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GOP Triple Sweep In Virginia
The GOP dominated in Virginia tonight winning the Governor’s race, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General. Congratulations to Bob McDonnell for his double digit victory.
Can Social Conservatism Still Win?
Can a staunch social conservative still win an election in an increasingly Democratic state? We’ll find out in November if Bob McDonnell wins the governorship in Virginia. You can read an article exploring his controversial views in depth here.
Here are some highlights:
- He described working women and feminists as “detrimental” to the family
- He criticized a Supreme Court decision legalizing contraceptive for non-married people
- In 2001, he voted against a resolution in support of ending wage discrimination between men and women
- He opposes abortion, even in cases of rape and incest
Unsurprisingly, his Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds is trying to put these social issues front and center. He hopes that moderate suburban women in northern Virginia will sour on McDonnell of his social views. I’d normally expect it to work.
But in this electoral climate it might not. Right now, the biggest worry is the economy. Moderate suburbanites are as concerned as anyone else. They’re concerned they could lose their jobs and homes.
To the extent McDonnell can keep this election about the economy his controversial social views should have only a limited impact. True, some feminists who pay enough attention to know all of the details I listed will be horrified and incensed. But most of them were probably already voting for Deeds.
Many suburban women could be persuaded to vote for McDonnell if he has a better economic message. He can make the argument that “I’m going to make sure you have a job and health insurance. This election isn’t about social issues, it’s about the economy.” He can also say as he already has that he’s changed his mind on some of these issues since he’s been in office.
Remember too, that McDonnell doesn’t need to win every female voter. He was going to lose liberal women anyway. He just needs to avoid being blown out among moderate women, and he can focus on turning out the Republican base to win.
In an ordinary year, his views would be much more of a problem. But in an economic crisis, social issues almost always recede. President Obama was able to win last year, despite voting against the infants born alive protection act as an Illinois state senator. Ironically, that same dynamic will probably help a conservative culture warrior in Virginia.
-Marcus Gadson
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