John McCain, Reform Republican
The Democrats’ 54 to 46 victory in last night’s special election in the Mississippi First Congressional District shows just how damaged the Republican brand is. Just four years ago, Bush got 62 percent of the vote in this district. As Tim Montgomerie puts it, the Republicans losing this seat is akin to the Tories being beaten in a by-election in Kensington and Chelsea.
John McCain, with his reputation for being a maverick, is the only Washington Republican who could be competitive in this kind of environment and McCain is cleverly trying to drive home to voters that he is not a typical Republican by placing great emphasis on climate change and through events such as his tour of the ‘forgotten parts’ of America. But I wonder whether McCain shouldn’t go even further and start styling himself a Reform Republican. This would emphasise both that he is a different kind of Republican and that he intends to bring change to Washington, an issue that will be crucial for voters in this election and one where McCain trails Obama by a country mile.