Many local Democrats are of the opinion that VA House Speaker Bill Howell would be vulnerable in next year’s elections if a serious challenger stepped up. Especially with the recent transportation disaster and voter dissatisfaction with Richmond in general. Stranger things have happened. Just ask voters in Tom Foley or Denny Hastert’s districts.
And allegations like this certainly won’t help, from a new anti-Howell blog, Speaker Howell is a Puppet:
Delegate Clark Hogan (R-Righofattillaville) met with longtime Republican political operative Kenny Kling.
The skinny: Clark told Kling that the House of Delegates was not going to pass any new transpo funding - no way, no how - and that is just the way it is.
Filed under: Local Politics
Clark Hogan is called “Vice Speaker” for a reason you know.
Hogan could be the next GOP leader-of-the-opposition. (They likely won’t have another speaker for a good long while after ‘09.) Are his environs really that right-wing? No wonder he’s a fellow alum of my tiny Tennesee alma mater. I still recall the religious ceremonies there, the procession led with a golden sceptre, emblazoned with the name of Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Confederate battle flag. (I’m not making this up. We don’t fergit easy.)
Of course Howell’s vulnerable! Clyde Matthews sat out the last month of the campaign, spent less than Bill Clinton on a trip to McDonald’s, and still held the Speaker to the same percentage Mark Cole got next door in a donnybrook. A recent Pew poll showed party ID in Virginia went from R +16 in 2001 ro D +4 this year.
Considering the voters are now as disgruntled as Dolphin fans, almost no Republican is safe in Virginia next year — unless Obama gets elected and immediately screws up.
Is there a typo on the Kling name ? I believe the last name is spelled with an “e”.
J. Kenneth Klinge was Gilmores two year appt to the CBT , was the Governors appointee to the NVTA in 2003.