The Virginia result – a step towards a centrist GOP?
America’s social conservatives, frustrated with their position in the political wilderness after eight years of dictating the agenda in Washington, eagerly greeted the latest Gallup political poll last month.
This found that, for the first time since 2004, more Americans considered themselves ‘conservative’ (40%) than moderate (36%). The key shift is that of independents, with 35% of floating voters now describing their views as conservative, up from 29% in 2008. Whilst the conservative right saw this as adding weight to their battle for the Republican Party, the GOP campaign for Governor of Virginia provides a different interpretation.
Bob McDonnell’s victory on Tuesday was the result of a moderate, centrist campaign, focused on the candidate not the Party. Whilst BBC coverage here dismissed the result as ‘local’, and the White House has suggested the Republican victory was an anomaly based on ‘local issues’, this ignores the significant shift of independents support from Obama last year to McDonnell, who took 66% of their vote.
McDonnell’s team took the gamble that rural voters would turn out and vote Republican, and his visits to the GOP heartlands stressed his patriotic credentials and commitment to the second amendment. However this was a very small part of a his overall strategy, which focused almost entirely on the new Virginian commuter class – those in the rapidly spreading DC suburbs. McDonnell managed to tap into these voters, and win the bellwether Fairfax County back to the Republicans for the first time since 1997.
To engage with these voters, McDonnell took lessons straight from the Obama handbook. There was no obvious use of the Republican brand, or links to other GOP politicians. Instead his was a campaign built on personality, optimism and very little ideological content, embodied by its slogan ‘Positive solutions. Bold ideas. A vision for the future. Bob McDonnell as our next governor.’ The team also borrowed heavily from the presidential campaign in terms of new technology.
They built up a virtual coalition of supporters, as opposed to pledges, reaching 30,000 on Facebook; and bombarded them with e mails, on average one every other day since mid-September. The content of these communications presented ‘Bob’ as a voice of hope for Virginians suffering from the recession, carefully targeted at Obama voters. They talked not just about job creation but green jobs, and not just education but training for the knowledge based economy.
The result – a centre-right Governor in the extremely influential state of Virginia, is a cause for celebration by the GOP. These tactics delivered the suburban vote, which is increasingly important in congressional races. However it is unclear whether this strategy would pay off in other states.
The GOP grassroots movement is solidly conservative, and the strength on the ground of independent pressure groups, such as Americans for Prosperity, is an important resource for candidates. Moderate GOP candidates in 2008 who failed to appeal to these movements faced strong challenges from the right. Whether those running next year will be brave enough to replicate Bob McDonnell’s move to the centre for the 2010 midterms is still unclear.
Topics: America, Britain, England, Governance, politics, Republican Party, social conservatives, U.S., UK, United Kingdom, Virginia
Print This Article in Plain Text
|
|
Latest Headlines
- Osama Bin Laden Dead?
- Florida To Share $1 Billion For Gulf Coast Restoration Efforts
- Texas Prays For Rain During Extreme Drought Conditions
- Governor Christie Takes Action To Reduce Diesel Emissions, Improve Air Quality
- Governor McDonnell Outlines Draft Transportation Improvement Program
- Alaska Energy Bill Passes Legislature
- Illinois State Building Receives ENERGY STAR Award
- Homeland Security Begins Using National Terrorism Advisory System
- U.S. Outlines New Health Insurance Options For Graduating College Students
- Electrolux Expands In North Carolina, To Create 200 Jobs In Charlotte
- Virginia Storm Victims To Receive Tax Extension
- U.S. Expands Broadband Investment For Rural Areas To Accelerate Job Creation
- U.S. To Invest $130 Million For Advanced Energy Research
- Michigan Passes “I’m Sorry” Bill
- Kentucky Sells Two State Aircraft To Save Taxpayer Dollars
