And then there were three

Run in which party? (0.00 / 0)

Maybe Richie Robb will decide to switch parties again and primary Shelly Moore Capito. He might actually have a better chance of winning along that route!

Whatever happens, I'll support whoever wins the Democratic party nomination. In general I think that competitive primaries can be a good thing for a party if they build name recognition and energize activists (and avoid negative campaigning).

I'm not convinced that Thorton Cooper is a viable candidate (or is really going to run). It'll be interesting to see if Richie Robb indeed decides to run for WV-02 as a Democrat. If Unger releases strong fund-raising numbers for 07Q4 that might well deter anyone else from entering the race.

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by: Clem Guttata @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 16:58:01 PM UTC

WVComposer (4.00 / 1)

I liked Richie Robb a lot in 2006 and he was my preferred candidate. There's a lot to like about Robb. However, he finished 3rd with 30 percent of the vote in the 2006 primary. And in vote heavy Berkeley County, which I think is key to defeating Capito in WV-02, he received just 21 percent of the votes to Callaghan's 48 percent and Hunt's 30 percent.

And it looks like Robb's making a similar mistake as he did in 2006 if he does enter this race as a Democrat. He's getting in too late. The last I heard he was considered running for the state senate in his district. Now just days from the filing deadline there's a story he's running for this seat. To make a serious run against an entrenched incumbent like Capito he should have entered months ago to be building up enough to defeat her.

On the plus side, it does give us another good candidate I'd support if he should prevail in the primary. On another plus side, his entry could force Unger to better articulate his positions that differentiate him from Capito.

My guess if Unger had done a better job of articulating his views on Iraq and other issues on his web site and through other opportunities to align with his stated positions, he would have a lot more support lining up behind him from the netroots and wouldn't have a serious challenge in the primary.

This is an election year that is going to hinge on change and if a Democrat does not show that he or she represents progressive, populist change, he or she is going to miss out on the rising tide sweeping across the national landscape.

A Robb challenge can help Unger rather than hurt him depending on how Unger reacts to it. If he avoids Callaghan's mistake of spending too much in the primary and taking his eye off the longterm prize of Capito, it'll hurt. If he uses it to build name recognition throughout the District, which is needed since he's in the Panhandle just as few knew Robb outside of South Charleston, then it'll work to his advantage. If Unger uses this as an opportunity to show why he's the best candidate for Democrats, that'll help drive home Capito is the Republican who has rubberstamped the worst of her party's agenda and roadblocked efforts to get work done in Congress. She herself has admitted that the GOP as a brand is a problem. Unger and Robb both need to see her weakness and go straight after it and make the race about her and why they're the best candidate to beat her rather than beating up on each other which hurt the Democrats in 2006.

The more excited people are about the Democratic candidates, the stronger the party will be in the general election.

When a man embarks upon a crime, he is morally guilty of any other crime which may spring from it. Sherlock Holmes.

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by: Carnacki @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 17:55:58 PM UTC