John Whitesides
By John Whitesides
For deeply divided Republicans, Tuesday’s elections in New Jersey and Virginia did little to resolve the ongoing feud between hardline conservatives and establishment pragmatists who worry the party is drifting too far to the right to win statewide and national elections.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s easy reelection in a mostly Democratic state was an emphatic statement about voters’ attraction to Republicans who talk about reaching across party lines. It also solidified Christie as an early favourite in the campaign for the 2016 Republican US presidential nomination.
But the closer-than-expected race for Virginia governor encouraged Tea Party and social conservatives, and seemed to ensure that their top issue — an uncompromising assault on Democratic President Barack Obama’s healthcare law — will be front and centre in the 2014 midterm elections.
Republican Ken Cuccinelli, a staunch social conservative and a favourite of the conservative Tea Party movement, narrowly lost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia.
Republicans were heartened that Cuccinelli appeared to close the gap in polls during the race’s final days by blasting the Obamacare law, which has been undermined by a technically troubled website that has stifled enrollment in its health insurance offerings.
Television network exit polls showed Democrats were successful in painting Cuccinelli — an ardent opponent of abortion and a supporter of conservative causes as state attorney general — as too extreme for a politically divided state that backed Obama in the past two presidential elections.
Off-year elections often are an unreliable indicator of broader US political trends, and this year’s contests offered something for everyone. Many analysts said the results showed an electorate yearning for politicians focused more on results than ideology.
“It’s impossible not to see the contrast between Cuccinelli and Christie — and the clear implication is that there is a real limit to how far a Tea Party candidate can go in a state that is politically competitive,” said political scientist Quentin Kidd of Christopher Newport University in Virginia.
That could serve as a warning to conservative Republicans heading into the 2014 midterm elections and a 2016 White House battle that will be fought in swing states such as Virginia.
Republican candidates in Virginia must reach beyond conservative, evangelical Christian voters downstate and appeal to enough voters in fast-growing, Democratic-leaning northern Virginia, just outside Washington.
The debate over what cost Cuccinelli victory in Virginia was in full bloom yesterday, with some conservatives pointing the finger at the party’s establishment for not providing enough help to Cuccinelli.
“The GOP establishment, rather than come to the aid of Cuccinelli, left him out hanging,” said Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots. “Just think what would have happened if the business and donor classes of the Republican Party would have helped.”
Other Republicans blamed the recent shutdown of the US government — instigated by Republican lawmakers aligned with the Tea Party movement — for alienating swing voters, particularly in crucial northern Virginia precincts where McAuliffe, a former national party chairman and close ally of former President Bill Clinton, crushed Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli lost to McAuliffe by about 2 percentage points but exit polls indicated he won among voters who said either the economy or healthcare were the most important issues.
In an ominous sign for social conservatives, the polls also indicated that Cuccinelli badly lost to McAuliffe among unmarried women and the one in five voters who listed abortion rights as their top priority.
Cuccinelli’s loss was part of a difficult night for the Tea Party movement that also reflected the divide among Republicans.
In a special congressional election in Alabama, a Tea Party-backed candidate, Dean Young, lost to another Republican, Bradley Byrne, who was backed by business interests — including the US Chamber of Commerce.
Cuccinelli, who as Virginia’s attorney general led the largely unsuccessful legal challenges to Obamacare, said he closed the gap on McAuliffe after many polls showed him trailing badly because of voter concerns about that law.
Exit polls indicated that more than half of Virginia voters opposed the law, which was designed to enable millions of uninsured Americans to obtain affordable medical coverage.
“This race came down to the wire because of Obamacare,” Cuccinelli told supporters late on Tuesday. “That message will go out to the entire country tonight.”
Republicans already have promised to make healthcare a top issue in their push to reclaim control from the Democrats of the US Senate, where they need a net gain of six seats next year. Senators targeted by conservative groups include Democrats Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Kay Hagan of North Carolina, all of whom supported Obamacare and represent generally conservative states.
“There is no question Obamacare is now going to be front and centre going into 2014,” Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said.
REUTERS
By John Whitesides
For deeply divided Republicans, Tuesday’s elections in New Jersey and Virginia did little to resolve the ongoing feud between hardline conservatives and establishment pragmatists who worry the party is drifting too far to the right to win statewide and national elections.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s easy reelection in a mostly Democratic state was an emphatic statement about voters’ attraction to Republicans who talk about reaching across party lines. It also solidified Christie as an early favourite in the campaign for the 2016 Republican US presidential nomination.
But the closer-than-expected race for Virginia governor encouraged Tea Party and social conservatives, and seemed to ensure that their top issue — an uncompromising assault on Democratic President Barack Obama’s healthcare law — will be front and centre in the 2014 midterm elections.
Republican Ken Cuccinelli, a staunch social conservative and a favourite of the conservative Tea Party movement, narrowly lost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia.
Republicans were heartened that Cuccinelli appeared to close the gap in polls during the race’s final days by blasting the Obamacare law, which has been undermined by a technically troubled website that has stifled enrollment in its health insurance offerings.
Television network exit polls showed Democrats were successful in painting Cuccinelli — an ardent opponent of abortion and a supporter of conservative causes as state attorney general — as too extreme for a politically divided state that backed Obama in the past two presidential elections.
Off-year elections often are an unreliable indicator of broader US political trends, and this year’s contests offered something for everyone. Many analysts said the results showed an electorate yearning for politicians focused more on results than ideology.
“It’s impossible not to see the contrast between Cuccinelli and Christie — and the clear implication is that there is a real limit to how far a Tea Party candidate can go in a state that is politically competitive,” said political scientist Quentin Kidd of Christopher Newport University in Virginia.
That could serve as a warning to conservative Republicans heading into the 2014 midterm elections and a 2016 White House battle that will be fought in swing states such as Virginia.
Republican candidates in Virginia must reach beyond conservative, evangelical Christian voters downstate and appeal to enough voters in fast-growing, Democratic-leaning northern Virginia, just outside Washington.
The debate over what cost Cuccinelli victory in Virginia was in full bloom yesterday, with some conservatives pointing the finger at the party’s establishment for not providing enough help to Cuccinelli.
“The GOP establishment, rather than come to the aid of Cuccinelli, left him out hanging,” said Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots. “Just think what would have happened if the business and donor classes of the Republican Party would have helped.”
Other Republicans blamed the recent shutdown of the US government — instigated by Republican lawmakers aligned with the Tea Party movement — for alienating swing voters, particularly in crucial northern Virginia precincts where McAuliffe, a former national party chairman and close ally of former President Bill Clinton, crushed Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli lost to McAuliffe by about 2 percentage points but exit polls indicated he won among voters who said either the economy or healthcare were the most important issues.
In an ominous sign for social conservatives, the polls also indicated that Cuccinelli badly lost to McAuliffe among unmarried women and the one in five voters who listed abortion rights as their top priority.
Cuccinelli’s loss was part of a difficult night for the Tea Party movement that also reflected the divide among Republicans.
In a special congressional election in Alabama, a Tea Party-backed candidate, Dean Young, lost to another Republican, Bradley Byrne, who was backed by business interests — including the US Chamber of Commerce.
Cuccinelli, who as Virginia’s attorney general led the largely unsuccessful legal challenges to Obamacare, said he closed the gap on McAuliffe after many polls showed him trailing badly because of voter concerns about that law.
Exit polls indicated that more than half of Virginia voters opposed the law, which was designed to enable millions of uninsured Americans to obtain affordable medical coverage.
“This race came down to the wire because of Obamacare,” Cuccinelli told supporters late on Tuesday. “That message will go out to the entire country tonight.”
Republicans already have promised to make healthcare a top issue in their push to reclaim control from the Democrats of the US Senate, where they need a net gain of six seats next year. Senators targeted by conservative groups include Democrats Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Kay Hagan of North Carolina, all of whom supported Obamacare and represent generally conservative states.
“There is no question Obamacare is now going to be front and centre going into 2014,” Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said.
REUTERS
