Monday, June 02, 2008

GOP Chooses Zoeller For Attorney General

State GOP delegates this afternoon rebuked efforts by Gov. Mitch Daniels and other party leaders to force upon them Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas as the party's nominee for Attorney General. Chief Deputy Attorney General Greg Zoeller coasted to victory with 60% of the votes, or a margin of over 300 votes. The nearly 2,000 delegates and guests streamed out of the convention as soon as the vote was read, leaving Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman rushing to deliver her acceptance speech before the room cleared entirely. Gov. Daniels, ushered into the convention today by a marching band, delivered a rousing and convincing speech for four more years in the state's top office. Gov. Daniels and some party leaders may be disappointed that their man, Jon Costas, lost his bid to become the Attorney General nominee, but the delegates clearly felt Zoeller was the better choice. I have no reason to believe the party leadership will not unite behind Zoeller's candidacy. Now, as for those big law firms who wanted Costas to win so badly, all bets are off. If they think Pence will throw business their way if she is elected, they'll probably be sending money her way. Zoeller, however, will be the odds on favorite to win in November.

7 comments:

artfuggins said...

This may be the first of many messages that the citizens of Indiana sends to Mitch ...

CallMe-Ishmael said...

"citizens of Indiana send to Mitch"...

You arent too bright, are you, Art?
It wasnt the citizens of Indiana who sent Mitch a message, it was the GOP faithful. Thats right, 'faithful', as in repudiating a political gimmick in favor of a more qualified candidate. The GOP faithful was here long before Mitch and will be here long after he leaves, in 2012.

You see, and I know its hard for you to accept, but unlike the local and state Democratic apparatus, we in the party of Lincoln can actually think for ourselves; we dont accept like pablum the party hacks and unqualified candidates willy-nilly. No, we when necessary challenge our elected own as far as decision-making, and Zoeller getting the AG nomination is an excellent example.

Perhaps if your party exhibited the same critical self-analysis, you wouldnt be constantly trying to define yourselves (Dixie-crat to Social liberalism and so forth).

Finally, the selfish ego-driven presidential nomination process your party is holding is a gift to the GOP; both candidates keep shooting themselves in the foot, and as a result, well..I see McCain winning in November.

Gary R. Welsh said...

The GOP delegates chose the person they believed was the most qualified. Zoeller sold himself to the delegates; Costas did not. In the end, it really had little to do with who Gov. Daniels supported, although you are correct in your view that Republicans don't like being told by party leaders how to vote. The rank and file aren't bitter towards Daniels. His mistake in choosing Costas over Zoeller will soon be forgotten.

CallMe-Ishmael said...

Oh, I agree, Gary, no debate there, regarding any bitterness. Actually, this little concluded tempest will make the party stronger in their November efforts. I have no doubt Daniels will support 100% Zoellers' campaign, and I wouldnt be suprised if Costas supports him as well.

artfuggins said...

..but the delegates were citizens of Indiana or am I wrong about that also???

Anonymous said...

AdvanceIndiana said, "Republicans don't like being told by party leaders how to vote."

That's pretty laughable as you allowed the party leaders to railroad their pre-picked RNC delegates without so much of a whimper. You were sucker-punched and you didn't even know it! LOL

Gary R. Welsh said...

The delegates chosen at the convention are obliged to support John McCain for president. If the McCain campaign had someone else in mind to fill those roles, they could have spoken up. Because there were no objections from the McCain campaign on those choices, how would I or anyone else in that caucus have room to complain that the county chairman, his vice and Mayor Ballard were going to be the delegates? Delegates are not candidates for public office, which was the point I was making.