Real quick:
~George Allen is still what he has always been, the king of Virginia Republicans. He won this running away, artfully handled his opponents with alienating anyone, and rebuilt his old Virginia team that he abandoned until it was too late six years ago. This was a very VERY good win for him.
~EW Jackson comes out looking the best of all the on-Allens. A lot of Republicans really have come to like the guy a lot, and his voice adds a lot to our message. I think if you polled everyone who voted for George Allen and ask them who was their second choice, Jackson would win overwhelmingly. My idea? EW Jackson for Lieutenant Governor.
~Bob Marshall . . . this has to be a huge disappointment for him. He waited way too long to make his mind up, bizarrely insisted on a primary over trying to fight for a convention, and his harsh condemnation over the gay prosecutor turned a ton of voters off.
~Jamie Radtke shot too high too early. She proved she could put together a campaign but Allen was the wrong opponent. I know what she was trying to accomplish, I know the part she was trying to play, but it was the wrong time. She was running like it was 2010, and its not. That said, she was able to make a name for herself and if she truly wants to rid Virginia of RINOs, she should head home and take a good hard look at someone like Walter Stosch or Emmett Hanger and give them a run.
~The 11th will be a bloodbath. Is suspect we will see '08ish numbers in that race.
~This was not a good day for folks who support primaries. Turnout was embarrassingly low again, just like in March. All this talk about letting every Republican decide falls on def ears to me when so many Republicans don't care that much. Why not just leave the nomination up to the truly committed and go from there? Instead of wasting everybody's time with these statewide campaigns that cost a ton of money and don't do much to help prepare for November, why not use a convention system that allows candidates to cultivate activists and build grassroots campaigns? I have in the past liked primaries, and I still prefer open primaries to party registration b/c it gives too much power to the political parties, but its getting to just be flat out embarrassing now. It is also glorified incumbent protection.
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