Sharron Angle is far from the GOP colossus some are making her out to be. Remember, it’s the net, not the gross, that counts in fundraising.
And while it’s true that she raised a healthy $700,000+ in the first quarter for her congressional campaign to replace Rep. Dean Heller, after paying off her debt from her losing race to Harry Reid last year, along with other fundraising expenses to her direct mail firm, Angle reportedly only has $164,000 cash left on hand to actually spend.
That’s not going to scare anyone out.
But from a political standpoint, also consider this: The biggest under-reported story on Angle’s GOP primary nomination in last year’s Senate race was that she was NOT the tea party candidate; she was the candidate of the out-of-state Tea Party Express. The local groups were split among the other various candidates. Angle didn’t win them; she was forced on them.
And then there’s the out-of-state Club for Growth organization which pumped close to a million independent expenditure bucks into Angle’s failed congressional campaign in 2006, and another million or so into her failed Senate campaign in 2010.
And then there’s this: Of the $710,000 Angle raised in the first quarter of this year for her current congressional race, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that only $24,030 of it came from Nevadans. That’s a measly 3 percent.
Eventually, some smart political opponent is going to begin pointing out that Sharron Angle has no real financial base of support in Nevada; that it’s all out-of-state special interests that keep artificially buying her credibility and viability.
So, sure, the perception out there is that Angle has to be considered the front-runner at this point. But her support among donors in Nevada is anemic at best, and I suggest that means her vote-getting support has been greatly diminished, as well. Unless Club for Growth believes three times’ the charm and dumps another million into her effort, Sharron Angle might just be heading for her fourth consecutive electoral loss in a row.
Let’s just hope she doesn’t take the GOP with her again like she did last year.
Excellent article, excellent points. MANY people I have talked to, and many including those who voted for Sharron last time, are “Sharron’d out”. I don’t think she has much support up here in the North any more.
Sharron Angle is still the honest, uncompromising conservative she has always been. Angle beat better funded, more glamorous opponents in the primary to become Republican nominee for the Senate. She handily beat Reid in the debate, so she’s not some Ross Perot spoiler from left field. The fact that Angle continues to attract impressive amounts of money means that somebody somewhere thinks she is a principled conservative and is willing to put their money where their mouth is. Angle didn’t run the best campaign against Reid, but that doesn’t make her a bad candidate for Congress. The other Republican candidates are “big names” – let them put together a better message and a bigger war chest and let the best Republican win.
Lynn, seriously – how much does Sharron pay you? Or are you Sharron herself as a sock puppet? (If so, that’s pretty pathetic – I’m not gonna lie.)
Sharron is not honest. Sorry. When she claimed to have NEVER said she wanted to “phase out” Social Security, she lied. There’s no other word for this. She’s a liar. And I, for one, think we NEED to “phase out” Social Security. If she was principled or “uncompromising,” she would have stood by her original and oft-cited and -videoed stand on this issue.
Tell me, Lynn/Sharron – what has Sharron ever ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED for the conservative movement? She sat in Carson City for 8 years and voted alone because she wasn’t a good enough leader to get other legislators on her side. She’s never prevented a single tax increase. Her horrible campaign, for which she is solely responsible, is responsible for Reid’s reelection. She couldn’t even win Washoe County. Every poll shows her with huge negatives and 2-1 opposition amongst Republicans. There is NO path to victory for her in this special election, no matter how it’s conducted, and that means SHE will be responsible for getting YET ANOTHER Obama supporting liberal elected.
Who/what does Sharron Angle care about more – the Conservative Movement, or herself? If she doesn’t drop her CD2 bid, we’ll know for absolutely certain it’s the later.
Jimbo, no need for the snotty attitude. I don’t think her position on SS is the crime of the century, and good luck making that a campaign issue. Chuck thinks she would be vulnerable for having gotten so much campaign cash from out of state but that didn’t hurt Harry Reid. As to the rest, the value of anyone in a legislative position is primarily how they will vote. Angle will be a reliable conservative, not an aisle-crossing RINO. She didn’t suddenly become tarnished because she lost the election to a cheat or because her national campaign was poorly run. Who are you supporting? What are their qualifications for the job? I hope you’ll be sending them some money and helping them out instead of bellyaching about Angle.
The Angle/Reid comparison doesn’t hold water. The difference is Sharron Angle is now running for a conservative Republican congressional seat as opposed to being the Senate Majority Leader.
I do wish Ms. Angle would deemphasize the moral issues, as they are a distraction, divisive and not worthy of ‘front row’ attention at this point. We don’t need a debate on abortion when we’re going down the tubes financially. Instead, she would do better to focus on restoring this country to the Constitutional Republic it was meant to be. What makes her well qualified for office: She is one of a select few who has demonstrated that she will stand by her principles. Moreover, given how our nation’s political landscape has changed, Sharron Angle will no longer be a lone voice crying out in the wilderness.
Well, Lynn, I’m glad you admitted she lied on the Social Security issue. But the fact that you insist up and down that she’s “honest” and “principled” and then blow off a huge issue – a complete flip-flop followed by an astounding bold-faced lie – as “not the crime of the century”… Well, your definition of integrity and mine are clearly not the same. And it WAS a campaign issue. One that worked. Hence her 6 point loss to a guy with underwater negatives. And no, it’s NOT because Harry Reid “cheated,” because if that was the case, Sandoval wouldn’t have won so handily and Dina Titus would be back in DC right now.
Your refusal to address her other problems – like the fact that there is NO WAY FOR HER TO WIN THE SEAT, even if she wins the primary – is telling. So is your blaming her loss on EVERYONE (Reid, her “national” campaign team, etc.) except for Sharron herself – way to take personal responsibility! That’s not leadership, and it certainly isn’t honest.
Again, if Sharron Angle actually cares about the Conservative Movement, she will drop out of the race. Since she’s already established her integrity is easily traded for a perceived minor electoral advantage, I will bet that she’ll put herself before principle once again, and in so doing, will risk handing the seat over to a liberal Democrat.
Well, Lynn, I’m glad you admitted she lied on the Social Security issue. But the fact that you insist up and down that she’s “honest” and “principled” and then blow off a huge issue – a complete flip-flop followed by an astounding bold-faced lie – as “not the crime of the century”… Well, your definition of integrity and mine are clearly not the same. And it WAS a campaign issue. One that worked. Hence her 6 point loss to a guy with underwater negatives. And no, it’s NOT because Harry Reid “cheated,” because if that was the case, Sandoval wouldn’t have won so handily and Dina Titus would be back in DC right now.
Your refusal to address her other problems – like the fact that there is NO WAY FOR HER TO WIN THE SEAT, even if she wins the primary – is telling. So is your blaming her loss on EVERYONE (Reid, her “national” campaign team, etc.) except for Sharron herself – way to take personal responsibility! That’s not leadership, and it certainly isn’t honest.
Again, if Sharron Angle actually cares about the Conservative Movement, she will drop out of the race. Since she’s already established her integrity is easily traded for a perceived minor electoral advantage, I will bet that she’ll put herself before principle once again, and in so doing, will risk handing the seat over to a liberal Democrat.
Your refusal to address her other problems – like the fact that there is NO WAY FOR HER TO WIN THE SEAT, even if she wins the primary – is telling. So is your blaming her loss on EVERYONE (Reid, her \"national\" campaign team, etc.) except for Sharron herself – way to take personal responsibility! That\’s not leadership, and it certainly isn\’t honest.
Again, if Sharron Angle actually cares about the Conservative Movement, she will drop out of the race. Since she\’s already established her integrity is easily traded for a perceived minor electoral advantage, I will bet that she\’ll put herself before principle once again, and in so doing, will risk handing the seat over to a liberal Democrat.