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DEL.ICIO.USRumor-killing in the 2010 U.S. Senate race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Earlier this month, National Journal columnist Charlie Cook wrote a column, now posted on his web site, bemoaning the national GOP’s apparent rightward swing in the face of defeat.
Cook began with these two paragraphs:
A fellow who oversees lobbying in all 50 states for a major corporation recently told me about a certain Republican U.S. senator up for re-election in 2010, someone generally regarded as fairly conservative who might face a serious challenge from a very conservative fellow Republican. The incumbent has not been tainted by scandal, has never embarrassed himself by making a major mistake, is highly regarded in Washington, and is considered a very effective senator.
I was dumbfounded. Although it isn’t hard to see why a moderate Republican such as Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter could face a conservative primary challenge, it is difficult to understand why a conservative Republican would be challenged from the right. This is a party in danger of cannibalizing itself.
Cook never named him, and so the vignette set off a great deal of Internet speculation surrounding the Republican senator’s identity — locally and nationally, among Republicans and Democrats.
Many political sites listed U.S. Rep. Johnny Isakson of Georgia as a possibility — along with Bob Bennett of Utah, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, and John Thune of South Dakota.
When it came to Isakson, a discussion at Swing State Project mentioned U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland as a possible challenger.
And Westmoreland does have a hard-right, grassroots appeal that has served him well so far. But he’s not about to challenge Isakson.
“Lynn’s 110 percent behind Isakson, and will be helping him every step of the way,” Chip Lake, Westmoreland’s chief of staff, said today.
Comments
By Justin Tomczak
January 26, 2009 3:30 PM | Link to this
Congressman Westmoreland was a big help during Saxby’s race, and is sure to be a great asset to Johnny!
By GA VALUES
January 26, 2009 3:46 PM | Link to this
If he said “effective,” he is not talking about Mr. Isakson.
By LC
January 26, 2009 4:48 PM | Link to this
This is just wishful thinking. As far as Johnny (and Saxby) have strayed from the fiscal conservative path, the fact that they have been in office so long makes them sacred cows. We may not like ‘em but we’re more terrified of losing in the general election due to picking someone without the name recognition during the primary. During the Saxby-Martin runoff, another GOP legislator with much more conservative cred had to resort to making the case to show up and vote for him if for no other reason then to block passage of the (deceptively named) Employee Free Choice act. Isakson is no different, unfortunately, and we’ll end up keeping him based on a few key issues and just holding our nose when he goes along with more ill-advised bailouts and other such nonsense that no principled conservative would vote for
By Johnny
January 26, 2009 7:40 PM | Link to this
Westermoreland does not stand a chance with Georgia’s religous voters. After all, poor ol’Lynn still can’t recite the Ten Commandments. Last count, he can’t get past number three.
By Johnny
January 26, 2009 7:40 PM | Link to this
Westmoreland does not stand a chance with Georgia’s religous voters. After all, poor ol’Lynn still can’t recite the Ten Commandments. Last count, he can’t get past number three.
By Pompano
January 26, 2009 8:15 PM | Link to this
I’ll vote for any Republican challenger to Isakson - just wish someone would have run against Saxby in the primaries.
Both of our Senators have lost their way and do not represent the views of the people who elected them - they are now merely puppets of the RNC.
Washington incumbents are the greatest threat to our nation.