Sept. 20, 2010
Campaign 2010 Political Analysis: The U.S. Senate Race
Raese's Southern Strategy
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
Republican U.S. Senate candidate has been all over West Virginia in his campaign
van over the past several weeks, popping up at a variety of Tea Party, Republican, and
general campaign stops. Of late, he's been making a concerted effort to go into
Southern West Virginia, a place where, historically, many Republicans running
statewide races have not spent much time, owing to the area's traditional Democratic
registration.
Raese, however, has spent considerable time in the Southern Coal Fields, spending time lately in Logan, Mercer, Raleigh, and now Mingo County. One of his family's businesses back in Morgantown is Preston Coal and Coke. As a result, Raese might be able to find common cause with southern West Virginians when it comes to concerns over Cap and Trade and other coal mining issues. But what can Raese expect to get out of these southern counties on Election Day?
"Some might say that Raese is leaving no stone unturned by spending this amount of time in the southern coal counties," said Ellis. "But truth be known, there's a significant conservative streak in these counties, both on economic and social issues, that Raese can tap if he connects with the folks there."
"The people of southern West Virginia are truly on the front lines of
the Cap and Trade debate," said Ellis. "If Obama wins this debate
and gets a bill through Congress, you're looking at the end of coal
mining as we know it. President Obama has already made it
clear that he's targeting coal-using power plants, like we have
in West Virginia. So you're talking about a lot of good incomes
being lost. It's all on the line for people in southern West Virginia."
"Raese discovered somewhere along the line that Governor Manchin pushed through a kind of Cap and Trade bill of our own already in West Virginia," said Ellis. "House Bill 103 passed last year, and it already requires a 25% reduction in coal-generated electricity here, to be replaced by alternative energies like wind. Raese's opposition to that is going to play well down south, no doubt about it."
"Combine those kind of economic concerns with Raese's longstanding commitment to the pro-life cause and his lifelong NRA membership, and you have a strategy that can do surprisingly well in these southern counties," said Ellis. "Plus, folks there are like people everywhere--they like being courted, and Raese is making the effort to get there and ask for their support."
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Campaign 2010 Political Analysis: The U.S. Senate Race
Raese's Southern Strategy
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
Republican U.S. Senate candidate has been all over West Virginia in his campaign
van over the past several weeks, popping up at a variety of Tea Party, Republican, and
general campaign stops. Of late, he's been making a concerted effort to go into
Southern West Virginia, a place where, historically, many Republicans running
statewide races have not spent much time, owing to the area's traditional Democratic
registration.
Raese, however, has spent considerable time in the Southern Coal Fields, spending time lately in Logan, Mercer, Raleigh, and now Mingo County. One of his family's businesses back in Morgantown is Preston Coal and Coke. As a result, Raese might be able to find common cause with southern West Virginians when it comes to concerns over Cap and Trade and other coal mining issues. But what can Raese expect to get out of these southern counties on Election Day?
"Some might say that Raese is leaving no stone unturned by spending this amount of time in the southern coal counties," said Ellis. "But truth be known, there's a significant conservative streak in these counties, both on economic and social issues, that Raese can tap if he connects with the folks there."
"The people of southern West Virginia are truly on the front lines of
the Cap and Trade debate," said Ellis. "If Obama wins this debate
and gets a bill through Congress, you're looking at the end of coal
mining as we know it. President Obama has already made it
clear that he's targeting coal-using power plants, like we have
in West Virginia. So you're talking about a lot of good incomes
being lost. It's all on the line for people in southern West Virginia."
"Raese discovered somewhere along the line that Governor Manchin pushed through a kind of Cap and Trade bill of our own already in West Virginia," said Ellis. "House Bill 103 passed last year, and it already requires a 25% reduction in coal-generated electricity here, to be replaced by alternative energies like wind. Raese's opposition to that is going to play well down south, no doubt about it."
"Combine those kind of economic concerns with Raese's longstanding commitment to the pro-life cause and his lifelong NRA membership, and you have a strategy that can do surprisingly well in these southern counties," said Ellis. "Plus, folks there are like people everywhere--they like being courted, and Raese is making the effort to get there and ask for their support."
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