Northup to Alaska: The Rush Is On

From the latest Economist magazine: The Republican who heads the executive is wildly unpopular. His scandal-plagued administration is accused of arrogance and indifference to the public mood. Others in his party are desperate to avoid losses at the polls. This scenario turned out badly for congressional Republicans last November, when an unpopular president cost them control of both chambers. Now Kentucky Republicans face a similar challenge.

The state's governor, Ernie Fletcher, has little public support... [and] Northup's strengths would arguably help her even more in a statewide race than they did in her heavily Democratic Louisville district, where she won five straight congressional elections before last year's defeat. She won those races not by being a centrist or moderate, as Republicans in other heavily Democratic districts have configured themselves, but by combining an air of competence and concern for the district with a conservative message. That combination should work even better in more conservative parts of the state.

Although they do not yet know who the opponent will be, Kentucky's Republicans know enough about their incumbent to be worried. The details of his administration's patronage scandal, as is usual in such cases, are tedious and unseemly. Politically, it is enough to know that Mr Fletcher has pardoned lots of his own people and refused to testify. Whatever the merits of the charges, moreover, the governor has failed in general to endear himself to voters.

Last autumn, as many states prepared to elect new governors, only two—Alaska's Frank Murkowski and Ohio's Bob Taft—were more unpopular than Kentucky's. In Alaska, Republicans had faced up to their problem by replacing Mr Murkowski in the primary. The Republican nominee, Sarah Palin, then won the general election handily. So far in Kentucky, the polls show a close race between Mr Fletcher and Mrs Northup. But a growing number of influential Republicans are in favour of the Alaskan approach.

In 2006, Anne Northup was defeated. This is correct. She combined an air of competence and concern with a conservative message? She combined pork barrel spending and a liberal voting record. Polls show a close race? Last month, Northup gained nothing. Republicans favor the Alaskan approach? Correct. We favor sending Northup there.