Posted by: Jon Henke on Friday, August 11, 2006 While everybody is aware of the compositional changes that the upcoming House and Senate races may represent for Republicans and Democrats, it's also worth noting that some of these races may have a significant impact on the upcoming 2008 Presidential campaigns. Potential GOP Presidential candidates are demonstrating their bona fides by campaigning on behalf of, or raising money for, current Republican candidates and generally seeking to improve their profile with voters and backers. At this point — and with the "anything could happen" caveat — only four potential Republican candidates seem to me to be genuinely viable:
In 2006, each candidate will also have to establish his fundraising and voter-moving credibility. But there's an interesting twist to this. Not only are these (potential, natch) candidates out proving themselves, they're also trying to figure out how to position themselves against their future Republican primary opponents. And perhaps sharpening the shivs. Not publicly, of course, or overtly. For example, a recent correspondent made an interesting speculation by connecting a few dots. In Virginia, Senator George Allen — widely considered a front-runner for the GOP nod — is running against recently converted Democrat James Webb in a race that many believe will signal his viability as a Presidential candidate. Now, James Webb had previously supported George Allen in his 2000 campaign, though he now says he regrets that support, primarily due to Allen's support of the Iraq war. That's not an unreasonable reversal, but it's also worth noting another pro-war candidate James Webb has touted, even recently: John McCain. In fact, according to The Hill, Webb and McCain have a longstanding relationship, though "the depth and texture of the McCain-Webb friendship" is unclear. There is, however, some speculation that, with an eye towards hamstringing a future opponent, Webb may have been encouraged to enter the race by John McCain. At least, that's the speculation. While I don't think this is impossible — indeed, this the kind of pre-primary jostling wouldn't surprise me — I'm somewhat skeptical. Aside from the relatively thin evidence presented, I note that "John McCain of Arizona will campaign with Allen next week in Norfolk, and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will appear for a fundraising event at the end of the month." At this stage, anyway, building one's grassroots appeal and fundraising bona fides trumps the intra-Party competition. I don't expect that to last one moment past the '06 elections, though, and I suspect the potential Presidential candidates are already hedging their bets and prepping their opposition research for the Primary campaigns. |
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