[Mb-civic] For GOP, Election Anxiety Mounts - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

For GOP, Election Anxiety Mounts
Candidates Need Convincing for '06

By Charles Babington and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, October 10, 2005; Page A01

Republican politicians in multiple states have recently decided not to 
run for Senate next year, stirring anxiety among Washington operatives 
about the effectiveness of the party's recruiting efforts and whether 
this signals a broader decline in GOP congressional prospects.

Prominent Republicans have passed up races in North Dakota and West 
Virginia, both GOP-leaning states with potentially vulnerable Democratic 
incumbents. Earlier, Republican recruiters on Capitol Hill and at the 
White House failed to lure their first choices to run in Florida, 
Michigan and Vermont.

These setbacks have prompted grumbling. Some Republican operatives, 
including some who work closely with the White House, privately point to 
what they regard as a lackluster performance by Sen. Elizabeth Dole 
(N.C.) as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the 
group that heads fundraising and candidate recruitment for GOP senators.

But some strategists more sympathetic to Dole point the finger right 
back. With an unpopular war in Iraq, ethical controversies shadowing top 
Republicans in the House and Senate, and President Bush suffering the 
lowest approval ratings of his presidency, the waters look less inviting 
to politicians deciding whether to plunge into an election bid. 
Additionally, some Capitol Hill operatives complain that preoccupied 
senior White House officials have been less engaged in candidate 
recruitment than they were for the 2002 and 2004 elections. These 
sources would speak only on background because of the sensitivity of 
partisan strategies.

Historically, Senate and House races are often won or lost in the year 
before the election, as a party's prospects hinge critically on whether 
the most capable politicians decide to invest time, money and personal 
pride in a competitive race. Often, this commitment takes some coaxing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/09/AR2005100901332.html?referrer=email
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.islandlists.com/pipermail/mb-civic/attachments/20051010/3b10c065/attachment.htm