GOP faces Senate recruitment woes in key states (2014 elections)

Associated Press ^ | 4-27-2013 | THOMAS BEAUMONT

[haffast]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans are struggling to recruit strong U.S. Senate candidates in states where the party has the best chances to reclaim the majority in Washington.

It's a potentially troubling sign that the GOP's post-2012 soul-searching could spill over into next year's congressional elections.

The vote is more than 18 months away, so it's early. But candidate recruitment efforts are well underway, and thus far Republicans have been unable to field a top-tier candidate in Iowa or Michigan.

In those two Mideast swing states, the GOP hopes to make a play for seats left open by the retirement of veteran Democrats.

The GOP is facing the prospect of contentious and expensive primaries in Georgia and perhaps West Virginia, Republican-leaning states where incumbents, one from each party, are not running again.

President Barack Obama is not on the ballot, so Republicans may have their best chance in years to try to retake the Senate. Changing the balance of power in the Senate would put a major crimp on Obama's efforts to enact his agenda and shape his legacy in the final two years of his presidency.

Republicans need to gain six seats to gain control of the Senate. Democrats will be defending 21 seats to Republicans' 14, meaning the GOP has more opportunities to try to win on Democratic turf.

Only recently, Republicans were reveling in the fact that several veteran Democrats were retiring in states where the GOP had not had a chance to win in decades.

Last week, Democrat Max Baucus of Montana became the latest to announce his retirement in a state that typically tilts Republican.

snip

[haffast]

"But others say that the meddling from Washington stifles the voices of voters, who they say ought to be in charge of shaping the party's future, even if the primary is loud and divisive."

[C. Edmund Wright]

Hard to know who to loathe more: the AP and other Jurassic media outlets denying the truth, or the corrupt DC estabs in the GOP.....damned close race!

[headstamp 2]

What’s that? The Rove wing of the party is having trouble recruiting candidates? Well, they will scream bloody murder when the Tea Party does it for them.

I have never seen a more inept political operation in my life as the Republican party.

This lays bare the true train wreck that the GOPe is.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Republicans have been unable to field a top-tier candidate

“top-tier candidate” == “rich guy with liberal principles who has ‘paid his dues’ and will keep the government money flowing to consultants and contributors”

[cripplecreek]

Personally I like Dr Rob Steele for the Carl Levin seat.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Someone like Bob Dole ?

[Da Coyote]

The GOP is dead.

Period.

We conservatives have a long road ahead of us.

So many intelligent people to find and elect.

So many RINOs to capture, torture, and sentence to an eternity listening to hip hop.

[Nervous Tick]

Bob could be the poster child. There’s a long list of possibilities.

[Paladin2]

"sentence to an eternity listening to hip hop."

...in Spanish.

[cripplecreek]

Unfortunately its not just the GOPe meddling in races.

Ron and Rand Paul pressuring Justin Amash to forego Senate run, report says

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3012022/posts

[Da Coyote]

“sentence to an eternity listening to hip hop.”
...in Spanish.

Agree.

Why didn’t I think of that?

[jjotto]

Iowa is “mideast”? AP writers are on LSD.

Iowa GOP has several potential good candidates: Rep. Steve King, SoS Matt Schultz, and Rep. Tom Latham. Romney and GOPe didn’t bother to set up an Iowa organization in 2012, so the ‘moderates’ are unlikely to field a serious candidate, though they will have a couple of second-tier hopefuls.

[EricT.]

Any candidate who will actually make a positive difference in D.C. is automatically undermined by the Ruling Class.

There’s no point to voting Republican any more.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I'm interested in who becomes the GOP candidate for the Harkin seat in Iowa. A western Iowa representative might be the guy...

[txrefugee]

The AP is so worried that they won’t have enough time to dig through the garbage cans at the homes of potential GOP nominees. They want to get an early start.

Of course, if Jesus were to run on the Republican ticket, these lapdogs for the Dems could find something to hammer him.

[kabar]

Steve King is a true conservative.

[cripplecreek]

LOL The USA doesn’t have a region called the “Mideast” at all.

[fatnotlazy]

“Of course, if Jesus were to run on the Republican ticket, these lapdogs for the Dems could find something to hammer him.”

***

Yes...He opposes homosexuality and abortion. Oh, and He consorts with prostitutes.

[haffast]

Amnesty is working against me
And Amnesty wants to bring me down

Oh I'll never know what makes this man
With all the love that his heart can stand
Dream of ways to throw it all away

Oh Amnesty is working against me
And Amnesty wants to bring me down

Oh twice as much ain't twice as good
And can't sustain like a one half could
It's wanting more
That's gonna send me to my knees
[repeat]

Oh Amnesty, stay the hell away from me
And Amnesty has taken better men than me (now how can that be?)

Just keep me where the light is
Just keep me where the light is
Just keep me where the light is
C'mon keep me where the light is
C'mon keep me where the light is
Oh... where the light is! [repeat]

(with apologies to John Mayer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBex8zbDRs

[Kenny Bunk]

This, IMNVHO, is the biggest news story of the week, maybe the monbth, or year?

If something, anything, other than Team Obama and his devoted RINO sidekicks, does not take Congress in '14, we might as well start translating the Star Spangled Banner into Spanish and name High Schools after Trayvon Martin.

We Birthers will be able to argue pixels and layers, Article II concerns, and The Second Amendment all night long in the Napolitano Gulag Retraining Camps.

OTOH, I have always wanted to visit Latin America. Now Team Obama will bring its governments and lifestyles here for me, so I can live the experience.

Can we FReepers focus a bit more lucidly on winning the big game in '14? It is important.