Poll: Which Party Is Doing a Better Job Recruiting Candidates for 2014?

Michael Catalini, Naureen Khan and Peter Bell

Which party is doing the better job of recruiting candidates for the 2014 midterm elections?

DEMOCRATS (81 VOTES)

Democrats: 70%
Republicans: 30%

Democrats

"GOP will fail once again to win the Senate because of a curse put on the party by Christine O'Donnell."

"The Dems have at least a fighting chance to pick up seats in 2014 because of their recruiting success this year."

"Republicans are back to the '08 and '10 playbooks. Senate Dems recruited six to 12 years ago to have these folks in position to defend and win."

"Normal people versus tea partiers. Easy call."

"Only a major unforeseen event advantageous to Obama will save the Senate from flipping in '14."

"Republicans still can't get away from radical Right."

"The Republicans are doing very well recruiting their tea-party wackadoos."

Republicans

"The new GOP has a taste for blood, and that makes it easier to attract sharks."

"And we have recruited who?"

"Republicans, only in that the Democrats have no room for error and have already failed in Massachusetts to find a big horse, and lost in South Dakota when Tom Daschle snuck his staffer candidate into the race over Harry Reid's stronger candidate in former Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin. How does that happen!"

"Marginally, Republicans—mainly because of [former Gov. Mike] Rounds in South Dakota and [Rep. Shelley Moore] Capito in West Virginia. If [Rep. Tom] Cotton runs against [Sen. Mark] Pryor in Arkansas, that would move the needle further."

"Far too many zeroes in the Senate Dem column. House Dems doing better, though."

 

Which party is doing the better job of recruiting candidates for the 2014 midterm elections?

REPUBLICANS (83 VOTES)

Democrats: 17%
Republicans: 83%

Democrats

"Republicans are putting on a clinic for how not to recruit."

"I'm with Bob Dole on this. They should be closed for repairs, which suggests they don't have the ability to strengthen their hand."

"Not sure the GOP has snagged a single big recruitment yet for the 2014 cycle."

"Running for office is what Democrats do. Successful Republicans would rather be doing something else."

"Virginia—purple state, no viable Republican on tap. North Carolina—purple state, no top-flight Republican is yet in the race. New Hampshire—purple state, we might have to import a candidate from Massachusetts. Why isn't the [party's campaign] machine pumping away at finding some new blood?"

Republicans

"If you look at West Virginia, South Dakota, Iowa, Georgia (and soon to be Montana), the Democrats have a civil war going on, and the Far Left is clearly winning."

"Republicans sense it's going to be a good year to run, historically, while the Dems have to convince their recruits that it's OK to even be seen with the president."

"Only [Rhode Island Gov.] Linc Chaffee thinks there is an advantage to being a Democrat in this environment."

"So far, the Obama coalition is crap when Obama isn't on the ballot."

"It's not even close. Dems are on their 12th option in Kentucky, have completely bungled South Dakota and Georgia."

"Especially in the Senate, Dems have many more at-risk seats that are proving difficult to fill."

"I would have voted 'neither' if it was an option, with so many A-listers declining to run, but the last two cycles show that the Beltway's handicapping of candidates is about as accurate as Ryan Zimmerman's throws."

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Democratic Political Insiders Jill Alper, John Anzalone, Brad Bannon, Dave Beattie, Andy Bechhoefer, Cornell Belcher, Matt Bennett, Mitchell W. Berger, Mike Berman, Stephanie Bosh, Paul Brathwaite, Donna Brazile, Mark Brewer, Ed Bruley, George Bruno, Bonnie Campbell, Bill Carrick, Guy Cecil, Martin J. Chavez, Tony Coelho, Larry Cohen, Jerry Crawford, Brendan Daly, Jeff Danielson, Peter Daou, Howard Dean, Scott DeFife, Jim Demers, Tad Devine, David Di Martino, Debbie Dingell, Monica Dixon, Patrick Dorton, Pat Dujakovich, Anita Dunn, Jeff Eller, Steve Elmendorf, Carter Eskew, Vic Fazio, Peter Fenn, Scott Ferson, Jim Fleischmann, Tina Flournoy, Don Foley, Jeffrey Forbes, Vincent Frillici, Gina Glantz, Niles Godes, John Michael Gonzalez, Joe Grandmaison, Anna Greenberg, Stan Greenberg, Pat Griffin, Larry Grisolano, Michael Gronstal, Lisa Grove, Marcia Hale, Jill Hanauer, Dick Harpootlian, Paul Harstad, Laura Hartigan, Doug Hattaway, Mike Henry, Karen Hicks, Leo Hindery Jr., Harold Ickes, Marcus Jadotte, John Jameson, Steve Jarding, Jonathon Jones, Jim Jordan, Gale Kaufman, Lisa Kountoupes, Celinda Lake, David Lang, Penny Lee, Chris Lehane, Jeff Link, Bob Maloney, Jim Manley, Steve Marchand, Jim Margolis, Paul Maslin, Keith Mason, Susan McCue, Gerald McEntee, Steve McMahon, Tom McMahon, Phil McNamara, David Medina, Michael Meehan, Mark Mellman, John Merrigan, Michael Monroe, Steve Murphy, Janet Napolitano, David Nassar, Marcia Nichols, John Norris, Tom Ochs, Tom O'Donnell, Jeffrey Peck, Debora Pignatelli, Tony Podesta, Jefrey Pollock, Jack Quinn, Larry Rasky, Mame Reiley, Ed Rendell, Steve Ricchetti, Will Robinson, Steve Rosenthal, David Rudd, Ryan Rudominer, John Ryan, Michael Sargeant, Stephanie Schriock, Terry Shumaker, Sean Sinclair, Phil Singer, Erik Smith, Doug Sosnik, Greg Speed, Darry Sragow, Ken Strasma, Doug Thornell, Jeffrey Trammell, Ed Turlington, Rick Wiener, James Williams, JoDee Winterhof, Brian Wolff, Jon Youngdahl, and Jim Zogby.

GOP Political Insiders Dan Allen, Stan Anderson, Gary Andres, Saulius (Saul) Anuzis, Rich Ashooh, Whit Ayres, Brett Bader, Mitch Bainwol, Brian Baker, Gary Bauer, David Beckwith, Paul Bennecke, Clark Benson, Wayne Berman, Brian Bieron, Charlie Black, Kirk Blalock, Carmine Boal, Jeff Boeyink, Ron Bonjean, Jeff Buley, Luke Byars, Nick Calio, Al Cardenas, Danny Carroll, Alex Castellanos, Ron Christie, Jim Cicconi, Jonathan Collegio, Rob Collins, Cesar Conda, Jake Corman, Scott Cottington, Jay Cranford, Greg Crist, Diane Crookham-Johnson, Fergus Cullen, Tom Davis, Mike Dennehy, Ken Duberstein, Debi Durham, Sara Fagen, Frank Fahrenkopf, John Feehery, Don Fierce, Mindy Finn, Carl Forti, Alex Gage, Bruce A. Gates, Sam Geduldig, Adam Geller, Benjamin Ginsberg, David Girard-diCarlo, Bill Greener, Jonathan Grella, Lanny Griffith, Janet Mullins Grissom, Doug Gross, Todd Harris, Steve Hart, Christopher Healy, Ralph Hellmann, Chris Henick, Terry Holt, David Iannelli, Ed Ingle, Jim Innocenzi, Clark Judge, David Keating, David Kensinger, Bob Kjellander, Ed Kutler, Chris LaCivita, Jim Lake, Steven Law, Steve Lombardo, Kevin Madden, Joel Maiola, Gary Maloney, David Marin, Mary Matalin, Dan Mattoon, Brian McCormack, Mark McKinnon, Kyle McSlarrow, Ken Mehlman, Jim Merrill, Lisa Camooso Miller, Tim Morrison, Mike Murphy, Phil Musser, Ron Nehring, Terry Nelson, Neil Newhouse, David Norcross, Ziad Ojakli, Jack Oliver, Todd Olsen, Kevin O'Neill, Connie Partoyan, Billy Piper, Van B. Poole, Tom Rath, Scott Reed, David Rehr, Tom Reynolds, Steve Roberts, Jason Roe, David Roederer, Dan Schnur, Russ Schriefer, Rich Schwarm, Brent Seaborn, Rick Shelby, Andrew Shore, Kevin Shuvalov, Don Sipple, Ken Spain, Fred Steeper, Bob Stevenson, Terry Sullivan, David Tamasi, Eric Tanenblatt, Richard Temple, Heath Thompson, Jay Timmons, Warren Tompkins, Ted Van Der Meid, Dirk van Dongen, Jan van Lohuizen, Stewart Verdery, Dick Wadhams, John Weaver, Lezlee Westine, Dave Winston, Ginny Wolfe, Fred Wszolek, and Matthew Zablud.