Paul Goldman and I have co-written a few pieces this year on Virginia politics, both for the Washington Post and the Daily Caller. Now, the Post has decided to give us a tryout as regular contributors to its website. Our first effort appeared Thursday, and can be read here. The topic: whether it’s possible for the GOP to give Mark Warner a real run for his money in 2014, and how the person to do that may just be Ed Gillespie…who may owe a debt of thanks to Terry McAuliffe for making his run possible. Here’s a snip:
Like McAuliffe, he’s a former national party chairman best known for political success outside of Virginia. Like McAuliffe, he has made money operating where government contacts and business interests intersect. This is not to overlook Gillespie’s far greater role in state politics, including a stint as chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. But Gillespie is easily depicted as a McAuliffe-like national politician more beholden to Washington than Virginia. Until Nov. 5, Gillespie had to question whether such a resume could ever appeal to the swing voters needed to defeat the popular Warner.
If the comments section is any indication, we’ve struck a nerve.
