Virginia US Senate Race: Who is the liberty candidate?

[Brian4Liberty]

In Virginia, US Senator Jim Webb (D) is retiring. This is a good chance for a new Senator.

We have the following candidates on the radar: Courtney Lynch [D], Julien Modica [D], Tim Kaine [D], Dave McCormick [R], Earl Jackson [R], George Allen [R], Jamie Radtke [R], Tim Donner [R].

Who are the preferred Liberty Candidates for Virginia? Anyone from Virginia have an opinion on this?

 

[Stallion]

Radtke appears to be the closest to Ron Paul on the issues. She is only in favor of war when authorized by Congress. She is pro-life. She wants to end wire-tapping and wants a review of other parts of the Patriot Act. She also wants to end foreign aid. It sounds like she may favor the FairTax or at least some form of tax reform. I live in Virginia, and she's got my vote!

 

[cjm]

Kaine is not a liberty candidate. As governor, he took an anti-REAL-ID bill from the state house and turned it into a pro-REAL-ID bill with his line item veto. Luckily, the state legislature rejected his edits. The 2009 sweep of Republicans in Virginia state-wide offices was just as much due to Kaine as Obama. Feel free to use strikethrough on his name in the original post.

Radtke is saying all the right things, but no voting record unfortunately. I like that one of her meet 'n' greets is at a firing range: http://radtkeforsenate.com/gunsngirls/ Apparently you can have your picture taken with her while shooting. She gets bonus points from me for that.

 

[GeorgiaAvenger]

I think Allen will probably get it though

 

[realtonygoodwin]

http://radtkeforsenate.com/allen-comparison/

Ratdke vs Allen on the Issues.

 

[cjm]

Courtney Lynch [D] = Yawn. No substance there.
Julien Modica [D] = Modica was convicted of bank fraud in 1994 under the name, Julien K. Dilks
Tim Kaine [D] = Tim Kaine, pass.
Dave McCormick [R] = Yawn. America is great, I was an Eagle Scout.
Earl Jackson [R] = Some attractive positions, but very hawkish.
George Allen [R] = Establishment.
Jamie Radtke [R] = The only one in the bunch that remotely resembles a liberty candidate. No voting record to corroborate her stated positions, but at least she's stating liberty-like positions.
Tim Donner [R] = more yawn, and he's withdrawn from the race.

Radtke seem to be the best of the bunch, but then there was this alleged incident at a RedState function: hxxp://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/08/24/regarding-jamie-radtke/

I wasn't there, so cannot comment on what actually happened, but if she was drunk, I don't think that's a disqualification for the US Senate, it's a prerequisite. And given that redstate is vehemently anti-RP, and Radtke is associated with RP by that group, I'm somewhat willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. In fact, there's another page that says she wasn't drunk at all when interviewed at the event (recording provided), and claims that this is another establishment insider hit piece.

I have known Jamie Radtke for a couple of years and know her to be a sober and serious person. She likes to laugh, but the lady has focus. I believe that these two accounts are sufficient to cast doubt on the validity of these claims. This appears to be nothing more than political insiders and their friends using strong arm tactics against a Conservative woman. It is a shame that Erick Erickson had to be a part of this.

I'm concerned about the lack of a voting record since I've been burned by that in the past. And since this is a 6 year office, we're going to be stuck with the winner for a while. But since no one else is even paying lip service to the liberty agenda, I'll vote for her just to indicate that those are the words I want to hear (mostly). Whether I donate or volunteer will be determined over time.

 

[xapis]

I was thinking Radtke, too. But I recently found out that Del. Bob Marshall has decided to run as well. He supported Dr. Paul in 2008. So now I'm torn. Any thoughts now that Marshall is in the race? The disadvantage here is that more candidates on the ballot will mean the anti-Allen vote will be split and Allen will have an even easier time winning in June.

 

[LibertyIn08]

Radtke has no momentum and lost most of her tea party supporters.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Virginia Republicans to hold three Senate primary debates

Virginia Republicans have announced a slate of three debates for the party’s U.S. Senate candidates, giving former governor George Allen’s foes some high-profile opportunities to derail his bid.

Allen is considered the clear frontrunner for the Republican nod in the race to succeed retiring Sen. James Webb (D). Fellow former governor Timothy M. Kaine is the expected Democratic nominee.

But Allen first has to get through the June 12 primary, in which he will face Bishop Earl Jackson, Del. Robert G. Marshall (Prince William), Hampton Roads lawyer David McCormick and former Virginia Tea Party Patriots head Jamie Radtke. All candidates on the primary ballot will be invited to the debates, slated for April 28 in Roanoke, May 11 in the Hampton Roads region and May 25 in Northern Virginia.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...imary-debates/2012/03/19/gIQAZOuRNS_blog.html

 

[thoughtomator]

It's turning out that while Radtke has all the right policy positions, her credibility and ability to speak in public are abysmal, and she reminds me way too much of Sarah Palin stealth neo pretending to be a conservative.

 

[fisharmor]

As a Virginian I'll probably support Radtke.
Bob Marshall says a lot of the right things. He also says some total space cadet things.
I've had an email exchange with Marshall a few years ago where I was trying to tell him that Wikipedia (at the time) was painting him as an anti-2nd amendment politician, and linked to a case where a woman was doing time for simple (and accidental IIRC) possession on school grounds, and that he had been the sole sponsor of the legislation that made that possible.
He responded as if I was speaking Ryukyuan... despite the fact that I sent him links and explained that this newfangled Wikipedia contraption also allowed him to make edits and remove the offending info if it wasn't true. And it stayed there for months. (Though it's not there now.)

Oh, look... you'll never guess where I found the offending bit of Wikipedia saved:

In 2000, Marshall was the sole patron of H.B. 350[2] and H.B. 351[3] in the Virginia General Assembly. These bills made it a Class 6 Felony to possess a gun on any public property in the state of Virginia even with a concealed carry permit. Marshall's bills were absorbed into a larger gun control bill and enacted. In 2000, a Virginia school teacher named Deena Esteban[4] was sentenced to a year in prison after accidentally bringing a handgun onto public property in a ruling based on Marshall's legislation. Deena Esteban was in possession of a concealed carry permit and was not engaging in any threatening actions.[citation needed]

The Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-Second Amendment organization, unsuccessfully lobbied Marshall to withdraw his legislation at the time.[5][citation needed]

 

[cjm]

If there's any takeaway from this list of candidates, it's that we need to get more liberty candidates elected to the US house, the state house/senate, and local offices. When the primary comes up for the US Senate, there should be an obvious liberty candidate with a proven track record. We shouldn't have to gamble on the unproven or rationalize supporting a mixed-bag candidate.