Maybe everybody else but me already knew this, but Jeff Essmann says that Mark Noennig has filed against him in the Republican primary for Senate District 28. Democrats, apparently, are still looking for a candidate.
Essmann, of course, is trying to get elected for the first time after he was appointed to office to replace John Bohlinger just before the last session. There was a lot of speculation at the time that Noennig would enter this race.
But I gotta go with Essmann: Noennig's too darn hard to spell. Actually, I do have a lot of respect for Essmann, a solid Republican with an open mind and a record of service. Nothing against Noennig; he's just more of a mystery to me.
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Well, since the Van Dyk, McDermott, and Divisive Gene-o race is getting all the attention, I thought I'd comment on this one. Its gonna be close, and I think although Essmann gets his smiling face on TV a bunch, Noennig is gonna pull an upset.
And speaking of upsets, the city hasnt forgotten about Gene-o and the strike, nor the fact that he is STILL trying to chase the Rimrock Foundation out of town. The voters are ready for a new approach to politics. Van Dyk in a primary blow-out and very tight general. Looks like Matt Singer from leftinthewest.com agrees.
Why would a Noennig victory be an upset? He has actually been elected to the Legislature, four times in fact. Essmann never has. Noennig even took out an incumbent, Sonny Hanson, in his first GOP Primary.
This is not to indicate a personal rooting interest. Essmann's more conservative views are probably a better fit for the district, but Noennig's more likable personality will also be a factor.
Dave,
The word when Essmann was appointed was that the GOP expected Noennig to make this run and wanted a more conservative alternative. If Republicans were actively recruiting opposition to an incumbent legislator, that can't be good news for turning out the GOP base in the primary.
A plausible theory, David. On bills dealing with hot-button social issues in the last session, the vote out of House Judiciary was almost always 10-8, with the ten being the nine Dems plus Noennig. Still, the County Commissioners had a dozen plausible conservatives wanting appointment to the seat. Why they chose Essmann still mystifies me. Picking Peggy Bergsagel would have given them a conservative and put at least a slight dent in the image of the GOP as a party of white males.
Indeed -- if the Republicans were seeking a conservative to upset Noennig they certainly ignored better candidates. Watching Essman leads some observers to believe that he may be more liberal than Noennig. He was touted by many as a strong economic development candidate but closer scrutiny reveals he tends more to be a anti-competition candidate and the economies he likes to improve are those closest to home.
I don't know much about Noennig, but I know Essman is considered a bad word in OUR house.
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