Wishful thinking?

[Mythsaje]

GOP ‘mainstreamers’ predict big year

SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
Published: May 21st, 2006 01:00 AM


Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed says he has the answer to getting Republicans elected in a year when polls show the party and its national leaders in the doghouse.
Republicans’ only real hope is fielding moderate candidates – the kind who can win in the growing suburban crescent of Pierce, King and Snohomish counties, according to Reed.

Reed is leading the Mainstream Republicans of Washington State’s annual Cascade conference this weekend in SeaTac. The “mainstreamers” are influential within the party, with campaign appearances at the conference by U.S. Senate hopeful Mike McGavick and U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/5755890p-5148459c.html

[Asgaya Dihi]

1. To a point, yeah

I can't see any way they can have anything like a big year in a good sense, but they might avoid disaster if they are lucky and handle it right. With the gerrymandering we've done over the last few decades most districts on both sides are fairly secure. There's a lot of dissatisfaction with the parties in general but it doesn't translate on a broad scale to their own representatives.

Given that districts tend to have natural sympathies toward one party or another they might have a shot at pacifying voters with a more moderate candidate where one is in trouble. More a matter of controlling the bleeding than a big year for them though, and that's if they can pull it off which is far from a sure thing.