GOP's 2010 Campaign Strategy: Follow Bob McDonnell
Republicans would be wise look to Gov. Bob McDonnell's recent victory in the Virgina gubernatorial race as a model for 2010 Senate and House campaigns.
McDonnell, a demonstrated social conservative, shied away from emphasizing social issues on the stump and instead focused on tangible problems facing Virginians. He campaigned on transportation, jobs, fiscal restraint and stemming the tide of a frivolous litigation presently hampering businesses.
His messages resonated with Virginia voters, who had not elected a Republican governor in 12years, recently sent two Democratic senators to Washington, and handed Barack Obama the once solid red state in 2008. McDonnell's victory decisively reversed that trend.
To be fair, McDonnell benefited from a weak general campaign opponent who never fully drew the support of the Virginia Democratic base. Nonetheless, biting his tongue on abortion, gay marriage and other hot button social issues (on which I'm sure he was more than willing to speak) netted him the support of independents and moderate conservatives who either stayed home or voted for Obama in 2008. Social and "movement" conservatives, apparently adequately convinced that McDonnell was "one of them", overlooked his unwillingness to preach their gospel on the campaign trail.
In a GOP that the mainstream media loves to portray as "intensely divided", we would do well to follow the McDonnell model when approaching upcoming elections. For the first time in a long while, Republicans of all stripes appear united in their dislike for President Obama's fiscal, regulatory, health care proposals and environmental policies. Focusing on the issues, and not on religious or social warfare, as Gov. McDonnell did, is the most likely pathway to success for Republicans in 2010.
Cameron Lynch: Republican Strategist and President The Lynch Group, LLC
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Sources: Politico, The Arena, Google Maps
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