A Win is a Win…but What Does it Mean?
George LeMieux won another straw poll this week – following up on a victory in the Florida Federation of Republican Women straw poll victory back in January. Many of Florida’s Republican Executive Committee members remember the straw poll victories of Marco Rubio over Charlie Crist back in 2009. Rubio’s victories meant something back then – they were a sign of how Rubio was channeling the anger of many grassroots activists over the leftward turn of the Crist administration.
This time, things feel different. The US Senate race has only four remaining contestants – Former Sen. George LeMieux, Congressman Connie Mack, and Col. Mike McCalister…plus Marielena Stuart. Mack and LeMieux are perceived to be the only top tier candidates in the race.
So what’s the significance of these straw polls? We at FCN would wager that this year’s US Senate primary is not a fight over the “heart and soul” of the party. It’s not even really about the qualities of Mack or LeMieux, but a rather a function of how there is not a liberal Republican like Crist to fight against. Adam Hasner attempted to make this race a “Crist v. Rubio” rematch with himself in the Rubio role and LeMieux in the Crist role, but barely racked up polling numbers above single digits. As much as some LeMieux detractors might want to do it, tying LeMieux to Crist is tough when you look at LeMieux’s rock-solid voting record while in the Senate. Mack also has a decent voting record.
Without the conservative anger over a turncoat Republican incumbent like Charlie Crist, this race just hasn’t generated much excitement.
Only 74 people voted in the straw poll this week. LeMieux got 39 votes, Mack about 19 votes (since only percentages were revealed). Clearly, not many participated.
So what do these straw poll victories mean – at least right now? Not much. But a win is a win, and LeMieux needs to build some traction to overcome the name ID advantage that Connie Mack has – not only from his father, but also from his appearances on Fox News.
LeMieux wins straw poll, but outcome questioned
Posted Apr 2, 2012 by William March
Updated Apr 2, 2012 at 03:44 PM Continue reading
Rand Paul Backs Connie Mack in Senate Race – Reaction
The warring endorsements between George LeMieux and Connie Mack continue. This time it’s Connie Mack’s turn. Rand Paul endorsed him saying the following:
“I’ve had the opportunity to work first-hand with Connie Mack,” the tea party darling said in a statement. “He is a passionate defender and a tireless advocate for the ideals of less taxing, less spending, less government and more freedom.
“From standing against the Bush Administration on TARP and fighting against President Obama’s failed stimulus, to his introduction of the Penny Plan, which I strongly support, Connie Mack has proven time and again that he is a staunch conservative and the very type of principled leader that we need in the United States Senate.
We consider this endorsement to truly be beneficial to the Mack campaign. It’s obvious that Ron and Rand Paul have a distinct following among libertarian-leaning Republicans. These might be from 6-10% of the Republican party electorate. While so far we have never seen them energized by anyone other than Ron or Rand Paul, getting even a few of them can bring additional votes to Mack’s column. Getting an endorsement from Rand Paul is also more mainstream given that Rand’s views (as he expresses them) are more tempered than those of his father.
“Winning the Florida Senate seat for conservatives means the defeat of Harry Reid and all of us need to rally around Connie for the sake of our country. We need Connie Mack in the U.S. Senate.”
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Tagged connie mack, florida senate primary, florida senate race, george lemieux, rand paul, ron paul