I’ll take Poliquin any day if the alternative is someone like Dale Crafts or some wild card who looks good on paper but ends up crumbling under pressure and barely makes a compelling case for firing the (skilled) incumbent. There might be more appealing candidates in theory, but the main reason Poliquin lost in 2018 was the turnout imbalance, and that’s not going to be replicated in 2022.
While true, I think Golden is stronger now than in 2018, at least in terms of proving his willingness to break with the party.
Yes, I think ME takes the cake in the bipartisan, biennial 'how easily can we fool voters into believing we’re moderates' 50-state contest, and that’s not an easy feat because the competition is really stiff. My absolute personal favorite are 'centrist' Collins/King/Golden voters — it’s like being proud of your naïveté and just flaunting your ignorance.
I have no doubt that Golden's brand will be more difficult to dismantle than that of any other House Democrat, and any Republican running against him should consider themselves really lucky that there’s a Democratic trifecta right now.
