11th District straw poll shows dead heat in GOP [FR's own Congressman Billybob]

Blue Ridge Now ^ | April 23, 2008 | Times-News Online

[MitchellC]

The three Republican candidates for the 11th Congressional District agreed on the need for tax reform, the need for broad change in Congress and their own conservative credentials during a debate at the Opportunity House today.

In a straw poll taken at the forum, Campbell narrowly edged Mumpower, 24 votes to 23 while John Armor had 20.

In the Republican gubernatorial primary, Republican Men’s Club members Fred Smith won with 37 followed by Pat McCrory with 17. Bob Orr had 7 and Bill Graham had 2.

Highlands attorney John Armor, retired Army Col. Spence Campbell of Hendersonville and Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower each said they had the right plan to defeat freshman Democrat Heath Shuler in November.

“I would chase Heath Shuler from pillar to post” challenging him to debate, Armor said. “I would show up whenever a debate was offered and if he’s not there I will debate an empty chair... I’ll run him three times around the barn and up a tree and I can do that.”

Campbell said Shuler’s problem is he’s left of the conservative mountain district he represents and right of the Democratic leadership that orders caucus votes.

“Almost every other day he votes for a policy that supports Nancy Pelosi,” he said. Occasionally, he said, Pelosi lets Shuler advance a bill that seems conservative. “But the reality is as a Blue Dog Democrat he has no support from the leadership” to work for the 11th District.

“We can’t beat Heath Shuler with money, we can’t beat Heath Shuler with business as usual, we can’t beat Heath Shuler with debates because I doubt he will debate,” Mumpower said.

Instead, it will take the kind of principle has shown on the Asheville City Council that has drawn crossover votes. “The very thing that many of you in this room have made fun of me about is why I’m on the Asheville City Council.”

Questioned on foreign policy, Campbell said the defense of the U.S. is the most important duty of the national government and ridding the world of despotic regimes is the best way to ensure national security. Mumpower said foreign policy should rank behind the more pressing issue of border security and illegal immigration.

“Until the world is filled with advanced democracies, which don’t attack each other, we will be under pressure and we will have to deal with it,” Armor said. “Russia is just one of those places.”


Spence Campbell, left, John Armor and Carl Mumpower
take part in a 11th District Debate for the U.S. Congress at
the Opportunity House Wednesday morning
PATRICK SULLIVAN/TIMES-NEWS

[MitchellC]

I think this is very good news for John. This is on Campbell's home turf, plus Campbell and Mumpower have had a lot of advertising all over the place for a while. (My understanding is that John has advertising going up in these last two weeks.)

I suspect that when people listen to all of the candidates with an open mind, and think about who has the most relevant experience that would help him serve effectively, then John Armor becomes the obvious choice.

[MitchellC]

NC ping

[MitchellC]

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[MovementConservative]

That corrupt bastard Charles Taylor really blew this district for the GOP. If there are anymore GOP members like him in the House I hope the leadership retire them before they have a chance to lose seats to the ‘rats.

[Viking2002]

Give 'em hell, John. And Shuler is as pathetic - and overblown - a rookie political hack as he was a pathetic - and overblown - NFL quarterback. He caused us years of grief in Washington. Win the nom and kick his ass for me, will ya? Show Pelosi's 'Bonus Baby' the same door he had to slink out of at RFK.

[gidget7]

Go Congressman!! We are pulling for you from all over the country!

[gidget7]

I second ALL that you said! Go Redskins (without Shuler)

[MinorityRepublican]

Well its worth it even if we have to suffer a couple years under a Democrat when at the end we get someone like John Armor to represent us.

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping. Thanks for being in the arena, John.

BUMP for one of FR’s finest!

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Armor for Congress? Armor for President, more like!

Be so much better than what we have on offer for that position now!

[Congressman Billybob]

You raise an interesting point. There are at least five people, most of them widely read and experienced engineers, right here on FreeRepublic who would be a better President than any of the three surviving candidates.

The only optimism I can point to is the strength of the American system of government. If we could survive Warren Gameliel Harding, not the most corrupt but probably the most incompetent (yes, even with Jimmy Carter as competition) -- if we could survive Harding, we will survive the winner of this election.

Congressman Billybob

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[Bat_Chemist]

NC *Ping*

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[conservatism_IS_compassion]

You raise an interesting point. There are at least five people, most of them widely read and experienced engineers, right here on FreeRepublic who would be a better President than any of the three surviving candidates.

The only optimism I can point to is the strength of the American system of government. If we could survive Warren Gameliel Harding, not the most corrupt but probably the most incompetent (yes, even with Jimmy Carter as competition) -- if we could survive Harding, we will survive the winner of this election.

According to Adam Smith, "there is a lot of ruin in a country." But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather pass on that experiment.

And given that the only two engineers I know of who became president (not counting any who might have been military engineers before becoming generals) were Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter, I am tempted to pass on that, too - even if I have a degree in mechanical engineering myself.