Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Bryant Must Stay in Race

Van Hilleary supporters, including Jeff Ward at TeamGOP, are hailing the release of a Nashville City Paper/WWTN poll of likely Republican voters in the upcoming U.S. Senate primary. The poll puts Van Hilleary at 34%, with 23% going for Ed Bryant, and 19% for Bob Corker. Hilleary supporters are somehow claiming that the poll proves that Bryant should quit the race.

They are way ahead of themselves.

Given the statewide name recognition of Hilleary due to his losing gubernatorial run against Phil Bredeson, it seems plausible to think that 34% is the high mark of Hilleary's candidacy, and that he can only go down from there in a three horse race. Given Hilleary's penchant for less than articulate campaigning, the odds are strong that both the more credible Bryant and the better funded Corker will pass him by at midsummer.

At least, one can hope that will be the case. Nathan Moore contends that all three Republican candidates would beat Harold Ford in November. I am not so sure. Either Bryant or Corker will beat Ford. Hilleary will not.

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