McWaters putting up signs; ticking off McDonnell campaign?
By JR Hoeft | Thursday, August 6th, 2009 | PoliticsJeff McWaters is challenging Virginia Beach Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson for the Republican nomination for State Senate in the 8th District – Ken Stolle’s soon-to-be-vacated seat.
The nomination won’t be determined until after the general election on Nov. 3, when Stolle is elected Sheriff, but both candidates are vigorously campaigning — particularly since they know there will be a short window of time between the general and the nomination.
However, while they are campaigning and raising money now, they do so with the knowledge that they are not the main event. Therefore, they’re faced with finding balance between their self-interest and being team players (which could be in their self-interest).
However, McWaters may have tipped the balance in a negative way: he recently began to put up 4×8 signs.
And putting up the signs has aggravated McDonnell volunteers.
The volunteers are agitated because they claim McWaters is taking valuable territory away from the statewide ticket. They also state that McWaters is putting up the signs despite repeated pleas from party leaders not to.
Wilson, as to be expected, has said that her campaign will respond by also putting up her signs, if McWaters doesn’t take his down until after the general.
While signs don’t win elections, they certainly send a message and campaigns take it very seriously.
What do you think? Is McWaters hurting his campaign by putting these signs out early?
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Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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13 Responses to "McWaters putting up signs; ticking off McDonnell campaign?"
I think it is typical of the ego of someone like McWaters to do so. When you are friendly to people like Mark Warner and think you can just buy a seat because you have money it doesnt mean you have free reign to do damage to our party. It just shows the management competence of a man who got ran off out of his own healthcare company and yet his ego insists that some how he wont try to run the state into the ground like he did Amerigroup.
The Party Chairman should order McWaters to take down the signs, If He refuses, I see no problem with burning them
He could make him take the Republican name off the sign. At least then it would be truthful!
Aren’t there regulations in the City of Virginia Beach about how early you can put up campaign signs? I believe there are such regs in Norfolk.
Virginia Beach city ordinance prohibits such signs from being erected until 90 days prior to election. As no election date has been set, McWaters is in clear violation of this ordinance.
I move that McWaters take his signs down now and allow Bob McDonnell to place his signs in their place in a show of party unity and in order to demonstrate his firm commitment to getting our Republican candidates elected on November 3rd.
I think Sen. Stolle if he’s not too busy worried about his own election but in serving the good of Virginia by getting Bob McDonnell elected should sit his boy McWaters down and tell him not to do this, but Stolle is only interested in himself and his other members of the RINO heard and isnt interested in getting good Republicans elected this is really wishing in one hand and smelling whats in the other. Whre is the leadership of people like Thelma Drake or Gary Byler on this issue? Oh yeah thats right its the coalition of the self interested serving the self interest of McWaters.
I expect better leadership from a Republican stronghold like Virginia Beach. I guess once you get past the great leadership of Bob McDonnell it drops off pretty quick at the beach. If Busch Gardens – Williamsburg ever opens a animal park I now know where they can get the RINOs! Va Beach!!! Tell me this ain’t so folks! Stand up for Bob and for the Republican Party not for the wannbe’s who want to buy a Senate seat.
As an update, Rosemary Wilson is doing just that, Lee. She will be giving her sign locations to McDonnell.
Jake,
Virginia Beach has such an Ordinance, but case law has left it unenforcable.
Everyone,
I saw my first McWaters sign this afternoon. Ironically, a short distance from Brian Kirwin’s house. (The McWaters people trying to tweak Kirwin?)
McWaters is caught in a Catch-22. On the one hand, it looks arrogant to jump early. On the other hand, given Rosemary Wilson’s much-greater name recognition, he has to get the draw on her.
Great for Rosemary. She gets her name out there like a real grassroots activist. The work she is doing with AFP is spectacular and fighting the council on taxes is bold. Rosemary Wilson would make a awesome State Senator.
McWaters is a poor choice. So is Rosemary Wilson.
After Forbes Magazine listed Virginia Beach as one of the most unfriendly to family cities (financially), Google it. City Council member Rosemary Wilson doesn’t deserve the seat either. So much for the “Blue Ribbon” Commission…………
It would be nice to find a conservative to run for Stolle’s seat.
At this juncture I know nothing about McWaters except he is a very good businessman.
I understand Wilson is probably a good school teacher, but for her to run as a Republican candidate is beyond me. She sits and says nothing while the mayor and others discuss the best way to again financially rape the taxpayers of Virginia Beach, and only is against mayor’s proposal when it becomes obvious it is in her best interest to do so.
Jeff McWaters putting up 4×8 signs is really no big deal compared to both of them violating the 11th commandment of Republican politics. I’m not sure who tossed the 1st mud ball but I for one wish they both could have managed not to trash each other.
Actually Reagan broke the 11th commandment when he ran against a sitting President of his own party.
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