Jim Ogonowski was the near-unanimous choice among GOP'ers both in Massachusetts and nationally to take-on Sen. Jean Francios Kerry (D-Windsurfing) this year. He was, as of the most recent poll, well ahead of Jeff Beatty (his erstwhile primary challenger - a little-known political neophyte) - and had already produced at least one rather snappy advertisement for the general election season.
All Ogonowski needed to do was get on the ballot for the September primary.
But here's the thing.
Ogonowski's campaign delivered 9,970 certified voter signatures to Secretary of State William F. Galvin's election division yesterday just before the final deadline. That is 30 short of the 10,000 signatures he needed.
30. Signatures. Short.
If ever there were a single event that could sum up the current state of the MA Republican Party and, by extension, the GOP nationally this year, I think one would be hard-pressed to come-up with one better than this.
His only option now is to seek relief in court, where he can press his case that some local officials lost his signatures, as he asserted to Galvin's office yesterday. Or he could try to mount a write-in or sticker campaign, an extremely difficult task in a statewide race.
Or, he could have done what everyone else does when running for office and collected literally thousands more signatures than you need. I mean, it's not like Kerry's re-elect numbers are anything to crow about. I'm sure the signatures were there to be gotten. After all, the other Republican on the ballot this fall - you know, the one nobody's heard of before now - managed to turn-in something like 17,000, right?
Ugh.
Ogonowski's failure to make the ballot is a serious political blow for the state's increasing anemic Republican establishment. It also creates an awkward situation for Republican Senate figures in Washington, who had rallied to Ogonowski's candidacy and ignored Beatty.
Ya think?
Oh well, given that my state-level solons are running unopposed, as is my CongressCritter, and now, for all intents and purposes, my Senator - and since I'm squarely in the "I will open a vein before I vote McCain" wing of the GOP - I suppose I literally have nobody to vote for come November.
Just another day in The People's Republic of Massachusetts.
Update [20080604 21:59 EDT]: You may notice that I've reworded some of the parts of this piece - particularly those involving Jeff Beatty. In my disappointment over this spectacular failure by Jim Ogonowski I lashed-out at Mr. Beatty with several uncalled-for comments. I apologize for those - Mr. Beatty is a gentleman, a hero, and from what I've seen a wholly honorable man who is entirely undeserving of such treatment from the likes of me.
Mr. Beatty is also now our only line of defense against the continued non-service of Sen. Jean Francios Kerry (D-Davos). I sincerely hope Mr. Beatty is as fast a learner on the campaign trail as he must have been during his heroic service to our country - and I look forward to working with him and Mr. Ogonowski (in whatever capacity outside a 2008 US Senate run he choses to undertake) to try to rebuild the anemic MA GOP. - Jon
I checked out the website of Beatty. He's a decorated veteran, and he seems Conservative to me. He seems a little thin on detail, but HEY, he's one of us. I know we got invested with Jim Ogonowski during his first campaign. I even sent him some cash...but I don't see why we cannot all get behind Beatty.