Nov

15

GOP Finger-Pointing and the Virginia 2008 Elections

Filed Under 2008 Election, Press Release, Republicans 

Contact: Lisa Bell

703-470-5042

vern@mckinleyforcongress.com

Ashburn, VA—Statewide elections in Virginia this month did not turn out well for the Republican Party. The Democrats took control of the Senate and made gains in the House. The retiring moderate Senator John Warner blamed the losses on the state party’s rigidity, presumably a slap at the conservative wing of the party. The Wall Street Journal lashed back in response calling the state party “hapless” in embracing the tax and spending agendas of Democratic governors. Richard Viguerie echoed these views with similar comments on the Republican leadership in Virginia.

There is no doubt that the Republican Party in Virginia is in the midst of a steady slide having lost the governorship and a senate seat in recent years and seemingly in a weak position to retain Senator Warner’s seat in 2008. As the 2008 elections loom on the horizon the question is whether candidates should reverse the slide by moving more towards the Democrats on the issues of the day or stick to limited government principles.

Two of the most hotly-contested and high-profile races in Virginia involved sitting Republican senators that were defending their seats in Northern Virginia districts that have been trending more moderate to liberal. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, who positioned herself to the left of her opponent on gun control and is a moderate on many other issues, lost decisively 55 to 45. In contrast, Kenneth Cuccinelli, an unabashed conservative, appears to have pulled out a close victory over his opponent.  Former Governor Gilmore, likely 2008 Senate nominee for the Republicans, laid out a clear argument for sticking with conservative, limited government principles in a recent speech he gave in Charlottesville.

“In national elections, the Republican Party has had some great triumphs over the past thirty years. Whether you focus on the 1980 election that brought Ronald Reagan to power or the 1994 Republican Revolution, such turning point elections were won in large part because the party was seen as upholding limited government principles,” notes Vern McKinley, who is challenging incumbent Congressman Frank Wolf for the Republican nomination in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. “If Republicans want to turn the tide, both nationally and in Virginia, the argument in favor of returning to these limited government principles is overwhelming.”

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