Fox News
Seeking to tap into growing anti-establishment discord among voters, the Republican Party is actively seeking candidates who have never before held elected office.
Such Republicans are contesting six of the 20 most competitive House seats currently held by Democrats. At least as many are found in districts that could become more competitive as election season heats up. Filing deadlines to run for Congress are still months away in most states, so it is possible more newcomers could join the fold.
Running political newcomers is a proven strategy when the political tide swings drastically toward one side, and at times when voters have soured on Washington in general. In 1994, when Republicans won a majority of House seats after four decades in the minority, 55 percent of the party's 73 freshmen lawmakers had never held political office. Similarly in 2006, when Democrats took control, 45 percent of their new lawmakers had never held office before.
The strategy could help Republicans tap into enthusiasm generated among tea party groups and other conservatives. Though these activists have sprung from the right, they remain antagonistic toward the GOP establishment. The movement arose in part as a backlash against the government's intervention in Wall Street and the auto industry, as well as opposition to Democratic initiatives, including a health-care overhaul.
This year, running newcomers is "absolutely the story of Republican recruiting," said David Wasserman, a House race analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Cook currently predicts the GOP will gain between 25 and 35 House seats this fall, and doesn't rule out the more distant possibility of a Republican takeover, which would require a net gain of 40 seats.
Wasserman predicted a significant number of freshmen GOP lawmakers this November would be political newcomers. Many are running on a platform of fiscal rectitude, a nod to how the economy and role of government are dominating public debate. "We really are at a defining moment," Mr. Rigell said in an interview, during which he echoed a theme of economic uncertainty voiced by other candidates. "I look at the fiscal side of this country and I am alarmed and deeply troubled."
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