Posted on 04/07/2014 3:30:59 PM PDT by chemicalman
"It's only 800 bucks to qualify," says Rep. Bill Cassidy, the leading Republican challenger to Louisiana incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, of his state's Senate race. "So if it's on your bucket list to run for Senate, you move to Louisiana, pay your 800 bucks and run for Senate."
Even though a lot of reporting on the Louisiana Senate race -- including my own -- has focused on the head-to-head Landrieu-Cassidy matchup, there will be more GOP candidates than just Cassidy on the ballot this November. Their presence could affect the outcome of the race.
Cassidy's main Republican opponent, retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness, concedes he is not well known around the state and today probably ranks no higher than a few percentage points in the polls. But Maness maintains that the real picture of where the race might go is not the question of Landrieu vs. Cassidy — the one everybody talks about — but the question of Landrieu vs. a generic Republican.
"Everybody says we've got to go with this guy [Cassidy] because he's got the money and the name recognition," Maness told me recently. "Well, I challenge that."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Thanks
no thanks
I know one thing, this fall’s elections will be an eye opener
wrong man for the job.
No he can’t, he has little money and he’s not the only GOP challenger to Cassidy, Paul Hollis is another.
But he and Hollis will get enough votes to keep Cassidy from winning in November, forcing a December runoff with Mary Landrieu.
I HATE the Louisiana jungle primary system, there should be normal closed Republican primaries and primary runoffs and 1R versus 1D general elections in November.
LOL, sounds racis'.
Well originally it was racist, sort of.
See, Louisiana used to be 1 party democrat like all of the deep south. General elections were pointless, if a Republican even ran he got single digit support. This is why most southern states have primary runoffs, the democrats wanted to ensure the democrat that won their nomination had majority support. The democrat runoff was the de-facto general election.
Louisiana went a step further and had all candidates of all parties run together in the primary, if no one got 50% then the top two (for decades both invariably democrats) would meet in a runoff. And Louisiana Republicans (including almost all all those Blacks who were allowed to vote) were denied a chance to even cast a protest vote in the general election.
Louisiana briefly abolished this idiotic system a few years ago (for federal elections at least), only to inexplicably reinstate it after 1 election.
It needs to go, it’s not good for conservatives, any race with 2 Republicans in the runoff will probably see the more liberal one win since the democrats will vote for him. And it helped Mary L get reelected in 2002 when she likely would have lost to a single Republican candidate in November.
I lived in Alabama in the 60's.
I interviewed Cassidy for my newsblog a month ago. He’s the real deal.
Cassidy: “Landrieu Supports (Obama’s) Agenda 97% of the Time”
Maness, like McAllister, is another one of those “unknowns” who pop up. Cassidy has a record, and it is good.
Then you know all about this stuff of course.
Alabama nearly elected a GOP Senator in 1962, very close vote with rat Lister Hill edging out Jim Martin. Texas was the first former Confederate State to so, with John Tower winning the special election to replace Johnson. It wouldn’t be be until 1980 when Admiral Denton (RIP) was elected that Bama got a Republican Senator. It’s shame he lost to future RINO Shelby in 1986.
What if Todd Akin is trending in the top 2?
I think Jungle primaries are okay and get rid of the third party vote. Especially if your goal is mostly to stop Nunn and Landrieu.
They probably do help the establishment Republican though.
Vitter should consider Hollis, Maness and Fleming as his replacement assuming he wins in 2015.
That would be bad.
Look at the recent special election for a Louisiana US House seat, the runoff was between 2 Republicans, a RINO who claimed to be "tea party" and a Conservative state Senator. The RINO won with democrat votes, thanks to the jungle primary.
Wow! Cassidy has been so demonized on here; I’m surprised he has supporters on FR. If what you guys say is true, then I won’t be disappointed if he’s in the run-off with Thunder Thighs. But, I’m still pulling for Maness. I don’t live in LA, but I’m 7 miles from the LA line. (Yeah, I eat boiled crawfish, crawfish etouffe, shrimp gumbo and alligator tail.)
Will the “sophisticated” comment hurt Cassidy? Compared to every other gaffe recently seems pretty weak.
Personally, I like Rob Maness.
I just spoke with him today.
I’m afraid that his campaign and message is getting lost in the noise of LA’s jungle primary and whoever may be advising him.
I watched him at a Wash. DC rally speaking from his heart, no cue cards vs. the RedState event.
I have concerns.
I know he owns what he says, but when he needs to read it from his speech notes, it loses its punch.
32 years in the Air Force and stalled at Colonel is another issue.
He seems to be just going through the motions.
Don’t get me wrong, I like him as a US Senator, I just think he needs to express himself differently.
The best line I heard, and it should be his mantra for his campaign was “I will hold this ground”.
“I will Hold this ground”
That is something that will resonate.
Say it over and over again and build on this concept.
The ground is his fundamental values. Our fundamental values.
The Constitution, Limited Government, Getting government out of our ground, our lives.
I love his Christian values, but while campaigning I would suggest that he doesn’t start with that.
It’s an appeal to the individual. No groups, individuals that should be free to find their own way without some authority telling them what is “best for them”.
I know Col. Maness owns this message. I would like to see him express it more naturally.
Awesome Ad for Rob Maness. Tell me that is on TV not just on the internet.
Dear abb,
Please preview this 1:30 ad and tell us all again how good Cassidy is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fWfrn3ngaY
Nope. Not on TV. But feel free to share.
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