Establishment Republicans, political experts, and historians alike, will no doubt be picking over and arguing about the 2010 GOP primary results for years to come, to figure out just what happened, particularly after seven of the Washington leadership's own Senate picks went down to defeat at the hands of more conservative candidates.
But one theme appears to be emerging: they should have "done it like McCain."
There is no question, McCain is a perennial target for some Republicans in his home state (and beyond), so he is no stranger to conflict. And there is also no question that his GOP primary opponent, former Congressman J.D. Hayworth, who McCain beat last month, had his own set of baggage heading into the race. But this time around, a number of Senate Republican aides and political experts agree, McCain's strategy for dealing with the opposition was spot on.
McCain's approach: hit 'em early, hit 'em hard, and hit 'em often. "You define your opponent, before they define you," the senator's spokeswoman, Brooke Buchanan, put it recently.
And "define" is exactly what McCain did, launching radio ads more than a month before Hayworth, a popular conservative radio show host, even announced, hitting the congressman for supporting the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska, a veritable poster child for pork barrel spending that went down to defeat under the crush of media and public scrutiny.
McCain's long time fight against earmarks happened to be the right message at the right time for a ripe audience.
"Instead of allowing J.D. Hayworth to continue to attack McCain on air for free (he had been doing so for more than a year, because of McCain's one-time support for comprehensive immigration reform), we decided to take him on on his own turf and define him early,"
Buchanan said.
McCain also maintained a veteran political campaign staff, with two of his presidential campaign communications staffers staying on - Buchanan and Brian Rogers. Long time McCain operatives (and friends), Mark Salter,
And in some ways, you could say President Obama helped his former rival win. The raucous town halls of 2008 over Obama's health care reform initiative opened McCain's eyes to the real anger among American voters, according to staff, an anger that gave rise to the very movement that was to surprise so many establishment Republicans.
McCain immediately positioned himself front-and-center among the loyal (health care) opposition, holding townhall meetings in his own state and around the country, making heated Senate floor speeches denouncing the reform effort.
"The only race you can't lose is an unopposed one," says Dr. Larry Sabato, director of UVA's Center for Politics. "Politicians tend to overestimate how much they are loved and how grateful people are for all their years of service. They forget that most voters often won't say to their face what they really think."
Another critical "take-notice" moment was Sen. Scott Brown's upset victory in Massachusetts, a moment that showed the Tea Party movement's real power, as well as, the anti-Democratic, and some say anti-establishment, fervor that was taking hold in the heartland. (NOTE: John McCain was the ONLY Senator to step up & help Scott Brown to victory)
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