Van Hollen: GOP Strategy "Crashed"

Rep.-elect Mark Critz's (D-PA) victory in a special election contest on Tuesday shows the GOP's approach to the fall midterms is fundamentally flawed, DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen said today, voicing new confidence his party can avoid wide-spread losses in the fall.

"It's clear the Republicans did a test run of their November strategy in Pennsylvania 12, and that it crashed," Van Hollen told reporters today, referring to Critz's southwestern PA district.

GOPers did their best to nationalize the only Tuesday election in which a Dem faced off against a GOPer. Pres. Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made appearances in the district, but only in ads paid for by businessman Tim Burns (R) and the NRCC.

"The Republicans tried to make an issue. We know that from the campaign ads they ran," Van Hollen said. "The voters rejected the scare tactics that are coming out of the Republican playbook this year."

Critz took 70,915 votes, or 52.6%, while Burns won just 60,740 votes, 45.1%, according to unofficial results from the PA Department of State.

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http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/05/van_hollen_gop.php

;-)

anger, how the Democrats were going to lose this fall. BLOODBATH I had heard. Well what happened? Media over hype.

He spent a lot of money on this race....ha...ha..ha.

:toast:

He might be saying that just to get elected knowing that he is probably not going to have to be the deciding vote in a highly charged piece of legistlation...

If he's as good on labor, etc., I'll take it.

You gotta expect a conservative Dem there.

not all districts that go blue are actually liberal. You should hear the hue and cry being raised here in MI because the state party is backing a made-to-order conservative Dem for Stupak's district. All they know is their beloved liberal candidate didn't get the nod so cue the torches and pitchforks.

Julie--who likes the lib candidate for Stupak's district but knows she stands no chance

ads didn't faze those extra 10,000 voters for Critz. Plus, Critz was a friend of Murtha's who worked for him.