US SENATE: Mehta Goes 3 – 0
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Rik Mehta
Admittedly, I’ve been slacking on the blog lately, but things are busy in our work lives, Bob’s even working Saturdays (he’ll be back on the radio show on the 15th with 2 guests booked). Typically, Bob and I speak every morning which is how the day’s blog post(s) are decided, but the past couple of weeks haven’t been typical. Everything will be back to normal soon.
With that out of the way…
Convention/Screening committee season is well under way with most of the action being the US Senate primary.
Early in the convention/screening committee season the breakout star is Rik Mehta who has won the first three conventions. Mehta is now 3 – 0 making him the clear frontrunner in the Senate race.
When I last blogged about the Republican U.S. Senate primary I wrote about how it was assumed that Hirsh Singh was the frontrunner because he, compared to the other candidates, enjoyed at least some name ID “from having run for Governor and losing, then dropping a bid for US Senate before switching to Congress in CD2 in 2018 and losing.” That post was after the first convention of the season, Union County, was won by Mehta.
I wrote then that assuming frontrunner status meant that Mehta now has a target on his back. That target has become bigger.
And, the shots at that bigger target have been coming, mostly on social media and they are all ridiculous attacks, too ridiculous to put in the blog. To be fair, at least one candidate sent his attack to some media outlets (not us), so at least I have some respect for that candidate for standing behind his/her attack.
I get to call them ridiculous attacks because this blog is opinion, never mind the fact I work with candidates in several states, usually challengers, and working with non-frontrunners means I’m the guy doing the attacking. After nearly 30 years in this business I know what a good attack looks like and the shots fired at Mehta have been weak.
As an example of the weak attacks, without naming names, the show received an email from one of the campaign managers:
I’ll share only the last line of my response to avoid naming names:
None of this is to say that I mind attacks. What I am trying to say is that if your campaign is going to take a shot at another – make it count. I don’t even care if you are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, just make it a good shot. Weak attacks simply make your candidate look weak. Grow a set, stand behind your attack, do it via press release, own it. At least if you own it you’ll get some respect.
So, with the convention/screening committee season under way, a 3 – 0 start in a five-person race, four of whom have appeared on a ballot in New Jersey at least once, and lots of incoming attacks is pretty impressive. At this point in the season Mehta has all the momentum and is the clear frontrunner in the Republican Senate primary. Let’s see if he can keep it going.
