Economic Muck Gives GOP Hope for New Blood in 2010

As bad economic reports keep coming, Republicans are seeing candidate recruitment soar, the Hill reports. The party has had “probably its first good couple weeks in four years,” says an analyst, fueled in large part by rising unemployment and sinking stocks. Meanwhile, Democrats have lost top Senate candidate recruits and been unable to halt Senate primaries in key New York and Pennsylvania races.

Among top recruiting news for the GOP: New Hampshire AG Kelly Ayotte and Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk are running for the US Senate, and a batch of candidates joined the fight for key House seats. It’s “not so much that it’s pro-Republican as it is anti-Democrat,” said a GOP pollster. Also working against Dems, Republicans say, are the controversial health care push, dissent over energy policy, and discussion of another stimulus.
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