 'Y' Factor. And thus you vote for X.
If politics and governance were this simple, you'd have a valid point. However, the way things work, Rudy wouldn't be anymore conservative in effect than Hillary. He could possibly due more harm to the republic. It's one thing to have to compromise after the primaries but I can't help but wonder about a professing conservative who would back Guiliani at this stage.
Of course. I am just pointing out the obvious. People will look at him and think "Delay".
What percent of the voters do you think could pick DeLay out of a lineup?
Well...let be honest here, Antoninus. Hunter does strongly resemble Tom Delay. In fact Hunter could be Delay's younger brother. If I were Hunter I'd go gray at the temples to change the resemblance just as practical matter. The coal black hair dye thing is......so Delay.
So you believe Rudy is as liberal as Hillary?
Then you may well see the first liberal Republican president since...Well...as always it depends on your definition of Liberal and Conservative.
So you believe Rudy is as liberal as Hillary?
I never said that. I said that Hillary couldn't accomplish more of the liberal agenda than Guiliani would/could.
Are you telling me you didn't recognize Tom Delay's photo?
Surely you are jesting here?
The solution for Hunter is to slowly change his appearance a bit to end the resemblance. He can go gray in the temples. ( bill it as " truth in advertising". It brings the word 'distinguished' into the visual repetoire
I for one am 100% behind Hunter.
Having said that methinks the dems have paid workers or devoted volunteers who get a freerepublic account let it sit for 1-2 years and then they start posting messages that create a little doubt and confusion amongst us.
Junk like: Have you notice Hunter looks like Delay!????
He doesn't, but even if he did, who would care.
As much as I hate to do it, I think I too would vote third party before voting for Giuliani. I've had to hold my nose on votes before, but if Giuiliani does not oppose even partial birth abortion, then I can't vote for him. Morally I can't justify voting for someone who would support partial birth abortion. I know the arguments about the whole slate of issues, that voting for a third party candidate means voting for Hillary, etc. On that issue, however, I have to be a single issue voter.
Only Rudy won't even get 38% of the vote.
You'd think the GOP single-issue voters would have learned from that catastrophe.
You'd think the GOP would have learned from that catastrophe.
Sometimes I think the Republican party is learning disabled. There should be calls now for investigations of ethics violations of Dems. Why was Berger let off the hook on serious crimes?
How can anyone who watches even 1 hour or less of TV per week NOT know what Tom Delay looks like?
Maybe the real problem is that NOBODY knows what Duncan Hunter looks like. Gee, I wonder how that could be?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.