Cheney on one side, Palin on the other:
Cheney Wades into Ky. Senate Race
Washington Wire
Political Insight and Analysis From The Wall Street Journal's Capital Bureau
March 24, 2010, 10:43 AM ET
By Susan Davis
blogs.wsj.com
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has endorsed Secretary of State Trey Grayson in the Kentucky Senate primary race — a move that is likely to ignite the passions of antiestablishment Republicans and conservatives who have rallied behind Grayson’s chief opponent, physician Rand Paul.
“I’m a lifelong conservative, and I can tell the real thing when I see it. I have looked at the records of both candidates in the race, and it is clear to me that Trey Grayson is right on the issues that matter – both on fiscal responsibility and on national security,” Cheney said in a statement posted on Grayson’s campaign Web site.
While the former vice president has been a vocal critic of the policies of the Obama administration, particularly on national security, he hadn’t injected himself in to the 2010 mid-term elections until now.
The Kentucky GOP primary race has been particularly divisive, as Grayson is the clear favorite of national party leaders including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, while Paul is a darling among Tea Party and other activists in no small part because he is the son of Texas GOP Rep. Ron Paul.
Like his father, Paul supports a noninterventionist U.S. foreign policy and has been critical of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, so Cheney’s opposition should not come as a surprise.
The timing of the endorsement, however, comes as Paul maintains a lead against Grayson in a series of polls. Paul has a nearly 11-point advantage over Grayson, according to Real Clear Politics polling averages.
UPDATE: Paul’s campaign manager David Adams: “The former vice president appears to have the Grayson campaign’s false attacks ads and establishment politicians in Washington as his only source of information. Had he spoken to Dr. Paul, or read about his positions, he would know that Rand Paul stands for a strong national defense, getting tough, as opposed to talking tough, with Iran, keeping Guantanamo Bay open and trying terror suspect in military tribunals….We are happy to compare Rand Paul’s conservative credentials with anyone’s. And those rock-solid credentials are why Sarah Palin, Northern Kentukcy Right to life, Concerned Women for American PAC, Gun Owners of America, Steve Forbes, Reagan PAC and National Right to Work PAC are all supporting Dr. Paul.”
|
