Welcome to the Senate, Levin, Jr.
What did Land do to be so unpopular in Michigan? That is ridiculous, especially considering she was leading in the polls early on.
Outside of Pat Roberts, she has to have been the worst GOP candidate this year.
I'll defer to another poster, since this is the correct answer:
Land was never really leading, it was probably residual name ID pegging her around the GOP baseline. Question now is whether she stays above 40.
In regards to her dismal popularity, this speaks to it:
For one thing, she disappeared from the campaign for weeks at time. What really did her in was when she flubbed up at a Chamber of Commerce event and wouldn't answer any press questions. After that, she pretty much stayed anonymous.
but, I will add this: the "Really?" ad is a perfect lens through which to see her entire campaign, for the following reasons:
-She begins the ad with mentioning claims made by Gary Peters--effectively making this race a referendum on him, as if he was the incumbent (you could argue that this is sort of true--there won't be much of a difference between Levin and Peters)
-Peters made a (you could argue dubious or flimsy due to insufficient evidence, but that's splitting hairs at this point) nuanced argument that Terri Lynn Land would vote on policies that negatively impact women--whether or not you agree with Peters' assertion, his campaign framed this based on Terri Lynn Land's own statements
-Instead of refuting this claim, she assumes that voters will reject Peters' assertion as ridiculous, based on the very fact that Terri Lynn Land has a vagina--all the while saying
nothing in the process
Instead of common sense, this came across as incredibly condescending. Michigan voters aren't stupid.
Subsequently, she showed that she has zero grasp of basic policy issues, and had difficulty taking a stance on even the most basic of current affairs. In her controlled campaign environments, she said
nothing of substance (just like the ad) and figured that Michigan voters would assume that she couldn't possibly support policies that negatively impact women (just like the ad).
On the other hand, Peters spoke to Michiganders like they're adults, and repeatedly demonstrated his mastery of complex policy issues. While we may not be absolutely crazy about Peters (we never are about any politicians), he positioned himself as acceptable, likeable enough, and well-qualified for the office.
Yes.