Copyright © 2005 The Hill Newspaper. All rights reserved. For educational and discussion purposes only. In 1992, I was polling for Michael Huffington’s primary challenge to California’s veteran Republican Rep. Bob Lagomarsino. Our opposition research discovered that the incumbent was a promoter of statehood for Puerto Rico. The campaign-consultant team huddled and decided to use this as one point in our critique of Lagomarsino’s congressional record. But, as it turned out, the Puerto Rico attack fizzled. The issue was obscure to the public and press. Even Huffington seemed disinterested. Our polls showed that just 23 percent of the Republican primary...