40 People Show Up To Horinko "Event"

Ugh. 

And half of them were either elected Republicans or professionals.  I hope Marianne can put together a real chairman's campaign and I hope Republicans in Fairfax FINALLY get serious about this race.  Is she a candidate who is going to really REALLY run for this post, or is she just a candidate who can spend a ton of money and is being used to keep Sharon Bulova busy?  

I hope there is some real outreach to the grassroots and tea party folks out there who are starving for new leadership at every level of government committed to small government.  And if there is ANY entity in Virginia that needs a message of fiscal restraint and limited government, its Fairfax County.  I'm just the same old usual suspects from the Davis/Herrity campaigns will be running this show and we'll have another consultant-driven campaign based on too much polling, ignoring the grassroots, and thinking that having money is everything. 

But I want to hear what Marianne Horinko really believes in, not canned political cant that she might get fed by the professional Republicans around her.  Get real, be honest, and don't be afraid to be your own candidate. 

Comments

[200 Grande]

Don't be too hard on Horinko. People just thought she certified the air at the event as safe to breathe and, given the last time she did that, decided it best to stay home.

[Brian L.]

I'm not sure I'd ever trust any Republican candidate that claims that global warming is a "valid concern." Then again, maybe I just have bad memories from the Great Hunt/Nance/Horinko Race of 2009...

[local gop]

were you there? i must have missed you....

[VA Blogger]

Chris, in your mind, what would someone REALLY running for the seat look like?

[Shutup]

VA Blogger: an over weight 40 year old with a Don't Tread On Me Flag drapped around them. (ie Chris Beers) Because only true conservative principles can win in Fairfax.

[asics]

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[Chris]

Actually I'm an overweight 29 YEAR OLD, thank you very much. I think being called 40 is the worst thing anyone has said to me on this blog.

Its not so much Horinko, who's fine I have no problems wiht her. I'm just worried that there is nothing jazzing the party up. I get the feeling that its just more of the same from 05-08 with her, that we will be running the same type of campaign that Baise and Davis ran. But who knows . . .

I generally worry when someone's cheif qualification is that they can self-finance. But then again, I am a Fimian backer.

[Chris]

No Kyle, I wasn't there. But apparently nobody else was, either.

I guess my biggest problem is when a candidate's cheif support comes from people who are going to make money of her campaign - professional Republicans, consultants, et al. From what I can tell from the head count I heard, that was the majority of the crowd.

[VA Blogger]

It's not terribly surprising that a 2011 race hasn't attracted a lot of attention 5 weeks before the 2010 midterms.

As for generating excitement, it's important to remember that, contrary to expectations, the Chairman's race is usually fifth or sixth on the ballot, behind Senate, Delegate, Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, and even Soil & Water. Check out this sample ballot from 2007:

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/eb/sample_ballots/SampleBallot_NOV2007_06.pdf

Excitement will be, and should be, generated by our candidates for Senate and Delegate. I think the best role that Horinko can play, in concert with the FCRC (and its evil, establishment leadership), is providing the financial infrastructure countywide to make sure, for instance, that we have sample ballots in every precict, and literature and mail to be delivered in every neighborhood.

And I think you're really doing yourself a massive disservice by reducing Tom Davis and the campaigns he ran down to a slur. For starters, there's simply no comparison between how Davis ran and how Baise ran. I understand he's too moderate for your taste. But you're treating him like an Alan Keyes-type candidate, and it's not exactly clear why.

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

VAB is right - all of these races that are getting started now are going to simply focus on activists until after November.

Next year is going to be crazy. All the Supervisor races, School Board, State House and State Senate are up. I can understand why Marianne is starting early, as she'll have to if she wants to break through the clutter.

[Ron]

I was there (a bit late) with my kids. Sorry I missed some of you!

[aron]

All the focus in the 2011 races should be in the Braddock District. If the GOP can win there they can win the County (It is Bulova's district). Cook needs to defeat who ever runs against him, Marsden needs to go and we have some good candidates for that. And Filler-Corn needs to be kicked out, is Kerry Bolognese going to run again, or will he be in a primary?

[Chris]

Spiker, by Davis I mean JMDD not Tom - probably should have made that more clear.

But your logic worries me and basically proves my point that you all want Horinko in there to basically bankroll FCRC for the cycle. Read what you wrote:

"Excitement will be, and should be, generated by our candidates for Senate and Delegate. I think the best role that Horinko can play, in concert with the FCRC (and its evil, establishment leadership), is providing the financial infrastructure countywide to make sure, for instance, that we have sample ballots in every precict, and literature and mail to be delivered in every neighborhood."

Uh - if she's running I would hope she's in it to WIN and not to be the FCRC's bank. That is an astounding statement to me. I actually feel bad for Horinko if she's being used to fund the local party instead of being supported to DEFEAT Sharon Bulova.

If Fimian knocks off Connolly, Sharon will lose her cover and her biggest asset and will most be incredibly vulnerable.

If Marianne is the nominee I'll be working to help her WIN! not to take her money to fund FCRC and its GOTV efforts and literature for other campaigns.

Sad.

[Anthony Bedell]

Chris,

We raise my own money. No candidate bank rolls the FCRC. Nor would I ever let that happen. I don't know why you would ever get that idea.

[Chris]

Well I hope so, thanks for clearing this up.

[local gop]

For the record there were about 100 people. Not 40. Not sure where you heard that number.

2011 will be interesting because in some districts we will see School Board races being the big top-ticket races. Dranesville, Springfield (Liz or not), and probably Sully and an At-Large seat (with Tina Hone retiring and Raney having a big target on his head). It's going to be a dance with ensuring the GOP hitches it's wagons on some races and not others.

The Supervisors seat in Dranesville should flip, as well as Mt. Vernon (assuming Gerry retires). Providence will be a wild card. IF Linda retires, and IF a good candidate runs it is POSSIBLE to flip it. But don't hedge any bets.

[VA Blogger]

Chris, I'm not sure how you reached that conclusion based on what I wrote. Also keep in mind that I have zero insider information on this; I have not had any conversations with Marianne about her candidacy.

What I meant was that it will be useful for the entire ticket for a candidate with the chops for fundraising and the potential for self-funding to be a county-wide candidate. The Horinko for Chairman candidacy will be going after voters in every corner of Fairfax.

Let's say, for example, that there was an underfunded candidate running against Jim Scott, or Mark Sickles. Even in a year like 2009, the statewide Victory campaign is going after targeted precincts throughout the state. Some downballot races benefited from having large swaths of targets within their districts; others missed out. But a candidate running county-wide in Fairfax can and will go after places where they can get votes, whether it be in Mason, in Sully, in Providence, or whereever. And any action by a Republican candidate to bring voters to the polls in the lowest turnout election helps ALL Republicans on the ticket.

What I wrote, and if you look it up in a dictionary, is that this type of well-organized countywide candidate can work IN CONCERT with FCRC; that is, the County apparatus can help provide the infrastructure where its needed. "In concert with" means that they're playing at the same time, not one is playing the other. So if you have a well-funded candidacy going after all pockets of votes in the County, and the County party who can go in anywhere else to help downballot candidates, it benefits everybody.

[Beth Jenner]

If this is the warmed over Tom Davis-Herrity "I'm a moderate" message, Horinko will certainly lose. Bulova controls that space.

Horinko needs to advocate cutting the property tax rate and slashing spending. If that's her message, she'll win in a landslide.

[local gop]

who was the last republican to be board chair? oh thats right...tom davis. guess beth's wrong.

[Roger Eastman]

Uh, that would be the last RINO. Herrity may have had a shot at it, but he blew it by running a hapless campaign fro VA-11.

Maybe Horinko has a shot. But she'll need to run as fiscal conservative, not a moderate RINO. She'll need to show how the budget is bloated, call for line item budget transparency, point out the debt bombs and future unfunded liabilities in the budget, and cut property taxes.

[Rick S.]

I would still back Herrity. I'm not sure why losing to Fimian (who I supported in the primary) means he shouldn't run for Supervisor. Herrity seems to enjoy the local issues more than Federal issues anyway.

[Bwana]

It is not the fact that he lost to Fimian, it's the manner in which he lost...and this fromm someone who supported for Herrity. Fimian outhustled him and out manuvered him. I like Pat, but after his primary effort I for one am not convinced he has the gravitas or desire to go countywide in a general election. Moreover, he has the problem that he did reach a budget accord with Bulova. It may be a budget that was praised, and it may have been good governance, but as the Fimian campaign showed it may not be the best politics. The GOP needs to be willing and able to take a big swing at Bulova, and I don't know that can be done that with someone who is currently on the board.

[VA Blogger]

Well let's clear up a few things. First, unlike what is widely believed, Herrity never campaigned as a moderate, he simply got labeled one by virtue of being outspent and defeated in a primary. Only one candidate has described himself as a "moderate", and it wasn't Pat Herrity.

Second, to Bwana, what may be the "best politics" in a Republican Primary is definitely not what's "best politics" in a general election. I agree with you that someone not on the Board has a chance to energize voters and provide a stark contrast, but I don't believe that Herrity's (justified) budget vote disqualifies him.

[local gop]

Roger,
How is Davis a RINO??

[Another Chris]

Kyle,

You clearly missed the Purity Memo that has been pushed by the likes of DeMint, Palin, Erickson, & Levin. It apparantly has reached Fairfax County.

Goal #1 is not defeating Democrats, nor is it governing effectively, it's eliminating the counterrevolutionaries amongst us. Screw that icky Tom Davis!