Unfortunately, the only two incumbents here in Virginia that I could have voted against were the ones I couldn't vote against.
For Delegate, the incumbent got my vote because 1) his opponent was a college senior who didn't have any real information about his positions easily available (not even a simple website or blog - there were reports of him using Twitter, but I couldn't find anything), and he seemed to be running just because he could, and 2) the incumbent (even though he's a Democrat) voted last year both to repeal Virginia's ban on concealed carry in restaurants and to override the governor's veto of that bill (and I believe he has a pretty solid pro-gun history beyond that issue, too). It ended up being a choice between the devil you know is at least partially on your side, or a complete unknown who might not even be serious about the whole thing.
The Lt. Governor's race had the incumbent, again with a known pro-gun record, or the challenger who didn't even bother to return the VCDL survey. I probably could have gotten more information on her, but as I posted in my blog, I've been a little overwhelmed lately and found myself not as prepared for this year's elections as I should have been. I try not to be a single issue voter, but that's what I ended up doing this time - though I'm not sure any other issues I'm concerned about would have trumped the gun rights issue this time around, either.
I favor a two-term limit for politicians: one term in office, followed by one in prison.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the only two incumbents here in Virginia that I could have voted against were the ones I couldn't vote against.
ReplyDeleteFor Delegate, the incumbent got my vote because 1) his opponent was a college senior who didn't have any real information about his positions easily available (not even a simple website or blog - there were reports of him using Twitter, but I couldn't find anything), and he seemed to be running just because he could, and 2) the incumbent (even though he's a Democrat) voted last year both to repeal Virginia's ban on concealed carry in restaurants and to override the governor's veto of that bill (and I believe he has a pretty solid pro-gun history beyond that issue, too). It ended up being a choice between the devil you know is at least partially on your side, or a complete unknown who might not even be serious about the whole thing.
The Lt. Governor's race had the incumbent, again with a known pro-gun record, or the challenger who didn't even bother to return the VCDL survey. I probably could have gotten more information on her, but as I posted in my blog, I've been a little overwhelmed lately and found myself not as prepared for this year's elections as I should have been. I try not to be a single issue voter, but that's what I ended up doing this time - though I'm not sure any other issues I'm concerned about would have trumped the gun rights issue this time around, either.
I'm with Jake on this one. I still wish each ballot had a "none of the above" option, with a candidate needing 50%+1 to win.
ReplyDeletePrimaries. Don't forget the primaries. Hopefully there will be more alternatives showing up and we can take out the trash before the general election.
ReplyDeleteThe 2 term limit above is a hell of a good idea too!