Posted on 07/01/2013 7:08:00 PM PDT by Viennacon
Do we have a solid conservative running for that seat?
Get a load of this.
“The last time Republicans elected a senator in West Virginia was 1956,” former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) told TPM. Davis, who used to chair the NRCC, said, “Shelley Moore Capito is their only hope of electing a Republican senator and a conservative this cycle. So the fact that you have some groups opposing her I think explains why we are in the minority in the Senate.”
1: she’s not a conservative
2: “our only chance!” It’s almost funny to hear these RINOS whine. And Allen was “our only chance” in Virginia.
A curious fact, the last Republican to win was one Chapman Revercomb (in the aforementioned 1956). He previously won a full term in 1942 before being defeated, and in 1956, he won the remaining 2 years of a deceased Senator’s term (the senior Democrat Senator would also soon die, and the young Republican Gov. Cecil Underwood, appointed a Republican to the other seat in 1958, giving the GOP both seats going into the disastrous elections of that year, the biggest wipe-out for the GOP since popular elections began, and remains a record to this day, dropping from nearly half the body to 1/3rd — it would take 22 years to recover).
Anyway, getting back to Revercomb, a Conservative and pro-Civil Rights Senator, then-Congressman Robert Byrd decided to run against him (with New Dealer ex-Congressman Jennings Randolph taking on and beating the weaker GOP appointee, John Hoblitzell, in the other seat) and hammered Revercomb for, well, not taking the position an exalted Klan leader like Byrd would take. Byrd would defeat Revercomb and never worry about reelection again (with the media helping whitewash his racist record). Curiously, Randolph was the weaker of the two Senators, and in 1978, ex-Governor Arch Moore (that being Shelley’s dad) mounted a serious challenge and lost by an absurdly tiny margin (enough that the Dem/Union fraud machine in WV could’ve manufactured enough votes). Moore, as Governor, had actually beaten Jay Rockefeller in 1972 (though the latter would win 4 years later when Moore couldn’t run for a 3rd term).
The result of the 1978 election was that an elderly Randolph chose not to run in 1984, which gave then-Gov. Rockefeller his opening to buy the seat. Moore oddly chose not to run, instead opting for a return to the Governorship instead (which he won, only to get caught up in a corruption scandal and later went to prison). John Raese instead made his first attempt at the Senate and held Rockefeller to a relatively narrow win (Moore probably could’ve won had he run, though Rocky had beaucoup $$).
Always noteworthy about WV is that it has seemingly had a very small group of officeholders/candidates that have run decade after decade. Up to the ‘50s, you had Democrats that had been running since the ‘10s (Matt Neely, the Robert Byrd of his day, first won a 1913 special election for the House seat vacated by future 1924 Presidential nominee John W. Davis, noted as the last actual Conservative nominated by the Democrats — he would serve on and off as Congressman, Governor and Senator up until his death in 1958). From the ‘50s to the ‘90s, you had the same two Republicans running on and off for office (the only real successes - that being Cecil Underwood, who won the Governorship in 1956 (along with Sen. Revercomb, himself an officeseeker for 2 decades at that point) when he was all of 34, the youngest ever elected, and winning the same office again in 1996 at the age of 74, conversely the oldest ever elected) and the aforementioned Arch Moore, who was elected to Congress in 1956, served 12 years (the longest unbroken streak by a Republican post-1932, with his daughter breaking that record back in January), 8 years as Governor (1969-77), the run for Senator (1978), and a final return as Governor (1985-89)). Even John Raese, an ‘80s retread, was back to run into this decade, though has never won.
The seat that Moore-Capito is running for was last won by a Republican in 1942 (that being the same aforementioned Chapman Revercomb, who won and both seats). Perhaps the moral here is that it’s time to branch out from these few interlinked candidates going back 6 decades and put up some fresh blood.
I’m highly skeptical anyone can beat her in the primary. They love to vote for the name they know and the state party is 100% behind her.
Also she has 3 primary foes, there is no runoff in WV.
Unless someone stronger gets in (still plenty of time but they clearly don’t think they can beat Capito) the leading rat is party switching hussy Former Republican State Del. and frequent candidate Sheirl Fletcher.
According to her website she appears to be pro-life with rape exemption and against federal funding. It’s hard for me to see it becoming a major issue in the race though, her website practically begs for support for both sides so she ain’t gonna go making an issue out of it.
http://fletcherforsenate.weebly.com/health-care.html
I’d expect Capito to grind her into pulp. McGeehan should be favored over her as well.
I think the odds of an ardent prolife rat getting their nomination are low. The big fish they seem to want to run is Sec of State Natalie Tennant whom the abortion lobby apparently loves. State Supreme Court Justice Robin Davis is another possible candidate, no idea if she’s pro-life.
why do I have the impression that the GOP Senate candidates struggle in the southern part and do well up north?
Clearly those people like voting for the same old crap over and over again.
It’s the culture of pork barrel politics.
(Please note the PROPER colors of Red=Democrat and Blue=Republican, not the Orwellian newspeak bullcrap)
The last winning GOP race for Governor (Cecil Underwood) in 1996:
The 2011 special matchup between Earl Ray Tomblin and Bill Maloney (R)...
And the 2012 rematch of the two...
Of course, my personal favorite map is the one from 2012 for President. A nice sea of blue with nary a Red Communist tinge for Emperor Zero...
But all that blue is for your pal, Willard. ;/
Remarkable though, now a safer GOP state for President than it’s ever been. As recently as 1988 it was for Dukakis while MARYLAND voted for HW Bush.
Time to take over downballot.
Just goes to show you that they would’ve voted for ANYONE on the GOP ballot for President in 2012 (ditto 2008). WV was probably the one state more than any other that Zero literally flipped the bird at. To paraphrase that moron Kanye West, “Zero doesn’t care about West Virginians.”
As for Maryland in 1988, that was its last breath of political sanity for President before the two-pronged fork of Black votes (Baltimore & PG county) and rich, leftist White gubmint worker parasites reached critical mass.
‘88 was pretty much the countries’ last breath of sanity. Bush 2 barely won his elections against a couple of elitist turds.
Pretty weird that Maryland has voted GOP more recently than WI. That farm recession in the 80’s was a bitch. Farm recessions were always great for the rats, even when they’re the incumbents (Truman). With the decline of family farms I guess it won’t be much a of problem in the future.
i still say they don’t like Yankees down in Rawley County
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