Can anyone beat Howard Coble?
Welcome to Debatables, a place where we all talk about the issues of the day. Please keep them on point and constructive. Now to the first topic:
Well, can he be beat? (Putting aside for the sake of discussion whether he should be beat.)
Comments (2)
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Since no one is jumping in yet, I'll try to seed the conversation a bit:
No one is unbeatable. The question is whether a challenger can pile up enough factors in his favor to beat Coble or any entrenched incumbent.
A very good example comes from the 2006 election, when Heath Schuler beat Charles Taylor out west. Schuler had money and name recognition going for him, caught Taylor at a moment when he was being heavily criticized personally and at a time when there was a national anti-incumbent "wave."
None of the Democrats so far have the money and name recognition, but those are things that can be built up over the next 11 months.
The big BUT in this conversation is Coble's very realy personal popularity with Repbulicans and conservative Democrats in his district. Having shaken the hand of half the people who are eligible to vote for your counts for a lot.
Posted on November 16, 2007 10:32 AM
Coble is about as unbeatable as they get. I don't generally agree with him, but I don't find him as objectionable as some other Republicans. So maybe folks who consider themselves moderate are more likely to vote for him.
Posted on November 16, 2007 12:38 PM