Hughes Wins DeMint Poll
Fans of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) are also, apparently, fans of atty Patrick Hughes (R) -- which could turn out to be a bad thing for the NRSC.
Over the weekend, Hughes won an online straw poll of visitors to DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund website, which gauged which candidate DeMint backers wanted to support in the race for Pres. Obama's old SEN seat in IL. Hughes took 74%, while Rep. Mark Kirk, the favorite candidate of DC GOPers, garnered just 8%, barely over half the number of people who voted for "other."
Hughes has insisted his path to victory over the much-better known Kirk is easy: Appeal to GOP primary voters by labeling Kirk as a liberal, citing Kirk's votes on cap and trade, against a surge in Iraq and for his largely centrist voting record.
And Kirk has already telegraphed the fact that he feels vulnerable from the right: The week before ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) appeared on Oprah Winfrey's television show in Chicago, Kirk asked an intermediary to help him secure an endorsement from Palin, so he wouldn't face embarrassing questions.
That endorsement never happened, and Kirk faced embarrassing questions, though more for the overture than for the lack of support.
The Club for Growth has not endorsed in the race, and they may have their hands full with other competitive primaries. But if they turn their attention to IL, Kirk's cap and trade vote isn't going to win him fans among Club loyalists.
Meanwhile, Hughes is close and getting closer to DeMint; he's met with the rising conservative star twice, and DeMint seems to be openly mulling an endorsement that would once again go against a candidate favored by party strategists in DC. DeMint is asking supporters whether his PAC should endorse Hughes, offering the question after a bevy of information about Kirk guaranteed to make conservatives' blood boil.
But Kirk is the favorite of DC GOPers for a reason: Polls have showed Kirk tied with or leading Dem candidates, while no one has produced a poll showing Hughes ahead.
Kirk has done his best to turn things around, arguing a more forceful conservative line. But he's been criticized by local papers for changing his tune, leading some to wonder whether he's going too far and risking alienating the very moderate voters that let him win a seat Pres. Obama won easily in '08.
One storyline this helps confirm: DeMint is a power among the conservative base, and his popularity is not waning any time soon. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing for the GOP is less clear-cut.
(REID WILSON)
ANDY MARTIN
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November 24, 2009
Senator Jim DeMint
Senate Conservatives Fund
P.O. Box 388
Alexandria, VA 22312
via fax (866) 578-2631
Dear Senator DeMint:
On October 16th I sent you a letter outlining the respective qualifications of Patrick Hughes and myself. A week later you issued an incomplete and misleading newsletter (November 21, 2009) claiming no one but Hughes had asked for your support.
One of the problems with Beltway “conservatives” is that they act very “liberal” with the truth. If you are going to try to rig an endorsement, please don’t try to mislead your nationwide supporters with half-truths and incomplete information.
First, since you have not responded to my letter, you are apparently not meeting with other candidates. How can you make an informed, intelligent decision without knowing all of the options?
Second, in your “newsletter” you state Hughes’ “issues” as though the man has discovered something. All of the Republican Party primary candidates with the exception of Mark Kirk support the same issues (actually, even Kirk belatedly claims to support them). Hughes’ “issues” are nothing more than a list of talking points that he recites as a parrot. If everyone supports the same issues, “issues” are not a basis to highlight one candidate over another.
Mr. Hughes has a serious problem with the truth. He lied about his support by Mike Ditka, he lied about his financial “commitments,” he lied about his record as an attorney and he has sought to proceed by surreptitiously filing challenges against other candidates. Mr. Kirk is a liar. But why would you back another liar to oppose him? Why not back the truth?
Hughes claims to be a “real estate developer.” The only major project identified with him never put a shovel in the ground and triggered litigation. He claimed to act as a “general counsel” for a de facto bankrupt real estate firm at a time when he had voluntarily suspended his law license. Are these the kinds of fraudulent acts and issues you want to endorse in a primary?
Hughes may have remodeled a few kitchens and baths, and sold “fixer-uppers” at a profit. That does not make him a “real estate developer.” Have you actually reviewed and evaluated a project list of Hughes’ developments? Of course not. That list doesn’t exist.
Mr. Hughes never voted in a Republican primary before 2008. He has issued responses that argue he has voted copiously, but no one has ever seen any backup for his claims. Have you? If he can’t document his voting record for local Republicans, why would you support him?
Hughes is a forty year-old man with a blank slate when it comes to public involvement. He claims that earlier this year he had a vision he should be a senator, paid a few thousand dollars to set up an anti-tax committee, and overnight became a national figure. I don’t think so. Most candidates who have no public and no political experience turn out to be disasters. There may be exceptions to the rule, but the rule is that “no public experience, no political experience,” equals no experience for statewide office. Hughes is no exception.
Oh, I forgot to mention: Hughes has issued bogus polls. He wins his own polls, naturally. But Hughes leaves my name out of his polls. I wonder why? Maybe because both Kirk and Hughes are afraid to list my name in their polls. I beat both of them. Is your PAC staff so gullible that they believe bogus polls?
The Illinois primary is the first election of the 2010 cycle. If you back a loser in that race your “brand” is going to be both tarnished and embarrassed. Don’t get too full of yourself.
Have you asked Hughes if he has a media plan? (My own campaign announced last Saturday that this week we are beginning media production.)
I have over forty years of political experience, so please allow me to give you some advice. Hughes is a loser. He is being promoted by someone (D. Paul Caprio) who uses politics to plunder the process for his own financial gain. So be careful. I assume Hughes got to you through Tom Coburn, who in turn is linked to Caprio. Coburn needs to have his head examined for hanging around a sleaze ball like Caprio.
Ironically, one of Hughes major supporters, Jack Roeser, made it a condition of his support that Caprio be removed from the Hughes campaign. Caprio still slithers around, but he has no official role in deference to Roeser’s demand. Call and ask Jack Roeser what he thinks of Caprio & Co. It might be an eye-opener.
ABC Channel 7 is scheduling a candidates’ debate. I suggest you hold up support for any candidate until you see them perform on the Channel 7 debate early in January. If after seeing him go up against Kirk and me, you still like Hughes, be my guest. Have at it and support him. My guess is you will not be happy with Hughes’ performance and will be glad you took my advice.
The American people are enraged and outraged that Barack Obama sits in the White House. I am the only candidate with a record of standing up to Obama. People want someone in office they can trust to fight the Obama agenda. With no experience and no record of standing up for anything but his own self-interest, only a fool would take Pat Hughes seriously. What does that say about your staff?
I don’t like Mark Kirk’s record and believe he can and should be defeated. But you are backing a dead horse if you are trying to send a rookie like Hughes up against pros like Kirk or me. Be real.
Respectfully submitted,
ANDY MARTIN
AM:sp
As Columbo would say, oh, just one more question:
How can someone “win” a “poll” that only has one name on it?
A pool in which only one name is offered is not a “poll” at all. You need a higher standard of reporting/analysis.
Andy Martin