In one of my more quiet times of reflection when I wasn’t applauding my undefeated 2013, I started wondering what a possible shutout of three statewide offices might do for Republicans.
Don’t get me wrong. Obenshain vs. Herring is still up in the air, but it still doesn’t change the dynamic I was thinking about.
Let’s look at the top Democrat winners in statewide campaigns in the past decade or two: Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Jim Webb, Terry McAuliffe. Not a legislative day of service among them. Never a State Delegate. Never a State Senator. Warner was in the Governor’s mansion without ever having to cast a legislative vote. Kaine went from Mayor to a quiet Lt. Governor. Jim Webb ran for US Senate, won, then retired. McAuliffe skipped the General Assembly, too.
Obama won Virginia twice without completing a single term in the US Senate and voting “present” on anything more controversial than attendance.
This is why boring Ralph Northam and pickled Herring don’t intimidate me for 2017. When Democrats run candidates from the legislature, they lose and lose big time.
Meanwhile, what have Republicans done?
Our candidate for Governor has been the Attorney General every election since 1993. A lawyer every time. Our playbook is a tad on the predictable side. We nominate candidates with tons of government experience and the Democrats nominate outsiders. Something is wrong with that picture.
Our statewide federal campaigns haven’t been beacons of hope, either. John Warner’s seat was securely Republican, and the only person to come close to unseating him was current Senator Mark Warner who ran again when JW retired. Our candidate? Jim Gilmore who mustered a mere 34% after barely defeating Del. Bob Marshall for the nomination.
After George Allen beat Chuck Robb, Democrats beat him twice, with another candidate who never cast a vote in his life, Jim Webb, and Tim Kaine.
Meanwhile, we keep nominating candidates with a wealth of legislative records to flood negative ads with, spending a decade or two in the legislature while trying to talk about smaller government.
The playbook isn’t working, folks.
And, I know, E.W. Jackson didn’t come from the legislature, but his years of incendiary comments made a history of votes unneeded.
These patterns are too strong to ignore, and with current polling, it doesn’t help us. People hate both Parties and levels of government have lower approval ratings than ever before, and we’re the Party that keeps nominating statewide candidates with all the government experience.
Meanwhile, the Democrats nominate tons of people who have never had to cast a legislative vote in their lives, and thus escape blame for anything people didn’t like about government.
Perhaps we should look at switching that around and nominating some statewide candidates who can be honestly called outsiders to government themselves. People with private sector business experience that reflects our values.
Ya know….practice what we preach?
