… Conservatives are already explaining away the Cuccinelli defeat. He was vastly outspent by McAuliffe. He was tarnished the incumbent Republican governor’s ethics scandal. He was hurt by the government shutdown — which was, of course, engineered by Tea Party Republicans. One in three Virginia voters said someone in their household was affected by the shutdown — and they voted 56 percent for McAuliffe.
The fact is, Republicans threw away a perfectly good opportunity in Virginia this year. They could do the same thing in 2016 by nominating a Tea Party candidate.
The message for Republicans could not be clearer. A mainstream Republican like Christie can carry a blue state like New Jersey. But a Tea Party Republican like Ken Cuccinelli can’t carry a moderate Southern state like Virginia. CONT.
Bill Schneider (George Mason U.), Reuters