Race to the Bottom: "A Less-Than-Stellar Field"
Despite previous assurances from Sarah Steelman spokesperson Politico reporter Dave Catanese that Sarah Steelman is a "heavyweight" and "top flight" candidate running as one of "the top GOP gets" in the entire country, it seems that few folks in Missouri or Washington are buying that:
At least one unnamed Missouri consultant is willing to complain about Steelman and Todd Akin to Roll Call, anyway:
AS AKIN GETS IN, GOP WORRIES ABOUT MISSOURI FIELD
...Six-term Rep. Todd Akin (R) is expected to announce his Senate candidacy today, and vulnerable Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) is coming off an embarrassing series of missteps.
But privately, top Republicans in the state tell Roll Call that they are not bursting with excitement at the current crop of candidates and see a path to victory for McCaskill despite her weaknesses.
“It’s a less-than-stellar field,” a longtime Republican consultant based in Missouri told Roll Call...
A recent poll showed Akin garnering 29 percent among Republican primary voters, essentially tied with Steelman.
But the GOP consultant said Akin had not yet begun to build grass-roots and campaign infrastructure statewide. Steelman’s campaign has experienced staff turnover and her fundraising had been lackluster.
“If you’re a small-businessman in Columbia, Mo., you don’t have a candidate yet. And if the small-businessman ... who always votes Republican doesn’t have anyone he likes yet, that’s a problem,” the Republican consultant said. “Because if left alone, they’ll go with Claire.”
Though she declared her candidacy in December, Steelman’s original campaign director and communications director are no longer with the campaign. But Roll Call has learned that Florida-based consultant Rick Wilson was brought on by Steelman late last week and plans to move swiftly to bring momentum back to the campaign.
What are the odds this unnamed "longtime Republican consultant" is the same "longtime Republican consultant" who was talking up a John Brunner candidacy in one of Roll Call's competiting publications last week?
