| With the entire state seemingly up in arms after last week's flipping of the bird by the Republican U.S. Senate, the fallout got me thinking about what lies ahead for the coming electoral cycle. Never before have I seen such a complete and total unified reaction from Democrats, independents, media, and even Republicans on one singular state issue. Sure there were a couple exceptions, like those being fed the GOP talking points like mother's milk, but as we so quickly learn in politics, rational logic doesn't necessarily have to apply to all of us. With the news this morning that Pete 'Turtlegate' Hoekstra won't seek re-election in two years in the 2nd Congressional District and is still mulling a run for governor (how many years has he been mulling that?) and Markos' thoughts on the subject, it got me thinking. How might the ramifications of the Senate Republican vote play out electorally for our state over the next two years? There aren't any major elections for another two years, but a vote this large that affects essentially an entire state is not likely to be forgotten anytime soon. And the case was cut and dried, so there's no mistaking precisely who the perpetrators are. Will we see local Republican candidates run against the actions of their congressional party members, or will we see them delicately two-stepping their way through a messy minefield? How are Republican gubernatorial candidates going to handle it without jumping party ship? |
