This year has seen come very competitive primaries, yet I have to admit, those on the Republican side were far more memorable. Here’s a highlight of the fifteen most exciting Republican primaries (compliments of a party in despair):
AL 2nd – Harri Anne Smith (Ronnie Gilley, George Jones, and Club for Growth) vs. Jay Love
Summary: Jay Love visits Ronnie Gilley, a developer in the city of Enterprise and asks for financial support. Gilley, unconvinced in whatever was discussed, decides to host a fundraiser for Smith. Love, feeling betrayed, then attacks Smith for taking money from the gambling industry (Gilley is developing a bingo hall in the district, yet is has yet to open). Gilley then returns fire by financing ads against Love, featuring no one other than country singer George Jones, a friend of Gilley’s. The GOP tries to broker a love fest between the two campaigns, yet Gilley, holds a press conference proclaiming that Love has no moral character and is not a true Christian. The family fest ends with Love coming out the victor.
CA 4th – Tom McClintock & Club for Growth vs. Doug Ose
Summary: John Doolittle finally see’s the writing on the wall: an indictment is forthcoming, therefore resign. However, the two Republicans vying for the seat had one thing in common: neither lived in the district. Tom McClintock, an ultra-consevative lives six hours away and Doug Ose, a liberal tax spender, according to McClintock and the Club for Growth, lived just outside the district lines. The campaign amongst the two became so heated that McClintock’s wife joined the fray after her husband was attacked for accepting a $170 daily allowance to cover additional living expenses. Unlike most lawmakers, who mainted a second home, McClintock had given up on his second home in Thousand Oaks months prior. The new occupant of the home: McClintock’s mother. The Club for Growth spent millions attacking Ose, yet had no worries that McClintock was accepting a daily allowance that he clearly did not need. McClintock came out on top thanks to the Club.
GA 10th – Paul Broun vs. Barry Fleming (Georgia GOP)
Summary: Paul Broun was never the top choice of the Republican establishment, therefore they drafted Barry Fleming. The fireworks started right away with Fleming attacking Broun for a decade old bankruptcy, a contempt of court order hearing regarding child support, and past tax liens. He also tried to paint Broun as a liberal that protects child predators, gay marriage, illegal immigrants, and terrorists. Fleming argued that Broun was not morally fit to hold office, even though the information he compiled was from 20 years previous. Broun also felt that Fleming was not fit to hold the office either because he was not a true Christian. In the end it was Fleming that was bruised and battled, losing at a greater percentage than many expected.
IN 5th – Dan Buron vs. John McGoff
Summary: The main issue of the campaign: golfing. Yes, indeed Burton was attacked vigorously for deciding to golf in California, missing a dozen votes in the process. He also didn’t help his case by being the sole vote against banning members of Congress from accepting gifts and free trips from lobbyists. Maybe mixing Republicans and golf together may be a bad thing after all (Case in point: Jack Abramoff and Bob Ney and their infamous Scotland golfing adventure).
MD 1st – Wayne Gilchrest vs. Andy Harris (Club for Growth)
Summary: Gilchrest became the first incumbent of the cycle to be defeated. A primary featuring three strong candidates, the third being state senator EJ Pipkin, guaranteed that the moderate vote would be split, allowing the ultra-conservative Harris to succeed. Gilchrest was attacked for actually favoring a timeline for troop withdrawal and voting against the Bush agenda repeatedly. He was branded a liberal by the Club for Growth which spent heavily attacking both Gilchrest and Pipkin. Harris also brought up illegal immigration, stating that Gilchrest favored allowing illegals to stay here freely. Something tells me that Maryland voters will not allow this Scott Garrett wanna-be to find his way to Washington. Expect Gilchrest to campaign against Harris and his ultra-conservative platform.
NJ 7th – Leonard Lance vs. Kate Whitman (Christie Todd Whitman)
Summary: State Senator Lance found himself battling a crowded primary field that also featured Kate Whitman, daughter of former governor Christie Todd Whitman. Throughtout the debates and television ads, Whitman accussed Lance of increasing property taxes (NJ property taxes are consistently the highest nationwide) and taking donations from lobbyists. Lance fired back saying Whitman was inexperienced and that her mother ran a reckless government based on bonds and borrowing. In the end it was Lance, who defeated Whitman and six other challengers. Lance has had a problem since the primary (fundraising). He currently has $81K compared to $1.2K for Linda Stender. Anyone ready to say Democratic Pick-Up?
NM 2nd – Ed Tinsley vs. Aubrey Dunn vs. Monty Newman (National Assoc. of Realtors)
Summary: All three candidates provided their campaigns with thousands in self-funding, thereby making it a three-way race. Tinley accussed Dunn of standing with liberal Democrats in his opposition to the Patriot Act, contending that he was supporting terrorists. He also said that Dunn was a former Democrat that had only changed parties months prior. Dunn accused Tinsley of wanting to “hand over the keys to our country to illegal aliens and terrorists” while also living in liberal Santa Fe, where Tinsley maintains a second home. Both campaigns attacked Newman following an endorsement by the National Association of Realtors, calling him a tax and spend liberal while he served as mayor of Hobbs. In short, the arguments made by both campaigns were this: Tinsley supports amnesty and does not live in the district. Dunn supports liberal Democrats and terrorists. Newman is a tax and spend liberal. Therefore, the primary can be summed up as terrorists, illegals, and liberals. Economy? What economy? In the end, it was Tinsley that prevailed.
NC 3rd – Walter Jones vs. Joe McLaughlin
Summary: Very few in the Republican caucus have been as outspoken against the war as Walter Jones. Former Onslow County Commissioner Joe McLaughlin felt that Jones opposition to the war would work against him (the district includes Camp LeJeune). He also sought to paint Jones as being a liberal, yet it didn’t not gain much traction. In the end, it was Jones that defeated McLaughlin, rather easily. Since then, Jones has gone on to support impeachment proceedings against Bush. Anyone want to consider Jones as the first Republican to ditch the GOP post Bush?
NC 10th – Patrick McHenry vs. Lance Sigmon
Summary: Retired Lt. Colonel Sigmon claimed that a video McHenry shot in Iraq, while on a congressional tour, may have aided the enemy. Sigmon claimed that McHenry’s video, which was posted on his congressional website, showed where US missiles struck. Shortly after posting the video, enemy forces attacked the Green Zone from where McHenry filmed. Sigmon also took McHenry to task for classifying a security personnel in Iraq as a “two-bit security guard” after a defiant McHenry refused to return to barracks after being prohibited from using the gym. McHenry eventually was escorted back to his room by higher command. McHenry eventually won the race, yet any future visits to Iraq are unlikely.
OR 5th – Kevin Mannix vs. Mike Erickson
Summary: The Oregon Republican Party had insisted that both run a civil campaign, yet any guarantee was short lived. Realizing that Erickson had sufficient funds to buy the seat, Mannix had released a mailer claiming that Erickson used cocaine, got his girlfriend pregnant, and then drove her to an abortion clinic. Erickson’s response was quite unusual: he accussed Mannix of being a tax and spend liberal. Mannix’s timing of the revelations may have been too late since Oregon has a mail-in ballot election. As a result, Erickson won the primary. Since then Erickson has had to deal with his reputation and newspaper interviews with the alleged girlfriend. Erickson’s response: we had a relationship, yet I didn’t know she was pregnant. A perfect GOP response.
PA 5th – Derek Walker vs. Matt Shaner
Summary: The primary featured three Republicans, yet Walker who self-financed $927K and Shaner who self-financed $1.67K, viewed themselves as the top two contenders. Walker attacked Shaner for pleading guilty to running a stop sign and failing to report a crash a year previous. Walker then found himself under attack after the Associated Press released details of him being charged with a felony count of burglary and trespassing for confronting his girlfriend outside her apartment six months prior. In the end, it was the third candidate Glenn Thompson, who raised a mere $151K, that won the primary.
PA 10th – Chris Hackett vs. Dan Meuser
Summary: The battle of the millionaries featured Hackett self-financing $1.18K and Meuser self-financing $1.9K. The election was based on illegal immigration. Hackett attacked Meuser for hiring illegal immigrants at his business. It was then Meuser who discovered that Hackett’s own maid was illegal. Meuser also relished the support he had from failed Sen. Santorum and Hazleton mayor Lou Barletta. Hackett and Meuser then continued to fight back and forth over who was the real Republican and who was the real Democrat based on campaign contributions to candidates in the past. Hackett said that Meuser’s PAC donations to the Democrats were proof that he was not the real conservative. In the end it was Hackett, just another self-financier, that won the primary.
TX 14th – Ron Paul vs. Chris Peden
Summary: Conservatives had become irritated with Paul’s denouncement of Bush and the war in Iraq. Friendswood Councilman Peden accussed Paul of signaling retreat in Iraq, protecting gay marriage, and oppossing free trade. Paul for the most part ignored the self-financed Peden and did more than limp across the finish line. He beat Peden soundly. While pundits thought for a second that Paul could indeed be in trouble, it was an overreaction at best.
TX 22nd – Shelly Sekula-Gibbs vs. Pete Olson
Summary: After losing a write-in election, Sekula-Gibbs wanted another chance against Lampson, yet this time with her name on the ballot. Unfortunately, John Cornyn protege Pete Olson was not going to allow that to occur. Sekula-Gibbs said she was the true conservative in the race, while Olson attacked her for supporting illegal immigrants (hardly possible). Revelations that her entire staff quit during her short stint in Congress also didn’t help Sekula-Gibbs. Olson also boasted that his nine years in the Navy, all during non-combat, proved he was the best candidate as it relates to national security. Conservatives, illegal immigrants, and national security. Only in Texas.
UT 3rd – Chris Cannon vs. Jason Chaffetz
Summary: Chris Cannon almost lost during the Republican Party convention, yet sealed enough votes to force a primary. His opponent was Gov. Huntsman’s Chief of Staff Jason Chaffetz. The fight was on to determine who was more conservative. Chaffetz attacked Cannon for allowing the federal budget to double, supporting illegal immigration, and No Child Left Behind (something anti-Bush coming from a conservative). Cannon didn’t take Chaffetz as much of a threat due to close races in the past, yet in the end it was social issue voters that finally threw Cannon to the curb, making him the third incumbent to lose this year.
Fifteen more interesting battles still to come:
AZ 5th – A 7-way primary between seven underfunded candidates, all seeking the opportunity to be defeated by Harry Mitchell this November.
CO 5th – Lamborn vs. Crank vs. Rayburn (Round two from 2006). This year Crank seems more cranky with Rayburn, for not dropping out, then he seems with Lamborn, who has largely ignored both of them.
CO 6th – Secretary of State Mike Coffman vs. William Armstrong (son of former US Senator Bill Armstrong) vs. State Senator Ted Harvey vs. State Senator Steve Ward. The last two will battle for third place while the first two will truly battle. Who’s more conservative here?
FL 16th – The battle of the have and have nots: State Representative Gayle Harrell, Pittsburgh Steelers heir Tom Rooney, and Councilman Hal Valeche. The fireworks have already started between the top two contenders, Rooney and Valeche. Maybe they’ll beat eachother up so much between now and the primary that Harrell will slide through for the touchdown.
FL 24th – An early sign of Tom Feeney’s vulnerability heading into November will be how many Republicans he loses in a primary featuring John Davis, a candidate with no funds.
KS 2nd – The battle between Kansas’s conservatives and moderates features recently defeated Jim Ryun vs. State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins. The odds are in Ryun’s favor, yet expect payback this November from the moderates. After all, Republican moderates were partially responsible for Sebelius being elected Governor twice and former arch-conservative Attorney General Phil Kline being defeated soundly by a Democrat. The battle continues into November (hopefully it brings Senator Roberts down with it).
LA 4th – Another battle featuring the have and have nots: Physician John Fleming and Businessman Chris Gorman have flooded their campaign war chests with personal funding. However, the choice of the NRCC, former Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Thompson has not been able to self-fund as much. The main issue so far: Thompson argues he’s running against two people who want to buy their way into office. The primary will ultimately be decided on who is most conservative. Beat eachother up and have a ball while you’re at it.
MO 9th – If you could place five people from various backgrounds onto Gilligan’s island, then this is what you would get: a former building inspector, former tourism director, a standout football player, and two state representatives. The likely nominee appears to be Dr. Bob Onder, a social issue candidate, the best Democrats could ask for when the economy is heading downward.
NH 1st – Jeb Bradley wants to come back to Washington, yet he is experiencing turbulence in his quest. Former state Health and Human Service Commissioner John Stephen, a former primary loser himself, now thinks he is most qualified to lose this November. Something tells me that Bradley will not be able to pull this one off.
NH 2nd – A little less exciting, yet interesting to watch, is the five-way Republican primary amongst poorly funded candidates. The only one who really has money is state senator Robert Clegg and that is half of what he self-funded. Paul Hodes will have a breeze against any of these five.
NY 13th – Fossella resigned after baby news was announced and then the nominee to replace him died. Now the race comes down to Dr. Jamshad Wyne, finance Chairman of the Staten Island GOP and former Assemblyman Bob Straniere. Wyne was in the race, then out of the race and supporting Democratic nominee McMahon, then he was back in the race. As for Straniere, he was never even considered a possible candidate. Guy Molinari, long seen the head of the Staten Island GOP, would never even consider Straniere, yet a GOP committee did. The easiest pick-up of the year is in the nation’s most expensive media market and not a single cent has to be spent. The only interesting aspect of the primary is how low the turnout will be.
NY 20th – Sandy Treadwell has already spent $1.8 million of his own money in a quest for his own seat in Congress. Will that be enough to win a three-way primary?
TN 1st – Freshman David Davis is finding himself in another race with Johnson City mayor David Roe. The race should be quite interesting, yet Davis may have the advantage.
TN 7th – Marsha Blackburn, spokeswoman for Big Oil, finds herself in a primary fight against Shelby County Register Thomas Leatherwood. Leaterwood is broke, literally, and according to Blackburn he is from Memphis. Big Oil is taking care of their spokeswoman. It’s just a question of how well her margin of victory will be.
WY AL – Many expect former state treasurer Cynthia Lummis to take the nomination, yet businessman Mark Gordon has other plans. Let’s see who’s ultimately right.
If the 15 most competitive Republican primaries have anything to offer it is this: most of those primaries were based on social issues. If Republicans think they can continue a 2006 campaign style in 2008, ignoring economic issues and the war in Iraq, then maybe a loss of 20 Republican seats may be an underestimate. We might have to revise it more toward the 30-50 range. An angry American electorate is prepared to throw out George Bush’s puppets.
