From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

Mamma Grizzly Trumps Big Labor

Two big political forces contending for influence in the upcoming fall elections fared very differently last night.

Labor unions took it on the chin as their expensive effort to capture Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln’s political scalp failed. Lt. Governor Bill Halter, backed by hefty AFL-CIO, SEIU and AFSCME TV buys, managed to win only 48% of the vote. Ms. Lincoln was successful in painting the unions as Washington special interests meddling in the state’s politics.

The unions had vowed to defeat Ms. Lincoln after she opposed card-check legislation to end secret ballots in union elections. She also opposed a public option in the health care bill. "Organized labor just flushed $10 million of their members’ money down the toilet on a pointless exercise," a White House official told Politico.com. President Obama had endorsed Ms. Lincoln’s reelection in appreciation of her vote for the final health care bill. His support, along with that of former President Bill Clinton, proved crucial.

In contrast to Big Labor’s big defeat, the Tea Party movement and its unofficial mascot Sarah Palin had a very good night. Ms. Palin issued four primary endorsements and three of her anointed candidates went on to win or dominate their races. In South Carolina, her endorsement lifted state legislator Nikki Haley out of the primary pack and allowed the conservative reformer to win 49% of the vote — just shy of an outright win. Ms. Haley is now the clear favorite to win the June 22 runoff.

In California, with the help of Ms. Palin’s endorsement, Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina effectively neutered the candidacy of Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who was also bidding for Tea Party support. Ms. Fiorina won a clear majority of the vote in a divided field. In Iowa, Ms. Palin’s support of former Governor Terry Branstad helped him overcome the opposition of religious conservatives who backed businessman Robert Vander Plaats. In an open Arkansas congressional seat, Ms. Palin’s endorsement of little-known state legislator Cecile Bledsoe almost lifted the candidate to an upset victory over Steve Womack, mayor of the suburban city of Rogers, who just a couple weeks earlier had a prohibitive 28-point lead.

Tea Party candidates did well almost everywhere and were able to secure sufficient financing to be competitive. In Maine, Waterville Mayor Paul LePage broke out of a field of seven GOP candidates with the help of Tea Party activists and easily won the party’s gubernatorial nomination. In South Carolina, thanks to Tea Party opposition, six-term GOP Congressman Bob Inglis won a humiliating 28% of the vote. He will now be forced into the underdog role in a runoff after he backed climate change legislation and urged constituents not to watch Fox News’ Glenn Beck. Tea Party-backed candidates also won key GOP Congressional primaries in South Dakota and the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

The biggest Tea Party victory, however, came in Nevada. Former state legislator Sharron Angle leaped from single digits in the polls to a clear victory over better-financed rivals after her candidacy caught fire with anti-tax activists during a "Tea Party Express" bus tour. "When the Tea Party Express endorsed her, everybody took a second look," Angle campaign consultant Larry Hart told the Daily Caller. "And that changed the whole dynamic of the campaign."

Democrats are convinced they’ll be able to paint Ms. Angle and other Tea Party favorites as "extremists" in the fall, undermining their support among independent voters. But Senate Majority Harry Reid — stuck around 40% in voter approval surveys — still faces a major challenge in convincing Nevadans that he deserves another term. In Nevada and elsewhere, the enthusiasm and energy that brought so many Tea Party activists to the polls yesterday has to be worrisome for Democrats. It suggests the fall races will see a flood of new voters who aren’t likely to be satisfied with the status quo that Democratic office-holders represent.

— John Fund

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.