Was Ed Gillespie genuinely a good candidate, or were the polls just wrong?

[tpfkaw]

Did Ed Gillespie run a strong campaign against Mark Warner, or was he just some dude on the ballot who benefited from the wave in a way that wasn't picked up by the public polls?

[Bigby]

Write-in: Warner took his win for granted.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

Write-in: Warner took his win for granted.

^This is the correct answer.

[Mehmentum]

Write-in: Warner took his win for granted.

Addendum: Democrats in Virginia took his win for granted as well, so very few bothered to show up.

[KCDem]

Write-in: Warner took his win for granted.

^This is the correct answer.

[Free Bird]

Warner got cocky

[Boston Bread]

Maybe scaring voters does work for democrats if it's done right? McAuliffe could have easily been upset by poor turnout but won nonetheless. And he brought Herring in along with him so it wasn't just the Cooch's errors - democrats turned out at just the right levels in 2013.

[Frodo]

It's a bit of both.  I think he was a genuinely good candidate -as far as I know, he was the only Republican running for a Senate seat who actually ran on the issues, as opposed to blaming President Obama for everything.  And give him props for giving Sen. Mark Warner the scare of his political life.  

But nearly everyone (and not just the pollsters) misread this state, and thought it more Democratic than it actually was.  Including the NRSC.  Both sides took this state for granted, and I trust this election will give everyone (including the know-it-alls here) the wake-up call they need that this state is up for grabs, depending on the candidate.  It doesn't lean anywhere.  It is a true purple state.  

[Mr. Reactionary]

Gillespie bet on a wave and rope-a-doped most of the campaign so Warner wouldn't beat him up. Then last minute when Warner's back was turned Gillespie sucker punched him, hoping the wave momentum would carry him over. It almost worked.

[henster]

He was pretty bland and boring although you could say the same about Warner but he doesn't have a really impressive resume. Basically a Republican McAuliffe without the business experience.

[Maxwell]

Write-in: Warner took his win for granted.

^This is the correct answer.

The Democrats did, but Warner did take this race seriously. Warner beat Gillespie in the debates.

[RR1997]

The Democrats never bothered to vote.

[jd1433]

Gillespie bet on a wave and rope-a-doped most of the campaign so Warner wouldn't beat him up. Then last minute when Warner's back was turned Gillespie sucker punched him, hoping the wave momentum would carry him over. It almost worked.

^^^Usually it's not a good idea to say a politician masterminded a brilliant strategy, but when it's Ed Gillespie you're making a mistake to assume anything else.

Most people on this board don't know who Ed is. I can tell you that James Carville doesn't have anything on the political talent of Ed. He's literally among the best the GOP has.



Here is Ed's resume:
-Key staffer to Dick Armey and was a very key drafter to contract with America
-2004 RNC Chairman
-Ran Bob McConnell's successful campaign for Governor
-The guy who sold the surge (how the hell did the Bush White House who had his own party turning on him in Iraq succeed in so swiftly building support for a last ditch effort on the war? Ed)
-But most importantly probably the single greatest GOP political achievement over the last 2 decades was how much better the GOP did in 2010 among the state chambers than they did on the house, governors, or senate races (which allowed the GOP to redistrict the Dems out of the house for the next decade). Who ran the GOP body responsible for state legislative elections? Ed!


This was basically Ed's first real loss. All I can hope is that Ed is able to convince the dumba$$ GOP consultancy to stop using the damn 2004 playbook.

[King]

Polls blew. Democrats nationwide lied about being likely voters.

[jd1433]

Here:

From the horses mouth themselves:

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/virginia-senate-ed-gillespie-mark-warner-112631.html

Key piece:

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[The Vorlon]

He was pretty bland and boring although you could say the same about Warner but he doesn't have a really impressive resume. Basically a Republican McAuliffe without the business experience.

So he is not a crook then?