Last night Robert hurt won with 48.4% of the vote followed by McKelvey with 25.8% and McPadden with 9.7% Some have complained that it’s all the Tea Party’s fault. Well I can’t see how that is the case. How could we have done anything different? Short of kidnapping some of the losers. We held debates and still the delusional 3 wouldn’t go. We cited over and over the reasons for their departure yet they stayed. If you were to add up the votes for McK and McP you’d only get to 35% still not enough to pull out a hat trick. But if you added the delusional 3 (Ferrin,Morton,Verga) you 44.1% still not quite enough to pull it off…but close. The reality is that Robert Hurt and his team ran a fantastic campaign. No doubt that some Democrats voted for him as they were told to do by the DNC but he won.
Lets rewind a little and go back before the filing deadline. Before the Mass meeting in Campbell County. Lets pretend 3 crazy people stayed home and dropped out like they should have. I have every confidence that you would have seen a leader pull forward in this race if you were just looking at Boyd, McPadden, and McKelvey. It would have been much easier to get this down to a 2 man race and the laggards would have left. It would have been easier to get voters engaged in the process with just 2 maybe 3 candidates. Unlike yesterday where my wife, when voting was behind a man who asked the voting officials “you got any info on these guys?” ( good thing I wasn’t there I think I would have smacked the back of his head )
Yes there is plenty of blame to go around. Want someone to blame? Look to the 92% of the idiot voters that stayed home. Or the establishment that wanted a primary that cost the voters +$1 million. Or Tucker Watkins for loosing the race for Goode in 08 to Perriello. Or there is the problem of the delusional 3. But, while so many were sleeping the area Tea Party groups were instrumental in replacing 11 GOP unit chairs and the 5th district chairman. We got people engaged in the process as well.
So what is next. The prevailing wisdom is to “get behind the winner, so we can beat Perriello”. If by “get behind” they mean vote against Perriello then that is what most people will do. But you don’t win hard races with that tactic. Robert Hurt needs to give people reasons to get excited about him and to vote FOR him, not against the other guy.The concern I and others have, is that its going to be really hard to get people to go door to door for Robert Hurt in an effort to defeat Tom Perriello. TP has access to 5 Billion dollars of George Sorros money if he needs it. He can flood the district with calls,ads, and boots on the ground to topple his opponent.
How can we compete with that? Give us a reason to vote for you Robert.
I like Robert Hurt. I’ve said so many times. He is a conservative. He’s not the constitutional conservative I’d like to send to Washington. He as a lawyer, will look at legislation that crosses his desk in light of case law, not in the historical constitutional context that he should. Could he do differently. Maybe.
So what should the Tea Party groups do? Should they endorse Robert Hurt? Not likely. More on that later.
I had the privilege over the past few months of spending a lot of time with Mike McPadden. His family was a blast to hang out with and my kids just loved visiting with his Wife Meggan and they still talk about how they made cupcakes with her. He was everything I would want in a representative. He was Honorable, Funny, and understood the constitution like no other candidate I’ve seen. He was nothing but a gentleman with me, despite the lies that a certain individual was perpetrating throughout the fifth. He was a solid pro life and pro family candidate. He was, and remains, the better man. I am proud to call him my friend.
KF
Don’t blame. That achieves nothing. We need to beat Perriello.
and I can’t say that we had any Dems voting in Lunenburg—we could have, but not many.
Just trying to head off what we are already seeing.
Yesterday I voted my conscious. On November 2nd I will do the same. The days of voting so that the lesser of 2 evil wins are over for me. I’ve spent my life doing that and look at the mess this country is in because of it. My generation has let down the younger ones b/c we didn’t pay attention. We wanted to be comfortable and let government handle everything. Now people like Kurt and the younger generations have to clean up what people like me and Kelley have done. The least I can do is stop repeating the same mistakes. From what I have seen so far, Jeff Clark would represent me & my district well. But the real litmus test is a pesky little thing called THE CONSTITUTION.
And a message for Sen. Hurt –> It will take more than just spouting words like “FOUNDERS” or “LIMITED GOVERNMENT”… Actions speak louder than words.
If Hurt wants to win he must give the 51.6 percent of voters that didn’t vote for him a reason to vote for him this won’t be easy.He also will have to bring out alot more voters in November.I was told that in several polls that die hard Democrats came in to vote now I won’t pretend to know who they voted for but I bet you it wasn’t Mike McPadden.
Nobody in the DNC was telling Dems to vote for Robert Hurt; the DCCC sent out negative press releases criticizing both Robert Hurt (taxes) and Scott Rigell (a donation to Obama) right before the election because the DNC and the DCCC were not looking forward to facing either one. Other than perhaps some moderate Dems disenchanted with Perriello, Dems weren’t out there voting for Robert Hurt.
I read a Bearing Drift post regarding Virginia’s 2nd District that I thought applied equally well to the 5th. Critiquing a statement by the founder and chairwoman of the Hampton Roads Tea Party, who blamed Loyola’s loss on the large field of candidates because the three bottom candidates failed to drop out and were “selfish,” the author said this:
“While the [Tea Party] endorsement was ill-advised as an anti-establishment group acting exactly as the same establishment they claim to want to replace, the voters at the end of the day disagreed with their assessment.”
MJ how do you know that Nobody in the DNC was telling members to vote for Robert Hurt ? Are you saying that it is impossible that some unit heads didn’t tell members to vote for Hurt ? If I were a Democrat I would have voted for Hurt.Hurt will have to spend the next two months pulling the Republicans together if he can do it at all.Perriello will start today fighting Hurt that is a huge advantage and he has the cash to do it.If anyone thinks you did the Republican party any favors by electing Hurt please tell me you think that on November 3rd.
MJ, I happen to KNOW Dems who voted for Hurt b/c they knew he wasn’t terribly popular.
Come November, any Dems who voted for Robert Hurt will probably feel as good about their vote as Scott Rigell does right now for an ill-advised donation to Barack Obama’s campaign thinking that Obama would be easy to defeat in the general election.
Based on the final election results, it should be very clear that Robert Hurt was substantially more popular than the other six candidates, and not just with the “establishment,” but with the actual voters.
MJ, he is not popular with the informed voters. The ones without their heads in the sand… or other places for that matter.
And I feel pretty good about my vote for Creigh Deeds in the Primary last year.
there are alot of Perriello supporters here.
Kelley, I so wish there were more supporters of LIBERTY on here.
Pelosi & Perriello. keep your eyes on the ball.
Kelley if you think there are alot of Perriello supporters here wait until this fall they will come out in droves.Lets see how well the establishment candidate does without the Full support of the GOP.I joined the Clark team this morning and will work hard for him.
NO KELLEY!!! LIBERTY!! GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND!!
Good assessment Kurt! Robert Hurt does have his work cut out for him. The establishments plan with Hurt to divide and conquer the 5th District worked. After cutting a pie, how do you put it back together? Does Hurt have any clues?
Perriello/Pelosi are enabled by those not working to defeat them.
do you people want to re-elect Perriello? really?
It’s awfully presumptive for you to assume that had everyone dropped out but Hurt and McKelvey that McKelvey would have gained 100% of the other 5′s voters. Not only is it presumptive, it’s total BS.
Hurt won in a walk.
Kelly and Joe,
Voters want someone they can vote for…not against.
If you keep using your mantra Hurt will loose.
I want periello beat as bad as the next guy but give us something to vote for.
right now you have a sinking ship. Rino’s are using a cup to add water to it. Democomunists are using a bucket. The ship is still sinking. Sell us on how Robert is not a Rino and how he will throw the democrats and rino’s overboard.
hank, i just answered this for Will White over at SouthsideCentral. (go read)
call his campaign office at 434 432-4600. find out when he will be in your area.
Keep me on the list ! I like your analysis ….Danville Tea Party endorsed Hurt ….
Great Post!
Kelley it is Hurt’ job to contact us.Hurt is the one running for office.
As far as needing a reason to vote for Hurt, read the Watchdog’s earlier post on Robert Hurt’s Conservative Record. Hurt’s most aggressive primary opponents have found four (4!) votes out of several thousand to disagree with him on, that means all of his primary opponents agreed him some 99.9% of the time!
If you as a true conservative look at Robert Hurt’s actual voting record, and can’t find something to vote for, then you shouldn’t be accusing others of “having their heads in the sand.”
I enthusiastically supported McPadden, and if McPadden hadn’t been running, I would have supported Boyd. Hurt was my third pick.
That said, what’s done is done. It’s over now. Time to move on. The fact that I think McPadden or Boyd would have done a better job, is no longer relevant. Robert Hurt is the nominee.
Robert Hurt is not perfect, but neither were any of the other candidates.
Robert Hurt has recorded a few “bad” votes, but overall he has a very good conservative voting record.
TP is doing some serious harm, right now. We have no reason to believe he well start listening to his constituents, so he needs to go in November, before he does any more harm.
Compare this to the harm Robert Hurt could do if elected. Worst case, he will do less harm then TP. Best case, he listens to the people of the 5th, and works for fiscal responsibility and limited government.
Hurt will certainly be better for America than TP would be, and there is a very good chance that he will be significantly better than TP.
Clark has no chance of winning the election against Hurt and TP, so a vote for Clark is a vote for TP.
Conclusion: The best option is to enthusiastically support Hurt, give him a chance, but hold him accountable. Doing anything else seems illogical.
Kelley, I am on board. What a difference a day makes!
Lets make a statement to the establishment vote Clark.
Here is the link to the post MJ was referring to. http://virginiafifthwatchdog.com/2010/05/robert-hurts-conservative-voting-record/
We all know that the DNC will devote tons of money/effort/”carrots” to the 5th District to make sure Perriello is re-elected. Tim Kane also has a lot riding on every Dem candidate running in Virginia this November. Perriello is already bringing “porkulous”-paid projects to the 5th District, like the $750Million for the bike trails he announced last month.
Big question 1: How to ensure that nobody runs a “Perot 1992″ style independent campaign, which will guarantee that Perriello wins? Look at what Jeff Clark’s already doing.
Big question 2: Does any Republican in the 5th know a “real name” conservative, like Tom Selleck, who can come and stump for Hurt?
Biggest question: How will the 5th/RNC raise enough money to go up against the millions the DNC have earmarked already for Perriello’s campaign?
5th DISTRICT CHAIR—ARE YOU LISTENING???
When did ANY 5th DISTRICT CHAIR ever raise ANY money ?
Yesterday I voted McPadden, this November I will vote for Hurt unless Goode makes a run. I have voted for Goode as a democrat, independent and a republican, if he ran as a green I would still vote for him. While I like the chance to take part in a primary I think the party rather than the people should pay the costs, a million might not be much in the state budget but it could have been used more wisely than for an almost no turn out primary.
anamcara: Hurt is going to have to raise money outside the district. Perriello raised lots & lots of his from Pelosi’s friends/unions. Perriello even got money from Rangel (though he gave that back under pressure). There are people in the 7th & the 4th that will help out. And there is some money sitting on the sidelines in this district that was waiting for the nominee.
but Perriello’s money, in & of itself, makes him formidable.
and yeah, we need bike trails. just ask Martinsville with almost 20% unemployment. but that can be viewed as supremely Porky.
Perriello has some horrible & anti-American votes.
We are raising money as we speak. I pledged to raise at least $250,000 to fund our efforts to defeat Perriello in November. Anamcara, you can call me with your donation. We can use it, it will be put to good use in defeating Perriello in November, and it is most appreciated.
goode can’t run unless he filed paperwork. have not heard he did that.
Clark has filed his papers if you don’t like Hurt there is another candidate in the race. Bill im glad you are raising money that is a new one for the 5th district.
CLARK – seems like another spoil sport. Waa Waa, I don’t like who was nominated, so I’m gonna run. Because I am far more intelligent, have far more experience, and just know that the other members of Congress are just going to see things my way and vote my way.
Hmmmmmmm.
Disgruntled citizen – check; Won’t support HURT – check; Runs as an Independent – check; HURT beats disgruntled citizen & Tom P – PRICELESS
Please people, if you want to attack HURT, read the darn bills and not just what you want out of the bill. It’s politics people. I don’t particularly care for a toll road at the VA/NC line (especially since it benefits northern VA and Hampton Roads), but you do what you have to do.
Some of you guys are like freakin babies. Get a grip. Stop your whining and move on.
Great post! I entirely agree. It’s a joke to see all of these Hurt supporters who criticized the other candidates for having no platform outside of being anti-Hurt to now demand that we all rally around a candidate who has no platform other than being anti-Perriello. In November I will vote FOR someone, not AGAINST someone.
Being inside the Goodlatte side I had to watch and root for you guys. Indeed, too many running in the race undermined the impact. Still, this is unmarked road and the first trip down it. If the groups can hold together and grow the control and impact will come. I am excited to be close by and watching from our mountain perch near “the crest of the Blue Ridge”. You did well and will do better. I am sure!
Blessings,
Mike Poff
The Quadfather
I. Am. Dying! TOM SELLECK!? Really? Tom? Selleck? Magnum P.I.? This is by far the most outrageous and hilarious thing I have read on any of these conservative blogs. Thank you for the much needed laugh after this day.
Dana, hey, what’ wrong with Magnum? wonder if Sean Penn & Danny Glover & Alec Baldwin come campaign for Perriello? we will know its meaningless, but it will draw crowds & press.
every campaign needs crowds & press.
Kelley, I love your reasoning… We will do what they do. It’s politics after all. I want a representative that truly represents me – NOT politics as usual. What you’re saying is akin to excusing a drunk driver b/c he is an alcoholic.
And HAIR’S Magnum and Robert!!
I really like Clark, but its hard to consider voting for him when Parriello is likely to stomp him. If you also consider the the RNC will now come into play and other PAC money may show up for Hurt, splitting the vote would be stupid.
Hurt has to sell himself as a conservative something he hasn’t been able to do yet. I hope the Hrt supporters are happy you elected the ONLY candidate that would make this a three way race.
notandysere, “It’s a joke to see all of these Hurt supporters who criticized the other candidates for having no platform outside of being anti-Hurt to now demand that we all rally around a candidate who has no platform other than being anti-Perriello. In November I will vote FOR someone, not AGAINST someone.”
You’ve captured the situation in simple 2 sentences. They just don’t get it
HAHAHA!!! exactly Will. And then they play the blame game. I don’t think this is an issue of spoiled sport – more like hard headed establishment hacks.
sam: don’t you think press coverage is vital for a Congressional campaign? though I get no local TV other than Richmond, I do read the political compendiums several times daily. Newspaper coverage still reaches alot of voters. Of course TV does, too, but I can’t speak from personal experience.
Sam they are very hard headed. I have a feeling they might learn a hard lesson this time around.
Bingo Will White- This time the good ole boys in the 5th GOP will learn a hard lesson. Perriello has already won 2010. No 3 way race, with 2 trying to get the conservative vote will ever win. Particularly when the D has Soros, Obama, Pelosi backing, and money.
Has anyone figured out how to get those that are truly unelectable out of the race, so that the strongest candidates have a chance? It is well known, between all race watchers, that a big field (7 candidates) will always go to the most moderate, ie John McCain in 2008.
Sandy, the very reason we had a primary was b/c that was favored by the establishment GOP (including Robert Hurt). The Republicans have yet to learn their lesson.
there are more Republicans at NLS than here. do you want to whip Perriello or not? Was cap ‘n trade, GIVE act, stimulus & Obamacare (twice) not enough for you?
Kelley it seems im not the only person that is sick of the establishment.
Kelly, I don’t have to vote for Hurt to vote against Perriello. Your choice simply is not my choice. This November, I am voting for a candidate that most represents my values and principals.
You don’t have to tell me Perriello’s votes. I know them. I also know Hurt’s votes. And I don’t want either man voting for me. They are both tax spend kinda guys and untrustworthy politicians. No thank you.