Singh-Ellmore race down to last few weeks

By J.R. | May 19, 2008
Filed Under Campaigns and Elections, Congress, Republicans |

Amit Singh recently held a fund-raiser with Rep. Ron Paul and State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, helping garner over $57K in donations. Mark Ellmore just picked up five new GOP endorsements from within the 8th District. With just over three weeks to go in the race, both candidates are working feverishly to shore up the nomination.

“The campaign is your life,” said Singh, a first-time candidate en route to another campaign event. “But I’ve enjoyed every minute.”

Both Singh and Ellmore are making the rounds in the 8th, not wasting any time. Last Wednesday, Ellmore, because of a campaign commitment, had to reschedule a podcast with us for later this week.

So, who’s the favorite?

“Quite frankly, it’s real tough to tell,” wrote one well-known GOP activist in the 8th to BD. “It’s a very low-profile election thus far; aside from party activists (committee members), most folks don’t know either candidate yet. [The outcome] will likely be determined by what the campaigns do during final weeks.”

Ellmore just picked up the endorsement of five more prominent 8th District Republicans:

The Hon. Bill Cleveland, former Vice Mayor of Alexandria City
The Hon. Stuart Mendelsohn, former Supervisor of Dranesville District in Fairfax County
Shirley Sadler, women’s rights activist
Susan Valentine, Chair of the Lee District Republican Party
Patrick McDade, 2007 Republican candidate for Commonwealth Attorney in Fairfax County

According to an Ellmore release, this brings his endorsements from party insiders, such as former state Sen. Jay O’Brien, National Committeeman Morton Blackwell, and former GOP congressional candidate Steve Tate, to 22.

“I am the only candidate that understands the needs of the troops and their families,” said Ellmore. “I understand as a parent of a son in the Air Force, the agony of sending a child to serve in a foreign nation. Additionally, I am the only candidate who is supporting John McCain for President.”

However, Singh is attending the grand opening of the Virginia headquarters for McCain today.

He also feels that his message is resonating with the voters.

“I am running on a clear and consistent platform,” said Singh. “One of limited government, fiscal responsibility, protecting our personal freedoms, and a strong national defense. These are not only Republican values, but core American values; values that the voters of the 8th District strongly agree with. I like my chances in June.”

Singh also was the first signatory to the “Change Congress” pledge organized by Professor Lawrence Lessig and Joe Trippi, He is not accepting contributions from lobbyists and other corporate special interest groups.

Ellmore has been running for over a year; Singh entered the race in March 2008.

Comments

24 Responses to “Singh-Ellmore race down to last few weeks”

Jason on May 19th, 2008 12:11 pm

Amit Singh was very impressive at the 8th district convention. Thanks for posting this.
Justin on May 19th, 2008 12:59 pm

Mark’s speech at the Republican convention was amazing. He has a great ability to connect with everyone in the room.
Conservativa on May 19th, 2008 1:12 pm

Singh allies himself with this?

http://soundpolitics.com/archives/010748.html

And from
http://www.amit08.com/issues/foreignPolicy.jsp
we read:
“Empowering moderate forces in adversarial nations is how we stop extremism of all kinds. It’s good for our economy and our safety, and it’s better for global prosperity and peace.”

No, actually, to defeat an enemy, you have to kill a lot of their combatants, and destroy their ability to fight, by destroying their means of fighting (tanks, planes, ammo dumps, etc.). Empowering moderates is very nice but is no substitute for militarily defeating your enemies.

And this, from the same page, is not connected to reality:
“Ahmadinejad would become marginalized if more normalized relations, applied in a strategic manner, caused the people’s lifestyles to improve.”
Evidence for that would be…?

Or perhaps Singh thinks Ahmadinejad is not much of an enemy?

Singh puts an “R” by his name but his foreign policy is, let us say charitably, “progressive.” Like Obama, he seems terribly concerned with our “image” around the world.

Sorry, cannot ever vote for a Ron Paulite.
Stephen Gunter on May 19th, 2008 1:21 pm

Singh is the kind of Republican we need! Back to principle baby! Yeah!
J.R. on May 19th, 2008 1:26 pm

Singh also allies himself with Ken Cuccinelli and is participating in the McCain HQ rally today. I wouldn’t pigeon-hole him just yet.

As for evidence, read “Persian Mirrors” by Elaine Sciolino or “Persian Puzzle” by Kenneth Pollack. Both are excellent books on the complexity of Iran and its dysfunctional relationship with the United States.

It’s not as cut-and-dry as we all would love to believe.
Stephen Gunter on May 19th, 2008 1:44 pm

Conservativa, you are the reason why the average person thinks of us Republicans as brainless brutes.

I’d like to add another good book to that list J.R. “Dying to Win” by Robert Pape. It’s essentially a database of every suicide bombing from 1980 to the present and their reasons for doing them. It is truly eye opening.
Conservativa on May 19th, 2008 1:51 pm

If any candidate doesn’t seem to be interested in defending the United States militarily, which may mean killing enemies rather than hoping, with no evidence, that talking will help, I will pigeonhole him. In a very dark pigeonhole. With this guy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_in_our_time
John on May 19th, 2008 1:53 pm

I’ve spoken with Mark Elmore. He is abrasive and not too bright. He will get his clock cleaned by Jim Moron if he wins the primary, and you’d be delusional to think otherwise. It’s time we give a republican a REAL chance at unseating Moron… and that REAL chance is Amit Singh. If Elmore wins the primary I guarantee he will not get more than 32% of the vote against Moron. It’s time the old school establishment Republicans looked at someone fresh and intelligent that can actually win in November… otherwise continue to enjoy having one of the most corrupt men continue to represent the 8th.
EJ on May 19th, 2008 1:59 pm

Conservativa,

The key with Admudinajad is underastanding the power structure in Iran. The presidentcy of Iran is an office with little official power. It historically has been just a figure head. The supreme leader and the national security council made up of the theocracy wield the real power. Admudinajad has only been allowed to wield so much influence because he has been able to garner support by pressing anit-american inflamatory rhetoric ont he people. The people over there are hurting from a food crisis and souring energy prices, but they fall back to him because he has been successful in painting the US as the devil. If releif to the people occurs due to American action, it becomes harder to paint the US as the enemy, the Alytolas will whipe his power away as he becomes marginalized by the people,a nd they look to protect themselves. The key to Iran is playing the internal powers against each other, not only offering brute force. It a combination of sticks and carrots. Even if brute force could work work, we are currently bogged down and are military has little spare capacity and have no force to do so, never mind the political will here to do so. Furtheremore, unlike Iraq before the war, Iran has the abilility to cut off oil shipments in the straighs of Hormuz, causing a world wide energy crisis, no to mention potenital casualties with our navy because the water ways are narrow and expose our fleets to land based missles and thre Iranian sub fleet. I believe Amit, who works with the intelligence agencies, realizes this nuance, and my discussion with him int he past on this subject seems to reveal this. Like a poster ahead of me said, comments like yours are why so many people look at conservatives as brainless redneck brutes. The world is not so black and white. It is often grey, and requires though out positions.
Conservativa on May 19th, 2008 2:04 pm

Some of my comments were not meant to be specific to Iran. Any conflict has many ways of fighting. There can be negotiating, threatening, espionage, alliances, blockades, etc., etc. rather than going in with guns blazing. My problem with Singh’s position is my problem with Obama’s position - he doesn’t seem to take our enemies seriously enough. Of course you try all kinds of things other than combat. But you should always have in mind that with some countries/ideologies there is no kind of deterrence that will work; thus your military should be always ready.

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” The rough men, meaning, our military. I will stand with them. If you think that makes me a brainless brute, then so are our Marines, etc.
Rick on May 19th, 2008 2:41 pm

Ellmore not bright…? what are you talking about?…Singh has NO clue what he is doing and will get steamrolled by Moron if he wins. Ellmore is the ONLY conservative running in this whole thing, Amit is trying to play the Ron Paul base yet he attends a McCain event? This man is a flip flopping hypocrite.
Stephen Gunter on May 19th, 2008 2:47 pm

Conservativa, I come from a family of military vets. My dad was in Vietnam. Grandfather was in WW2. Brother fought in the Gulf war and did two tours in Iraq. My nephew is in the Marines, and I did 9 years in the Navy. Do you stand with my family? All of whom supported Ron Paul?
Frank on May 19th, 2008 2:54 pm

Thanks for the blog post.

People might not fully understand the importance of the Change Congress pledge. This is HUGE.

Not accepting special interest monies or PACs. That in and of itself is very attractive to voters on both sides of the aisle. People want somebody who can’t be bribed with legal donations.

Sure they might sacrifice money, but they might get MORE money from individuals to cover the difference.

Frank
J.R. on May 19th, 2008 2:55 pm

I don’t think anyone here is not standing by the military (and it’s laughable if you think I’m not).

I think rational folks are just looking at the state of the political and military relationship with Iran.

If there comes a time to militarily deal with Iran, I will certainly support it. But the military option should only be used when all other options have been exhausted.

We’re not there yet.
J.R. on May 19th, 2008 2:59 pm

Thanks for getting us back on track, Frank.

You make a great point — and the fact that Singh has already raised nearly $60K without PAC money cannot be ignored.

Just as Ellmore being endorsed by a substantial number of the GOP in the 8th cannot be ignored.

My post was not directed at being for or against either candidate…just relating that this looks from afar like a barn-burner.
Frank on May 19th, 2008 3:04 pm

Conservativa,
You wrote: “Sorry, cannot ever vote for a Ron Paulite.”

So that means you won’t be voting for Mark Ellmore right?

He was very clear in his recent debate that he was a “Ron Paul Republican” . In case you missed it, go here to minute 57: http://tinyurl.com/6of7rp

You might not have known about his affiliations and affinity for Ron Paul.

Frank
EJ on May 19th, 2008 3:07 pm

Rick,

How is it hypocritical to attend two events associated with two republicans? Is it hypocrytical if I went to a Huckabee rally and then went over to check out Gulliani?

All of these people are in the Republican party. We are in the end on the same team. This is how you build political coalitions that win. If Singh is truel able to appeal to both paul and mccain supporters, thats a good thing, not a bad thing. Singh may have ties with Paul supporters, but he is not running as paul, nor does he ever mention anything about conspiracy theories or any of that other bs. His positions likewise are not to blow up the whole government either. Just take a look at his website issues page and all the detailed policy positions. Compare this to Ellmore’s. Even if I dont agree with everything Singh has to say, it is clear that he has thought out positions and real solutions, not just bumper sticker quotes that are associated with Bush that will get Ellmore killed in a general in this district. All Ellmore has to run on is that hes your usual run of the mill republican. Do you honestly think he will have any success in this district or attract new people to the party?
John on May 19th, 2008 3:17 pm

Amit Singh doesn’t have a clue? He has a college degree in Electrical Engineering from a prominent school (University of Virginia). He started his own business that works with the intelligence community on saving our soldiers lives. The man not only has a clue, he’s a brilliant, energetic member of our party.

Elmore got clobbered 70-30 by Tom O’Donohue who in turn lost big to Moron. Elmore offers nothing fresh or new that could unseat Moron… yet Moron’s own staff is afraid to run against Amit Singh, because he knows Singh could beat him. There is nothing Moron would love more than to go up against Elmore, because it would be a slam dunk victory for him.

Heck, you might as well add Jim Moron to Elmore’s list of endorsements, because no one will be happier to see Elmore win the primary than Jim Moron!
Conservativa on May 19th, 2008 3:25 pm

Frank,
If true that they are both Paul-ites, I would vote for neither. Instead I would set about trying to recruit someone who wasn’t. (Too late for this year, obviously).

Stephen,
Your family’s military experience is commendable. But I will stand with the candidate who will best benefit all of our military and intelligence services, and I can’t think that could ever be Paul or anyone who expresses great admiration for him. We will just have to disagree there.

JR,
Agreed, we’re not there. Let’s hope we never go there. I’m just saying, Paul and Singh have _some_ views that have similarities to the far Left, and to me that is alarming.
Stephen Gunter on May 19th, 2008 3:29 pm

Conservativa, do you support McCain?
Bill on May 19th, 2008 10:05 pm

For the first time in the 8th district, the GOP has a chance to defeat Moran. Singh will win against Moran. This is something even Moran staffers on the Hill have been talking about.

They know if a young, diverse candidate like Amit wins the nomintaion, Moran is in trouble for the first time in a VERY long time. I want Moran out of office and I know Amit is the ONLY candidate who can do this. Ellmore is a nice guy and all, but his platform and campaign team is simply not strong enough to win against Moran. He represents the same old tired candidate the GOP keeps putting up against Moran and losing as a result.

Amit Singh is the new face of the GOP . . .we all know they need one. . .especially in the 8th district.

Amit will appeal to the demographics of voters in the district. This November will bring out voters who are young and diverse. Having Amit Singh on the ballot will be the best thing the GOP ever did for their party.
EJ on May 19th, 2008 10:21 pm

For those interested, here is Amit Singh’s speech from the 8th district convention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBM2OJZL4q4
Robert Lehman on May 21st, 2008 6:40 am

Frank Said:

“Stephen,
Your family’s military experience is commendable. But I will stand with the candidate who will best benefit all of our military and intelligence services, and I can’t think that could ever be Paul or anyone who expresses great admiration for him. We will just have to disagree there.”

Frank - the military is a resource for use by the government as funded by the people. “…I will stand with the candidate who will best benefit all of our military and intelligence services” sounds like a big government democrat to me.

As Republican, I would stand by a leader who judiciously utilizes the precious resources that make up our military. Lives lost and dollars spent, the cost of maintaining and keeping a military in harms way is exorbitant. The military is a huge line item in the federal budget. Is it a means to an end or an end unto itself?
Robert Lehman on May 21st, 2008 6:50 am

Allow me to clarify so as not to give poeple the wrong impression.

I believe in a strong national defense. And I will always support the men and women (past and present) who served their country through military service.

But I do not believe that our government’s utilization of military resources should take place beyond the Constitution’s intended use for it. As J.R. posted, “But the military option should only be used when all other options have been exhausted.”