This is why I do not like rematches:

[jamestroll]

1) The candidate who lost the previous match can give the sore loser image vibes off.

2) The candidate can fail give voters a reason to vote for him this time.

This is why I do not think Applegate is necessarily a shoo-in to defeat Issa in 2018. Even if the circumstances will be possible.

I personally experienced this first hand when it was obvious that Doug Owens was giving a sore loser vibe and failed to give voters a reason to vote for him and boot Love. He could not really disqualify Love.

Strange things have happened in American Politics but I think Love could be quite secure even if Trump is very unpopular among Mormons as she never really embraced Trump at all. However her support still is stuck in the low 50s.

This article makes me sad: https://www.ksl.com/?sid=32236467

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[jamestroll]

Adlai Stevenson learned this very well. The person who lost can still run for the office again, just not against the same person who you lost to last time.

Yup! Look at what happened with Russ Feingold.

That is why I am not buying into the Jason Kander Roy Blunt rematch in 2022. If Kander is smart he would try to for governor in 2020 or even attorney general. Incredibly Josh Hawley is already creating controversy.

Long shot but I would be interested to see if Jason Kander could compete in MO-02 if open. Though he is from the other side of the state so that could obviously be an issue even if Representatives need not live in the district they represent.

[jamestroll]

How we feeling about the Applegate/Issa rematch?

Wasn't Applegate just a some dude that the DCCC parachuted in for with money once they realized Issa was a lot more vulnerable than they originally thought?

I don't think the result of that race was specific to Applegate. The leanings of Issa's district is probably slipping out from underneath him and a stronger, better funded candidate might be able to finish him off in 2018.

Exactly. From what I understand the GOP has been doing research on Applegate and found some questionable past activity. Maybe includes a restraining order but that is just memory. My feeling is that Applegate vs Issa could work out in a rematch if 2018 is a strong enough Democratic wave but it could end up closer to Love v Owens rematch in a neutral year. Though probably not as bad.