Today Republicans in New Jersey will select their candidate to take on Governor Jon Corzine in the November election. Next week, Republicans in Virginia will find out who will face the only Republican running for Governor, former Attorney General Bob McDonnell. If polls are correct, then New Jersey Republicans will select Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, a moderate who his popular for going after corrupt public officials in the Garden State, Republicans and Democrats alike. McDonnell is considered the consensus choice, a conservative who won statewide office when Democrats were reaching a high point in Virginia.
It is fair to say that Virginia is more conservative than New Jersey, and that New Jersey is more liberal than Virginia. George W. Bush played well in Virginia, but not as much in New Jersey in 2004. If we Republicans are to move forward into the future and start to gain ground, we should look towards a new strategy that respects reality and principles. Republicans should support candidates who can WIN.
Republicans should support candidates who can win in their respective electoral region, may it be a congressional district or a state. Governor Rick Perry may be able to win in Texas, but could he in Rhode Island? Indiana voted for Republicans since 1964. But in 2006, Indiana elected 3 Democrats to Congress, giving them a 5-4 majority in the state among House members. Then in 2008, Barack Obama won the state by the slimmest of margins. Conservative Hoosiers elected moderate (if not conservative) Democrats in Republican strongholds. This, along with the massive voter registration in Gary, Indiana (a traditionally African-American city), gave the liberal Barack Obama an edge in the state in 2008. If we support electable Republicans to elected office across the board, it can build momentum and swing blue states and former red states back to our column. We should elect George Pataki to the Senate in New York, or Rob Simmons to the Senate in Connecticut in 2010, before we can elect a unifying Republican who can beat Barack Obama in 2012. Unless we do this, we will no longer be a viable party. Let the debate begin!
