Mitt Romney’s coming down here in two weeks to campaign for Thom Tillis. The man most Americans believe should have been President, and could still be President if he wants to. (Maybe third time’s the charm?)
Mitt endorsed Tillis back in April, just a couple days before the primary. Having him make several campaign stops in the state would be an asset for the Tillis folks. No one can state more persuasively the case against President Obama and the Democratic politicians who have enabled his agenda.
And, as I’ve said before, Tillis’s path to victory is fairly simple: keep the Romney voters in his fold. And he’ll have some room for error because the midterm dropoff means an electorate that voted for Mitt Romney by 6 to 8 points instead of the actual 2-point margin. Who better to make the case to those Romney voters than Mitt Romney himself?
Hagan’s path to victory is also pretty simple; it can be cut down to two words: eviscerate Tillis. Convince the Romney voters that while Romney might have been an acceptable choice, Tillis is not, because he’s an extremist. You might not like Kay Hagan, you might think she’s a rubber stamp for Obama, but she’s still better than the alternative. That, of course, is going to be a hard sell in a red state, which is why I still believe the fundamentals favor Tillis in this race. (North Carolina, while purple in presidential years, is indisputably red in midterms. Indeed, part of Hagan’s task – far more difficult than painting Tillis as too extreme – is to replicate the purple electorate of 2012.) Other vulnerable Democrats in the South, like Pryor and Landrieu, can’t come even close to painting their electorate purple, but they have some crossover appeal while Hagan doesn’t have any.
To replicate that purple electorate, she’s going to need some effective surrogates of her own who can reach out to apathetic Democrats who aren’t convinced of the importance of voting this year. Who can Hagan bring? Certainly not Obama; if he comes down here any time before November Hagan will be on the next plane to D.C. or Florida. Maybe Michelle Obama, but she’s just as likely to fire up conservatives. Elizabeth Warren is too left wing. Bill Clinton would be a fantastic choice. Other than the former president, her best surrogates are probably people like Cory Booker and Deval Patrick, who could be somewhat effective in reaching out to African American communities in the state.
Who else can she bring?
John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.
Poll Paid For by the Committee To Elect Mitt Romney White Horse President Savior of Constitution Determines Romney Should Be President. Water Is Wet. Film At Eleven.
Most Americans believe should be president? But Virginia the actual polls elected Barack Obama who still occupies the White House….your level of delusion continues to impress. It is both hysterically funny and deeply sad at the same time the stuff… and I mean stuff, you some how write and put out for consumption. Having Mittens on the stump for ya…yeah he is the guy who needs explaining to us folk about takers and helpin good old Tom divide and conquer.
I’m still trying to decide which sub-set of the population I fit in to; the 47% or the 99%. I think I may be in both, but either way, I’m 100% certain Thom Tillis will NOT get my vote!
The man who thinks nearly half of all Americans are moochers is coming to NC to help Thom Tillis rally the voters. This is, after all, a high-poverty state where more than half of the school children qualify for free or reduced-fee lunches. Moochers abound here.
I’m sure Romney will ignite the undecideds into a solid voting block for Tillis, a man who seems incapable of telling the truth even about matters as mundane as his college degree. He just passed a budget that seems to appeal to no one except Tillis & Berger.
In 2012, Romney went up against a black man in a time of high unemployment and economic insecurity. It was Romney’s race to lose. And he lost. But yes, let’s go rally those undecided voters in NC. Will Clint Eastwood and his chair be next?
Hey, John, pay attention to the headline on the Romney poll link you gave. It describes it as a “dumb poll.” And it is. Adages like “Hindsight is 20:20” and “Be careful what you wish for.” come to mind. It’s so hypothetical, allow me to be more so: Lincoln, Wilson, Nixon and Clinton would not have polled (or didn’t) very well in 1985, 1974, 1920 nor 1998 respectively.
Anonymous – GREAT catch!!!
The man “most” Americans think should have been president? “Most,” that is, a majority, of the voters picked Obama over Romney.
Feet on the ground – register, register, register and get out the vote. Plus Booker will be great.