The primaries and runoff Tuesday night provided few major surprises -- state Rep. Nikki Haley cruised to the Republican gubernatorial nomination, South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis (R) lost and North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall emerged as the Democratic Senate nominee -- but voters still produced their fair share of winners and losers.
As always at the Fix, we like to go beyond the obvious to bring you, dear reader, the inside dope -- the things that the chattering class are talking about in the wake of yesterday's primaries and runoffs.
Without further ado, our winners and losers from the night that was are below. Have some of your own? The comments section awaits.
WINNERS
Club for Growth: Has any outside group had a better election cycle than the Club? On Tuesday, South Carolina state Reps. Tim Scott (in the 1st district) and Jeff Duncan (in the 3rd) -- both of whom the Club bundled tens of thousands for -- won contested Republicans runoffs. Those victories prove, yet again, that the Club's support -- in the form of bundled donations and spending on ads and direct mail -- matters in a real way in contested Republican primaries. "Welcome to Generation Club," said Chris Chocola, the group's president, in a release this morning touting its successes.
Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor smartly waded into the South Carolina governor's race on Haley's behalf several months ago and used his state political action committee to funnel $42,000 to her campaign. Romney's endorsement made logical sense -- Haley had backed him during his 2008 presidential primary race in South Carolina -- and gave him a foothold in a state he needs to win in 2012 in order to be the nominee. Romney didn't get a totally clean 2012 win as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also endorsed Haley during the primary. But, the Haley endorsement is another example of the political savvy of Romney and his team as 2012 approaches.
Michael Steele: The victories of Haley, who is Indian American, and Scott, who is black, represent major building blocks in Republicans' efforts to add diversity to the party and, in so doing, expand the possible voter pool heading into 2012. While there is real debate within the GOP about how much credit Steele, the first African American chairman of the Republican National Committee, deserves for the GOP's newfound diversity -- lots of insiders credit former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman for his aggressive outreach to minority candidates and communities -- it's likely that he will get the lion's share of kudos for the elevation of new faces like Haley and Scott.
Thomas Mills: Marshall's lead consultant in North Carolina, Mills insisted that Washington -- and the Fix! -- was fundamentally misreading the race and that his candidate was going to win the primary and runoff easily. He was right. But, can he make Marshall into a viable general election candidate against Sen. Richard Burr (R)?.
Fritz Hollings: The former South Carolina Democratic Senator ran against Inglis in a very nasty 1998 Senate race in which he referred to the Republican as, among other things, a "goddamn skunk" and a "rascal". Inglis' crushing loss for re-nomination had to bring a smile to Hollings' face.
LOSERS
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: Sensing opportunity against Sen. Richard Burr (R), the DSCC recruited former state Sen. Cal Cunningham into the race and channeled nearly $200,000 in coordinated cash to him during the primary. That Cunningham lost as badly as he did -- 60 percent to 40 percent -- suggests that Marshall was a tougher candidate to beat than national Democrats assumed. Cunningham also was not nearly the candidate(or fundraiser) that many at the national level expected him to be. The problem for Democrats now? They now have to sell a candidate in Marshall that political insiders know they didn't believe was their best choice this fall against Burr. Can it be done? Absolutely. Voters don't pay much attention to the sort of palace intrigue that captivates insiders.
TARP: Voting for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in 2008 seemed like a no-brainer for most Republicans. But, it has rapidly become the equivalent of the use of force resolution against Iraq on the Democratic side -- a vote regarded as a litmus test by the party base. Two more TARP backers -- Inglis and Rep. Gresham Barrett -- fell last night in South Carolina as their opponents hung that TARP vote around their necks. Other TARP-supporters facing Republican primary fights in the coming months: Arizona Sen. John McCain and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Both primaries are Aug. 24.
Tim D'Annunzio: Rarely have we seen such a public implosion by a candidate as we witness in North Carolina's 8th district race by D'Annunzio. He spent more than $1 million of his money on the race and finished first in a crowded May 4 primary for the right to take on freshman Rep. Larry Kissell (D). Then it all went wrong. D'Annunzio got into a public spat with a talk radio host, a clash that ended with the candidate telling the man "there is a special place in hell for people like you." Less than a week before the runoff, D'Annunzio told the Charlotte Observer that it would take a "miracle" for him to win the race. Um, wow.
Political junkies: With the conclusion of the primaries and runoffs last night, the long dark tea time of our collective souls has begun. Between now and Aug. 3, only two states -- Georgia and Oklahoma -- hold primary contests. It's going to be a long few weeks but if we all stick together we can make it through. This too shall pass.
As always at the Fix, we like to go beyond the obvious to bring you, dear reader, the inside dope -- the things that the chattering class are talking about in the wake of yesterday's primaries and runoffs.
Without further ado, our winners and losers from the night that was are below. Have some of your own? The comments section awaits.
WINNERS
Club for Growth: Has any outside group had a better election cycle than the Club? On Tuesday, South Carolina state Reps. Tim Scott (in the 1st district) and Jeff Duncan (in the 3rd) -- both of whom the Club bundled tens of thousands for -- won contested Republicans runoffs. Those victories prove, yet again, that the Club's support -- in the form of bundled donations and spending on ads and direct mail -- matters in a real way in contested Republican primaries. "Welcome to Generation Club," said Chris Chocola, the group's president, in a release this morning touting its successes.
Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor smartly waded into the South Carolina governor's race on Haley's behalf several months ago and used his state political action committee to funnel $42,000 to her campaign. Romney's endorsement made logical sense -- Haley had backed him during his 2008 presidential primary race in South Carolina -- and gave him a foothold in a state he needs to win in 2012 in order to be the nominee. Romney didn't get a totally clean 2012 win as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also endorsed Haley during the primary. But, the Haley endorsement is another example of the political savvy of Romney and his team as 2012 approaches.
Michael Steele: The victories of Haley, who is Indian American, and Scott, who is black, represent major building blocks in Republicans' efforts to add diversity to the party and, in so doing, expand the possible voter pool heading into 2012. While there is real debate within the GOP about how much credit Steele, the first African American chairman of the Republican National Committee, deserves for the GOP's newfound diversity -- lots of insiders credit former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman for his aggressive outreach to minority candidates and communities -- it's likely that he will get the lion's share of kudos for the elevation of new faces like Haley and Scott.
Thomas Mills: Marshall's lead consultant in North Carolina, Mills insisted that Washington -- and the Fix! -- was fundamentally misreading the race and that his candidate was going to win the primary and runoff easily. He was right. But, can he make Marshall into a viable general election candidate against Sen. Richard Burr (R)?.
Fritz Hollings: The former South Carolina Democratic Senator ran against Inglis in a very nasty 1998 Senate race in which he referred to the Republican as, among other things, a "goddamn skunk" and a "rascal". Inglis' crushing loss for re-nomination had to bring a smile to Hollings' face.
LOSERS
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: Sensing opportunity against Sen. Richard Burr (R), the DSCC recruited former state Sen. Cal Cunningham into the race and channeled nearly $200,000 in coordinated cash to him during the primary. That Cunningham lost as badly as he did -- 60 percent to 40 percent -- suggests that Marshall was a tougher candidate to beat than national Democrats assumed. Cunningham also was not nearly the candidate(or fundraiser) that many at the national level expected him to be. The problem for Democrats now? They now have to sell a candidate in Marshall that political insiders know they didn't believe was their best choice this fall against Burr. Can it be done? Absolutely. Voters don't pay much attention to the sort of palace intrigue that captivates insiders.
TARP: Voting for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in 2008 seemed like a no-brainer for most Republicans. But, it has rapidly become the equivalent of the use of force resolution against Iraq on the Democratic side -- a vote regarded as a litmus test by the party base. Two more TARP backers -- Inglis and Rep. Gresham Barrett -- fell last night in South Carolina as their opponents hung that TARP vote around their necks. Other TARP-supporters facing Republican primary fights in the coming months: Arizona Sen. John McCain and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Both primaries are Aug. 24.
Tim D'Annunzio: Rarely have we seen such a public implosion by a candidate as we witness in North Carolina's 8th district race by D'Annunzio. He spent more than $1 million of his money on the race and finished first in a crowded May 4 primary for the right to take on freshman Rep. Larry Kissell (D). Then it all went wrong. D'Annunzio got into a public spat with a talk radio host, a clash that ended with the candidate telling the man "there is a special place in hell for people like you." Less than a week before the runoff, D'Annunzio told the Charlotte Observer that it would take a "miracle" for him to win the race. Um, wow.
Political junkies: With the conclusion of the primaries and runoffs last night, the long dark tea time of our collective souls has begun. Between now and Aug. 3, only two states -- Georgia and Oklahoma -- hold primary contests. It's going to be a long few weeks but if we all stick together we can make it through. This too shall pass.
By Chris Cillizza | June 23, 2010; 11:00 AM ET
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