Posted on 06/28/2006 7:45:06 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee is locked in a close race with Democrats Sheldon Whitehouse in the Senate general election, according to a new statewide survey conducted by researchers at Brown University.
The survey was conducted June 24-26, 2006, at Brown University by Darrell M. West, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy and the John Hazen White Sr. Public Opinion Laboratory. It is based on a statewide random sample of 719 registered voters in Rhode Island. Overall, the poll had a margin of error of about plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
If the general election is held today, 38 percent say they will vote for Sheldon Whitehouse, 37 percent support Senator Chafee, and 25 percent are undecided (compared to Chafee’s lead of 40 to 34 percent in February).
If the Republican nominee is Mayor Laffey, Whitehouse is ahead by 55 to 25 percent (up from the 44 to 29 percent Whitehouse had in February).
(Excerpt) Read more at insidepolitics.org ...
If by some miracle Laffey won the Republican primary would Chafee support Whitehouse in the general election?
Chafee would support someone who shares his ideology... so he would support Whitehouse.
This one is a coin toss. Anything can happen.
Leni
Does this mean we should all hold our noses and vote for Chafee then? Please. Chafee deserves to lose to either the Dim or to Laffey.
"Today Senator Whitehouse announced his bid for the White House..."
I hope Chafee loses so NRSC money won't be spent for what wouldn't be much of a victory even if they managed to save him. Given that the race would be close, NRSC would probably end up spending a lot of money up there that could be spent elsewhere.
Loses in the primary, I mean.
You have an uber-RINO (Chafee), a 'Rat party hack (Whitehouse), and an excellent, conservative-leaning Mayor (Laffey) who is polling very poorly.
It must be very hard to be a conservative in Rhode Island.
Chaffee is far beyond the nose-holding stage. He has a long record of voting against his party on critical votes, which have been lost several times by a single vote--his vote.
No other RINO in the senate has a record as bad as his, except for Jumping Jim Jeffords.
Senate elections ping
Not a fricking dime, let the seat go, it is already
........excellent, conservative-leaning Mayor (Laffey.......
Huh???
Laffey is a mayor of a meduim sized town, just like Chaffee had been.
Just because you are a hack mayor, gives no-one the credentials to become a Senator.
Chaffee has been an embarrassment as he had no big time credentials. Laffey would be the same idiot politician as Chaffee has proven to be, only worse.!
Actually, Stephen Laffey is conservative for a New England Republican. He would be a reasonably reliable vote for conservative causes in the Senate.
Problem is, he doesn't have a very good chance of winning.
Isn't this the state that sent Patrick Kennedy to Congress? I don't think we'll keep this seat (good riddance to a bad RHINO).
All I care about is Chafee losing...
This seems to be to be another example of a situation where the message is far more important than the messenger - the candidate - who carries it. The first of these was Cannon, in Utah-3. His defeat in the primary might not actually produce a better candidate, but it WOULD deliver an absolutely critical message to the leadership that they have been flaunting their power and flouting their party.
Chaffee is the most egregious example of the same problem in the Senate, and kicking him out would be a positive benefit to the Repubs, and no loss at all.
I would vote for Lafey in the primary, and--holding my nose very tightly--vote for Chaf in the general if I had to. Isn't Whitehouse another Kerry, Boxer, etc. type? As bad as Chafee is--and he's plenty bad--he's with us 20% of the time. You gotta do what you gotta do.
No.
I hope Chaffee gets flushed and I don't care who does it.
I would far prefer Chafee lose in the primary than in the general election. If he loses to the Democrat, the RINOs will have an excuse to vote like Dems in those states. The truth is that leadership can convince people to respect you and your positions. Chafee is a Dem, and he just hasn't announced it yet. I'd rather have him out of office than the extra vote in the caucus, especially since it forces us to put him on a committee where he votes with the Dems. I have no doubt that if the Senate was split 50/50, he would switch. The only reason he hasn't is because he is more useful to the Dems as a Republican.
You are absolutely correct, and succinctly so!
You're right, by leaving him in there he gains more Seniority. We could end up with him as the Chairman of one of important committee - like Spector, who's not as bad as Chaffee. Dump him now and power up for the next race.
There has GOT to be consequneces for "Republican" COngressmen who vote with the Dems on issues like foreign policy, national security, border controls, Constiutional rights, etc.
Chaffee is a good place to start.
Look at Specter. Bush II campaigned for him in a primary against a CONSERVATIVE challeneger and now Specter is supporting a move to SUE the administration on a domestic security issue only the DEMOCRATS and the MEDIA are concerned about. Poll after poll indicates the American people support spying on potential terrorists. Yet these RINOS - as always - suck up to the media and the Democrats and ignore public opinion and the best interests of America.
A "friend" who stabs you in the back is WORSE than an avowed enemy.
Great point! I should have said, "All I care about is Chafee losing in the primary."
This has to be at least the 4th time total and at least the 2nd time publicly I have told you to please not ping me like this.
Here is a recent poll of that race.
It doesn't matter. Laffey doesn't have a chance in hell of winning the general, even if he does win the primary.
That said, Lincoln Chafee makes Arlen Spector look like Jesse Helms, so we don't exactly gain anything if he wins.
My entire stance on this race is "Who cares?"
I guess I'd kind of rather Chafee win, just for bragging rights on election night, but other then that, he's worthless. We can't even count on his Majority Leader vote.
Yah, but who cares what happens?
As I've said before, Chafee makes Spector look like Helms.
He isn't even good one one issue. We can't even count on his Majority Leader vote.
If he were good on one issue, given that he's from RI, I'd support him. Do you have one issue he's good on?
Good grief, take a valum.
I was expecting a San Francisco-style story...
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