Dueling Endorsements in VA-05
By Jason Johnson | Wednesday, October 6th, 2010 | PoliticsWith only 27 days left until Americans go to the polls, both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) released their endorsements in the race for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District today.
Gathered at the Danville/Pittsylvania Veterans Memorial, a group of veterans from the Southside announced the VFW’s Political Action Committee endorsement of incumbent Rep. Tom Perriello. The VFW is supporting Rep. Perriello because of his “strong support for veteran’s affairs, including expanding health care and education benefits….”
Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced its endorsement of state Sen. Robert Hurt. “We’re endorsing Robert Hurt because he has a record of standing up for the people of Virginia in these challenging economic times…. He will be an invaluable leader who has a common sense approach to job creation and getting America back on the road to recovery.”
So far, Rep. Perriello has received the backing of traditionally conservative groups like the NRA and now the VFW, while Sen. Hurt has received the backing of business organizations like the NFIB and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Rep. Perriello is using these endorsements to dismiss the Hurt campaign’s assertions that Rep. Perriello is a liberal congressman, marching in lockstep with Speaker Pelosi. “I think first and foremost, it’s just important to continue fighting for veterans, but I do think that recent endorsements from the VFW and the NRA show that the other side’s attempts to suggest I’m some sort of rubber stamp liberal are just ridiculous.” While the conservative endorsements for Rep. Perriello certainly cloud the waters, the business endorsements for Sen. Hurt signal that on the issues at the forefront of voters’ minds this year (jobs and the economy), Rep. Perriello’s votes for the Stimulus and Obamacare are costing him the critical support in the business community.
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About the author
A lifelong political junkie, Jason caught the political bug as a fifth grader after meeting George Allen in 1993. Since then he has studied political science at both the undergraduate and graduate level. When not perusing the blogs or volunteering for conservative Republicans, Jason enjoys cheering on his beloved Virginia Tech Hokies and spending time at his Bedford County home.
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14 Responses to "Dueling Endorsements in VA-05"
funny thing. I don’t know a single veteran who is going to vote for Perriello.
kelley,
The VFW, like the NRA, has an agenda that leads them to sub-optimize in their endorsements. That is why, as a military retiree and gun owner, I belong to neither organization.
and HisRoc, these endorsements of Perriello are teaching me about these associations/organizations. eye opening
I can understand why the NRA endorses as it does, yet I disagree with several of these endorsements. Nonetheless, this strategy has made the NRA very successful in its protection of the Second Amendment, and two years ago, protecting gun-owners’ rights in the face of an Obama Administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress (with a filibuster-proof Senate majority) seemed unthinkable to many conservatives. Despite its successes, I personally know of two gentlemen who have cancelled their NRA membership over the Perriello endorsement.
Jason,
The NRA has done very little to protect the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court under Chief Justice Roberts has done far more.
I do not understand why the NRA would endorse a Democrat? Earlier this year, the Right to bear arms was up for debate in the Supreme Court (McDonald v Chicago) and it failed 5-4. Every judge that voted against the right to bear arms were appointed by a Democrat, including Sotomayor.
Even though Perriello did not confirm Sotomayor but the Democratic Party did not appoint one judge that supports the right to bear arms. The NRA has marginalized itself just as the AARP did during the healthcare debacle.
John,
I don’t understand why you say that the right to bear arms “failed 5-4″ in McDonald vs. Chicago. The court overturned the 7th Circuit and held that Chicago’s gun-grabbing was a violation of the Second Amendment.
HisRoc: I agree, with Heller the SCOTUS certainly minimized the damage a Democrat-controlled executive and legislative branch could do, but the fact that so little anti-Second Amendment legislation was presented in the 110th Congress is, I believe (in part), a testimony to the power the NRA wields, or wielded. Gun-owners vote, Congress knows that and it seems to have some bearing on the behavior of legislators from conservative or swing districts, or at least it did in the past.
John: Chris Cox, the director of the NRA Political Victory Fund, recently explained to “National Review” why it sometimes endorses Democrats: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/247820/staying-target-jim-geraghty. I can understand why they do it from a strategic perspective, but it still seems discordant.
NRA is a single issue group, not a political party. They will always support an incumbent regardless of Party who is favorable to their cause. Ditto VFW. Despite Hurt’s voting record in the state senate.
I am glad that the National Chamber of Commerce and NFIB endorsed Hurt.
Speaking of his race, the ad wars have started! I haven’t seen a Hurt ad yet, but several Periellio ads really slamming Hurt on the typical scare tactic/distortions political ads.
Similar situation with the VFW-PAC in the VA-11, which I couldn’t help dissecting: http://www.fadscientist.com/2010/10/more-kool-aid-for-vfw-pac.html
I went to the local VFW Post afterwards (for an unrelated event) and asked a few vets about it. Sounds like Connolly can’t count on the 10′s of thousands of VFW votes he is anticipating…
@Jason,
The article you posted makes sense…I concede my stance even though the NRA is not a one issue group. In July, they endorsed the Disclose Act that threw Conservatives under the bus. They pulled back when their membership started dropping. They could’ve sat out one campaign “The Disclose Act” but they didn’t. I guess campaign reform must not count as an issue, even when it suppresses your allies.
@HisRoc
Sorry, it was late…my message was incoherent. As for my point, the five Supreme Court Justices that voted to overturn McDonald v Chicago were appointed by Republicans. All Justices (three) appointed by a Democrat voted for the McDonald v Chicago ruling. Of course Stevens is a reject from Ford appointment…but Kagan is the remedy for that.
I agree that what the NRA is doing is working because the liberals are relying on the local government to provide gun control. Plus the NRA gets thrown a nugget every now and then. The problem is that liberals are conducting gun control at the local level.
craig: I am in Lunenburg & we get Richmond local TV. Only recently have the ads started on these stations. A friend told me that a Perriello ad had an elderly woman fearful that Robert Hurt would take away her Social Security.
then I saw a Robert Hurt ad while in Cville. Much calmer, no histrionics, positive.
@Kelly. I am in the Richmond media market though I live in the Northern Neck. I saw different Periello ads last night. One is the one you mention, the other was a 30-something white female supposedly asking Hurt questions talking health care and education and as she’s speaking the camera is slowly panning around her until she is staring at a brick wall and she stops in mid-sentence and turns around and say’s. “I may as well be talking to….” [she doesn't say "wall"]
Kelly and Craig: If you’re just now beginning to see the ads, consider yourselves fortunate. I live in the southwestern corner of the district (between Roanoke and Lynchburg) and we have been bombarded during almost every commercial break by ads from both campaigns–more so Perriello than Hurt–for at least the past month and a half. We have actually been seeing Perriello ads infrequently since June! He has had some very entertaining ads and yes, he went negative first.
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