WAYNESBURG, Pa. — Sam Boyd has been a Democrat his entire adult life, just like many here in this mostly rural, economically impoverished southwestern corner of the state, where the party’s roots run as deep as the coal underfoot.David Weigel reports on the right's excitement over PA-12, "The conservative media go all in for Tim Burns." And see Chris Cillizza, "Incumbent Armageddon?: What to watch for" (via Memeorandum). See also Dan Balz, "Primaries may help foreshadow November elections."
But in Tuesday’s closely watched special election to succeed the late Representative John P. Murtha in the state’s 12th Congressional District, Mr. Boyd, 65, is leaning toward casting his vote for the Republican candidate, Tim Burns, a millionaire former software entrepreneur who got involved in politics through the Tea Party movement.
“I’m for Burns for the reason I was for Obama,” said Mr. Boyd, a retired general contractor who served as an unpaid campaign liaison for Mr. Murtha in his county. “I want change.”
Whether or not Mr. Burns pulls off a victory over his Democratic opponent, Mark Critz, in what polls suggest is a competitive race, voters like Mr. Boyd embody the nightmare scenario for Democrats nationally: that even committed Democrats will turn on their party.
RELATED: At Politico, "What to watch in Tuesday's primaries." (Via Memorandum.)
Seeing as how Critz ran as a conservative - I'm not sure how much the Philadelphia Inquirer should be crowing about how the Tea Party movement is dead. Specter is gone. Toomey will be running against Sestak. (I think Toomey wil win..)
ReplyDeleteThe biggest news (I THINK) is that Rand Paul won. That is the Tea Party movement at work. Rand was given less than 10% chance of winning - he came out of nowhere - and he blew everyone away - all on the back of the Tea Party.
This is going to be a very interesting election year.