Republicans need to pick up six seats to take majority control of the US Senate. Most political pundits think it’s likely to happen. They counted on Kansas to a be a part of that majority since Kansas hasn’t elected a democrat Senator since 1932. But it might not be so simple. [read_more]
It was assumed that incumbent Pat Roberts would cruise to re-election. His seat was not one Republicans needed to worry about, or so they thought prior to Pat Roberts’ bruising primary against Tea Party candidate Milton Wolf. Roberts prevailed, entering a three way race against Democrat Chad Taylor and Independent Greg Orman. Last week Taylor abruptly dropped out the race making it a two man race and, making Robert’s election less certain. Democrats believe Orman would caucus with them, helping them to keep their majority in the Senate. Orme has been both a Republican and Democrat. Democrats see him as chance to defeat Roberts and maintain their majority in the Senate.
So Roberts needs help to hang on to his seat. Republicans, in their infinite wisdom, decide to send in the big guns, and they choose for this important job the political consultant who has not lost one race, or two races, or even three races, but a grand total of SEVEN political races. I have previously written about this 0 for 7 consultant, Corry (aka Corwin) Bliss. Most recently he was the campaign manager for Georgia Senate candidate Karen Handel who finished third in a three way race.
In a prior race for Governor of Vermont this was said about Bliss:
“Corry Bliss took a candidate that was up 20 points and turned him into a loser by election day,” said Bradford Broyles, a Republican activist from Mendon, a town in the central part of the state, near Killington. “We’re still repairing the damage to the Republican party…If Corey Bliss runs [McMahon’s campaign] like he did us, hold on to your seats.”
Bliss didn’t lose the Linda McMahon Senate race in 2012 by 20 points, but he did lose it by 12%, after being paid well over $200,000 and after Bliss’s use of highly questionable campaign tactics. “The State Election Enforcement Commission has issued a warning to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon about her “deceitful tactics” in disseminating absentee ballot applications in the final days before Election Day.” More details here.
Prior to those races Bliss used his skills to lose two seats in Loudoun County. John Stirrup was on his way to victory in 2011 in a three way primary for a Virginia Senate seat, running against against Dick Black and Bob Fitzsimmonds. Stirrup brought in Corry Bliss, who ran a terrible, nasty, dark and vicious campaign against Dick Black. Stirrup was no longer seen as the friendly, upbeat, nice guy candidate, but instead as a negative, mean, and deceitful candidate. Stirrup lost and Dick Black is now our Senator, the most consistent conservative in the Senate of Virginia. Corry Bliss lost the campaign for John Stirrup with his nasty, negative campaign tactics. Bliss used the same tactics when Joe May hired him in his primary campaign against citizen activist Dave LaRock, who beat the 20 year incumbent by 15%.
With a record of seven losses, one wouldn’t expect Corry Bliss to be hired in a very important race, a race that may decide the control of the U.S. Senate, but yet that’s exactly what has happened. Chris LaCivita, a consultant who most recently managed the campaign of Ken Cuccinelli in his losing bid for Governor of Virginia, has brought Corry Bliss to Kansas to run the day to day operations of Pat Robert’s senate re-election bid. More details here.
If the past is any indication, this will not end well for Republicans.
