Anytime that you are in the position of being minority leader, you have to wear a certain hat and be the devil's advocate. In the final analysis, he's still very strong. I still think he's the strongest U.S. senator in the state's history. |
I loved that little guy. He was a marvelous guy. I've known him a long, long time, probably back to the late 1960s, and I always knew him to be a first-class, gracious guy. He was also as good a referee as there was. |
I still subscribe to that. You have to find a compelling reason in each individual race why you would kick out a particular incumbent. |
The cost of campaigning since the last election cycle has probably gone up 30 to 40 percent. And the reason media has gone up is because the population has gone up. You predicate media buys on how many people you're reaching. So it's a growing cycle of financial needs in the political world. |
There's just no compelling reason why you'd want to vote against him. He's a very popular senator in this state. |