Jump to content

Rise of the Rust Belt Republicans


WestVirginiaRebel

Recommended Posts

WestVirginiaRebel
rise-of-the-rust-belt-republicans-113105.htmlPolitico:

BOCA RATON, Fla.—Gov. Scott Walker, a rabid Wisconsin Badgers fan, likes to razz Gov. John Kasich about his Ohio State Buckeyes.

 

“We’re hoping to be against each other in the Big 10 championship in a couple weeks,” he said during a panel discussion at the Republican Governors Association meeting here this week.

 

Forget football. A real battle of Midwest heavyweights might be looming next year in the Republican Party between Walker, Kasich, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder.

 

The four heartland governors are all considering bids for the GOP presidential nomination, looking to run as Rust Belt success stories who can revive the party’s Reagan Democrat coalition and speak to the middle class in a way Mitt Romney could not. And Republicans looking to shed the image as the party of the 1 percent say a Midwestern state executive who’s created jobs and balanced budgets might be just what the GOP needs.

 

But as the four men worked the crowd at this year’s RGA meeting, their differences were as apparent as their similarities. Each governor would bring his own blend of conservatism to the 2016 race.

 

Walker has commanded attention for taking on entrenched liberal interests and scoring conservative victories in a swing state without sacrificing his principles. Kasich is the pragmatic deal-maker who’s open, for one, to granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants. Snyder is known as a technocrat with financial savvy, and Pence’s admirers say he is the true conservative best-positioned to bridge the GOP’s establishment-tea party divide.

 

Each began to sketch the outlines of a 2016 candidacy at this week’s governors gathering at the posh Boca Raton Resort and Country Club.

 

“Strong leadership, combined with Midwestern nice, there’s just a certain appeal to that,” Walker said.

________

 

2016 get-together.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • 1711671429
×
×
  • Create New...