Campaign 2014 - Midterm Elections

Posted: 2/1/13

Updated: 2/17/15

by Diane W. Collins

dcollins@marketingweb.com

 

Yahooooo! We won... Now What?

 

Republicans had a landslide victory in the 2014 midterms. Yahoooo! But, we need to wield power successfully. What do I mean by that? The effort on the Hill needs to be coordinated and exhibit a strong game plan. If Republicans can't do that our new found power will be meaningless. The liberal Left will take every opportunity we give them to make us look like fools. And that, my friends, won't help us win in 2016.

 

 

Time to Get It Together...

 

Campaign 2014 stands to be a year the Republicans hold the line on Obama or hand the Democrats the 2016 Presidential Election. After 2012, everyone could see Republicans don't have the ground game together. TV commercials, Super PACs, enormous amounts of money raised through fundraising events meant nothing. if you can't put together a stable structure / foundation from which you GET OUT THE VOTE, you lose. The Democrats have it... The Republicans don't. TIME TO GET IT TOGETHER. The ground game begins now.

 

Whether you are interested in finding out more about your state or all the intricacies of the midterm elections you can find the information online. There are some incredible resources out there that will bring you up to speed quickly. Many of these resources have been listed in the section below entitled Further Reading.

 

My favorite resource is Larry Sabato's, "Crystal Ball." Dr. Larry J. Sabato, director of the UVA Center for Politics and Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at University of Virginia is highly renowned for his campaign research and predictions. Sitting down? Here is a quote from his latest report (11/29/12) on Republican chances for the Senate 2014 midterms,

 

"Overall, there are mainly question marks in the battle for the Senate, as one would expect this early in the cycle. The potential for a GOP takeover is there, but it is purely potential, and after the GOP base’s performance in the last couple of cycles, few will bet on them at the moment; they have a lot to prove about their grasp of practical politics in a demographically changing America.

 

We’ll assign formal ratings to these races later in the cycle. We think you’ll agree, there’s plenty of time." (emphasis added)

 

The biggest thing we have to remember? Opportunity knocks... but, it doesn't wait. We need to get on this now. Read Dr. Sabato's entire article here: "2014 Senate Preview: Can Republicans Finally Turn Potential Into Reality?"

 

 

Another of my favorite resources is The Cook Political Report. One reason goes beyond the fact that the information is quite good. The Cook Report described as non-partisan is the brain child of Charlie Cook, founder, editor, publisher... and ardent Democrat. I always like peeking into the opposition's camp. Non-partisan or not, it is definitely difficult for anyone with strong political views to completely expunge them from any work product. Look for hidden strategy... clues. The Cook Report does require a subscription for in-depth information but there are many tools you can use on their web site without having to pay. For example, the front page contains an inter-active election map that will allow you to drive down into the status of recent Presidential, Senate, House and Gubernatorial races. Great for those following and looking for a historical perspective to local elections and their impact on national election results. For those willing to pay the $350 subscription fee for the Cook Political Report, the Senate Rating sheet shows the vulnerability of the Senate races for seats up this cycle. The seats are ranked individually by party and state showing ratings based on Solid D, Likely D, Lean D, Toss-up, Lean R, Likely R, and Solid R. The House Rating sheet is obviously much more complex listing all 435 seats according to their representatives and congressional districts. A really interesting aspect of the House Rating sheet is the PVI ranking. This is the Partisan Voting Index which is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole. The rating is designated with either an R+ or D+ followed by a number indicating how many times the national average the district voted for one party or the other in the last two presidential elections.

 

Of course, the world is an unpredictable place and any race could provide an unexpected result. That's what keeps it all exciting. Hope this background helps. Don't forget to check out the other resources located in Further Reading. Determine which races are important to you and get involved! See you out there.

 

 

Races In the News:

Coming Soon! Members only - 2014 Midterm Reports