Will conservatives support Shelley Moore Capito’s West Virginia run?
West Virginia Rep. Shelley Moore Capito’s Senate candidacy is already creating an unsettling sense of déjà vu for Republicans. …
Not even three weeks since the election, Capito’s challenge to Democrat Sen. Jay Rockefeller is already shaping up as test case of whether Republicans can overcome deep fissures within the party and produce palatable general-election candidates who aren’t fatally wounded by bruising primary battles. …
“Congresswoman Capito has a long record of support of bailouts, pork and bigger government,” Club for Growth President Chris Chocola said in a statement. “She voted to bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for massive expansions of government-run health insurance, giveaways to Big Labor, and repeatedly voted to continue funding for wasteful earmarks like an Exploratorium in San Francisco and an aquarium in South Carolina. That’s not the formula for GOP success in U.S. Senate races.” …
Capito is unquestionably a moderate: She supports abortion rights, has voted to extend unemployment benefits and is in favor of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. In 2008, she ran a television ad that touted her willingness to break from her party by voting against tax breaks for oil companies and twice supporting an override of President George W. Bush’s veto of the SCHIP bill.
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There is no such things as “Moderate” D’s or R’s anymore.
portlandon on November 27, 2012 at 4:23 PM
Here’s all I have to say about this. If you can’t field someone better for the job, stop complaining. And by “better,” I mean “better,” not “more conservative and also breathing.”
John Raese, the guy who took two runs at the state, lost by a larger amount the second time around. Anybody who suggests Raese is intentionally throwing away the seat.
KingGold on November 27, 2012 at 4:25 PM
The answer is yes.
forest on November 27, 2012 at 4:26 PM
Probably not. Some on here blindingly support the “most conservative” candidate possible, even if said candidate is a joke.
wargamer6 on November 27, 2012 at 4:26 PM
A vote against a viable candidate like Capito is a vote for Obama, Pelosi, Reid & Chuck Schumer.
Tea Party candidates that can win are the only acceptable alternative. Tea Party candidates that would lose to a Democrat, are Democrat enablers.
amazingmets on November 27, 2012 at 4:27 PM
That would require standing against both Jim DeMint, who’s sour on the idea, and also the Club for Democratic Caucus Growth. And how many conservatives, especially among the usual suspects in the grassroots and the blogs, would be willing to toss away the seat to keep her out?
KingGold on November 27, 2012 at 4:29 PM
This this this this.
There is a difference between Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz and Todd Akin and Sharon Angle. Reid has been the biggest problem since 2010. The Buckley Rule applies, vote for the most conservative candidate that will win.
cpaulus on November 27, 2012 at 4:33 PM
A “moderate R” is a D. Look at the orange crybaby or Bloomberg, for instance.
WeekendAtBernankes on November 27, 2012 at 4:33 PM
Geez, her record is practically indistinguishable from that of Clyburn, Durbin, or Schumer.
Tell me again, how is it that she’s a Republican?
UltimateBob on November 27, 2012 at 4:33 PM
These “rating scores” by FreedomWorks and Club for Growth are suspect.
Did you know that both of these orgs are backing the candidate, in a Louisiana congressional race, who royally screwed the offshore exploration and production industry with a crony capitalist move, and lied to them repeatedly? I guess they want to see energy production DECREASE. Hey but they love the loudmouthed guy who is picking our pockets while screaming “I’m Mr. Tea Party” even though he bought and paid for that “Tea Party” support.
Kermit on November 27, 2012 at 4:34 PM
She’s not going to win, and probably would not win even if the Club for Growth supported her.
Doomberg on November 27, 2012 at 4:35 PM
51 R’s including RINO’s still gets the gavel out of that jackass Reid’s hand
Stunts like him filling the amendment tree routinely, not passing a budget, and now threating to force filibuster changes should be enough evidence of the damage his “leadership” has caused this country
We have a real opportunity to flip the Senate still in 2014.
If it takes a few RINO’s, I’m OK with that now
Nothing will replace the joy of seeing that drooling idiot Pelosi become irrelevant in 2010– it’s time to do the same for Reid, at any cost
thurman on November 27, 2012 at 4:38 PM
Interesting.
The Repub party picks our candidate.
Then the Repub’s say we must support her even though she doesn’t represent our ideals/values.
I didn’t realize that WV was such a liberal state that we have to settle for such a POS liberal Repub candidate.
I’ll support her as much as the RNC supports and backs up the Conservative movement.
tonotisto on November 27, 2012 at 4:39 PM
She’s not going to win, and probably would not win even if the Club for Growth supported her.
Doomberg on November 27, 2012 at 4:35 PM
BINGO!
ToddPA on November 27, 2012 at 4:39 PM
How did this woman get elected to Congress from West Virginia anyway? Is she a Democrat who flipped or something? She sounds more liberal than Rockefeller.
Rocks on November 27, 2012 at 4:42 PM
In the end of humanity there were only two jihadist alive. The first loudly exclaims,” Alas, only us true believers are left!” Meanwhile, the second slowly pulls his sword and whispers “You can never be too sure….”
The future of the Republican party.
filetandrelease on November 27, 2012 at 4:44 PM
So she’s a lefty democrat.
njrob on November 27, 2012 at 4:44 PM
Politico, already fanning the GOP schism for races a couple years out.
I doubt conservatives will rally to her cause. She won’t be conservative enough, there’s nothing really on the line (not like there was with Scott Brown in MA, anyway), and she faces an entrenched incumbent in a state that still likes its Dems in the statehouse and as reps in DC. She’s probably the most viable option (though admittedly I’m not familiar with other possibilities), but that doesn’t mean anything.
changer1701 on November 27, 2012 at 4:44 PM
I have to ask, in all WV is this the best we can find to run? Goodness she isn’t much of a r is she?
The sad fact, we have this happening all the time in lots of states, he!! if we do or he!! if we don’t?
L
letget on November 27, 2012 at 4:44 PM
She will win if Rockefeller retires, and she might even beat him. The coal interests are out for Rockefeller’s scalp. They got Ben Chandler in Kentucky this year and Rockefeller is their #1 target in 2014.
West Virginia is one of, if not the, poorest states in the country. Capito has voted for what is in the interests of her people. If voting for S-CHIP is now a litmus test we are screwed. The House GOP leadership has allowed her to vote for some of these things to help her keep her House seat.
There isn’t another Republican in the state that could win this seat. If Capito is unopposed the Democrats won’t even bother trying to keep it.
rockmom on November 27, 2012 at 4:45 PM
Oh, she’s a legacy. No, if I were a West Virginian I would not support her. It is time to end this friggin’ nepotism.
Rocks on November 27, 2012 at 4:46 PM
She won’t vote for Harry Reid for Majority Leader. In fact, if she wins, I’ll bet Joe Manchin won’t either.
rockmom on November 27, 2012 at 4:47 PM
Capito is a leftist. I wouldn’t support her against anyone. She’s as bad as any dem – worse since she carries an “R” and would be another go-to GOPer to use to paint conservatives as fringe, as she would clearly delight in doing.
The big race was just had in November. There’s nothing left to save so theres’ no compelling reason to even think of backing such a twit.
ThePrimordialOrderedPair on November 27, 2012 at 4:48 PM
THIS.
Man, it’s depressing to see people falling for it.
rockmom on November 27, 2012 at 4:48 PM
When did West Virginia become Massachusetts? Lefty Senator Manchin is to the right of her record from West Virginia.
njrob on November 27, 2012 at 4:48 PM
Specter.
tonotisto on November 27, 2012 at 4:50 PM
Not kidding when I say that we could have 2 Senators from the same state switch in the same year.
Repubs pull over the Dem lite and the Dem’s bribe over the Repub lite (Dems are better at that game).
tonotisto on November 27, 2012 at 4:54 PM
I find it highly unlikely that a Republican will win the Senate race in this state if Raese couldn’t in 2010 in the midst of the Tea Party wave. We had a raft of candidates exactly like her all across America for the 2012 election, and they were essentially wiped out. I find it highly unlikely that WV is going to suddenly buck that trend.
Doomberg on November 27, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Problem is, a candidate like Capito is not going to energize anyone to actually bother to go out and vote for her (see Mitt Romney, 2012).
UltimateBob on November 27, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Yes. I support Capito. We need to make sure we’re not overshooting the mark.
If you want conservatives to be elected, the best place to go are red states who have senators up that aren’t as conservative as they should be for that state.
Such as…
Lindsay Graham (SC)
Saxby Chambliss (GA)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Those are sitting Reps worth a challenge.
As for Dems that are up… we need the candidate to match the electorate… meaning don’t nominate a Jim DeMint type to run in a purple state.
It’s the best plan for victory along with moving the senate rightward.
dforston on November 27, 2012 at 5:02 PM
Here’s suggested candidates to replace the 3 above I mention…
Tim Huelskamp (KS)
Trey Gowdy (SC)
Tom Graves (GA)
All younger and more conservative. They are articulate which is much needed in our party.
dforston on November 27, 2012 at 5:04 PM
Do not disagree with your point.
But, disagree with your read of WV.
WV was dominated by the Byrd pork and Rock power for years.
Manchin rode Byrd’s porktails into office. But now he is swaying in the wind due to WV conservative undertow(thus, his distancing from Pres Obama).
If Rock steps down, the WV Repubs could do a lot better than run a liberal.
The same people that voted for Romney (and more) would come out for the Conservative Repub. It would be a true base election and one that would change WV politics for a great many years.
But, the Repubs want moderates and believe that Conservatives are captive voters.
tonotisto on November 27, 2012 at 5:20 PM
Let it Burn.
Why add more dead weight.
astonerii on November 27, 2012 at 5:31 PM
For the first time, that’s turned out not to be the case, which is why you see the desperate stampede to blame “anti-Hispanic racism” for the defeat by our own party.
Either these guys will learn the lesson soon or the party will just implode Whig style. My suspicion is the second, but we’ll see.
Doomberg on November 27, 2012 at 5:31 PM
I would gladly donate to any true conservative Hot Air commenters that want to challenger her in the primary. Just let me know where I can contribute.
Alpha_Male on November 27, 2012 at 5:32 PM
If I win the 425 million jackpot or some share of it, I will let you know which RINO I will primary.
astonerii on November 27, 2012 at 5:35 PM
I will take her over a Democrat ANY day. And if the “true conservatives” run yet another candidate that hands the seat to the Democrats, my head’s gonna pop clean off. They’ve already cost us 5 Senate seats in the past two cycles (DE, NV, CO, IL, MO).
crosspatch on November 27, 2012 at 5:41 PM
Meant IN, not IL.
crosspatch on November 27, 2012 at 5:42 PM
Will moderates and independents support her? They are the ones who are difficult to convince when your message is mealy mouthed statist capitulation.
besser tot als rot on November 27, 2012 at 5:43 PM
Astonerii, you would be my very first choice. Whenever you receive the Call to go RINO hunting, you just let your old buddy Alpha_Male know, and I’ll be your biggest (primary) supporter.
Alpha_Male on November 27, 2012 at 5:44 PM
You know, 5 seats… Compare that to the dozens that progressive (R) policies cost us. We used to have Majority in the House, the Senate and the presidency.
Want to explain to me which conservative has ever left the party worse off after he left office? We are just left out in the wilderness since Bush and the Congress sinned against conservatism and the electorate threw them out.
astonerii on November 27, 2012 at 5:44 PM
But if a liberal Republican does so you are just fine with that.
sharrukin on November 27, 2012 at 5:44 PM
I hope not. Unless your worth millions… LOL
Incumbent RINOs are hard to beat. They get Obama style love in primaries from the media.
astonerii on November 27, 2012 at 5:45 PM
Look. I’m not defending any of the candidates for these seats (although, I’m not sure Buck deserves to be on that list), but if your prognostication skills are so good that you are certain that a Romney-type statist/moderate would have won in DE, NV, or CO, you’re wasting your efforts here and should be out there buying a Powerball ticket. I’m not even sure that IN and MO were gimmes after what happened in ND.
besser tot als rot on November 27, 2012 at 5:50 PM
if you are a republican you might as well support her. After all the GOP party stands for nothing anymore. They are tossing their very last principle to the die with their cave on taxes.. So sure go ahead. Who cares. The GOP party has caved on federalism, on social issues on fiscal issues on military issues, Bush even led the charge to cave on the idea of free markets. So what difference if you guys elect another non-principle candidate like this to the senate. She will vote how the GOPe tells her so its all good. …
unseen on November 27, 2012 at 5:55 PM
I agree – I think “most viable” still equals “extreme long shot” for this seat. For now, at least.
besser tot als rot on November 27, 2012 at 5:56 PM
funny how about the GOPe costing us senate seats in VA, WA, conn, NC, MA, Pa, CA, hell if the GOPe had their way they would have cost us seats in FL and Ga as well.
unseen on November 27, 2012 at 5:58 PM
why because politico told you so? Freaking idiots. WV almost voted for a convicted immate in the dem primary over Obama. the people in WV hate Obam can’t stand Obama. the dem party has to run away form Obama on a daily basis. Any GOP candidate that can make the case that a dem senator will vote the dem/obama line will win in a landslide. the elites know this thus to control the outcome I.e install a progressive they are already prepping the battlefield to ensure that once again no matter who wins the progressives win. and like little sheep many people just fall in line with the BS coming out of DC.
no wonder we got Romney as a candidate.
unseen on November 27, 2012 at 6:02 PM
Setting yourselves up for more betrayal
The GOP will betray you
True_King on November 27, 2012 at 6:05 PM
I agree..The hits just keep on coming..
Dire Straits on November 27, 2012 at 6:06 PM
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