A Good Cycle For the GOP?
I’ve thought for awhile that this might be a very good cycle for GOP gubernatorial candidates. After hearing that Wisconsin’s Gov. Doyle will announce he isn’t running for re-elction, I’m convinced that Democratic incumbents will have trouble this cycle. Here’s the lowdown on Gov. Doyle:
Gov. Jim Doyle on Monday will announce that he won’t seek re-election to a third term in 2010, prompting the state’s first wide-open gubernatorial race since 1982.
A spokeswoman for Doyle said Saturday the governor will announce his future political plans on Monday, although she declined to provide details. Carol Andrews, the governor’s communications director, disclosed that Doyle would be making the announcement after Politico reported Doyle has told associates he won’t seek re-election.
Gov. Doyle’s approval rating is pathetic:
Doyle’s approval rating was 43% and disapproval rating 48%, with the 9% remaining undecided or unsure, in a survey by Daily Kos/Research 2000 conducted June 8 to 10. The poll of 600 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
An automated phone poll by Public Policy Polling showed that 34% supported Doyle’s record, 60% disapproved and 6% were unsure. The June 9 to 10 poll of 2006 or ‘08 voters had a margin of error of plus or minus of 4.1 percentage points, according to Tom Jensen, a spokesman for the Raleigh, N.C., company that conducted the poll.
In other words, he sidestepped a disaster that was surely headed in his direction.
I found this interesting tidbit of information from another article that’s definitely worth mentioning with regards to this cycle’s elections:
Ed Goeas, a Republican pollster in Washington who is working for Republican gubernatorial candidate John R. Kasich of Ohio, said: “There’s a bigger issue than just health care. What I am seeing in state after state is the No. 1 issue is wasteful government spending.”
Ed Goeas is one of the best pollsters of this generation. Many is the time I’ve watched him on panels discussing everything from polling methodology to predicting election outcomes. He’s extremely astute. That’s why I take notice when I read him saying that “the No. 1 issue is wasteful government spending.”
This isn’t entirely surprising. It’s just a cornerstone tidbit of information to remember throughout this election cycle. I’d suggest that every conservative blogger and every GOP strategist should remember that information anytime the Democrats start surging in the polls. The minute the Democrats start gaining traction, remind people that they’re the party of out-of-control spending. In DC, we can highlight the fact that they got 3 votes from Republicans on the stimulus bill and that they didn’t get any votes for the omnibus or budget bills that are overloading us with debt.
Let’s remind people that the omnibus bill that’s funding the government this fiscal year only has Democratic fingerprints on it. Let’s remind them that the $1.8 trillion deficit this year only has 3 sets of GOP fingerprints on it.
I don’t know who the eventual candidates will be to replace Gov. Doyle. Still, I like the Republican’s chances because people trust Republicans more than Democrats on the subject of fiscal responsibility. That’s what’s fueling this conservative revival.
Technorati Tags: Jim Doyle, Wisconsin, Governor Races, Ed Goeas, Fiscal Restraint, Election 2010
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog