The USA Today, Friday, April 6, 2010
Where Are They Now? 2010 Election Special
It's only been a few short months since the news was fluttered with information about how Matt Skinner was going to modernize the Republican Party or the events surrounding Marcus Blakemore's attempted assassination. Those reports have died down since the Republican field dwindled down to just Glen Allen Walken, but the former candidates are all but forgotten.
In our first installment of "Where Are They Now? 2010 Election Special," we catch up with the first five of last year's failed presidential nominees. The second part will continue with Former Governor Edward Pratt, Governor Eric Swenson, General Nicholas Alexander, Former Governor Marcus Blakemore, and Congressman Darren Gibson.
[Editor's note: We did have a piece written on Senator Jimmy Hobuck, but with his untimely passing, we removed it out of respect to the Senator's family.]
1.
Mike Reed - Former Governor of Ohio (1999-2007); Campaign began December 11, 2008; Ended October 21, 2009
Reed's fame during the campaign came from a viral video released without Reed's consent in early March. The video, as well as Reed's laid-back approach to campaigning, caused many to believe he was not a serious candidate, and outside his home state, he consistently managed to place last, or near-to-last place in polls. During the last few months of the campaign, it was believed that Reed was running more for Vice President than President, an accusation he has never addressed. Despite beliefs that his campaign effectively ended in early June, he stuck to the trail, withdrawing in October after the entrance of Senator "Hawk" Fuller in the race.
Since his withdrawal, Reed has continued to make public appearances and speeches. He has capitalized on his internet popularity by reaching out to a younger audience, mainly through his daughter Eileen's popular internet blog. Recently, he made speeches at CPAC, and on March 7th, endorsed former Acting President Glen Alan Walken for the nomination. He is usually considered seventh or eighth place in the running for Walken's VP, behind his fellow Ohioan Ruth Norton-Stewart. Contrary to popular rumors, Reed is not related to former British Prime Minister Henry Reed. They did, however, meet in 1995, when Prime Minister Reed visited an American state dinner and Mike Reed was serving as President Lassiter's Deputy Communications Director.
2.
Jeff Haffley - Congressman from Washington's 5th District (1991-Present), Former Speaker of the House (2003-2007); Campaign began December 22, 2008; Ended January 7, 2010
Haffley was briefly the frontrunner until Governor Sullivan's declaration on January 7, 2009. He spent the next year trying to regain the top spot, but was consistently seen as a third, fourth, and finally fifth place candidate, behind stronger personalities, such as Walken, Alexander, and Fuller. There was some controversy surrounding Haffley's campaign being copied in the vein of Santos', but he did manage to gather some high-profile endorsements, including commentator Taylor Reid and Senator Joe Gillis. He withdrew following a last-place turnout in the Iowa primary.
Other than Sullivan, Haffley had the longest pre-primary campaign, and the only "December candidate" to reach into the primary season, if only briefly. Unlike the other candidates, Haffley never endorsed another candidate after his withdrawal, with most of his supporters siding with General Alexander (who is now running an Independent campaign). Haffley presumably endorses the party's nominee, Walken, but has not stated so publicly, vowing instead to "return to [his] district and vote for Republican causes."
3.
Sam Wendt - Congressman for South Carolina's 2nd District (1995-Present); Campaign began December 23, 2008; Ended April 21, 2009
Although considered to be a respectable, conservative politician, with Presidential appeal, albeit a longshot, Congressman Wendt's campaign quickly veered out of control with revelations of his continual alcohol abuse and drunken attacks, both physical and verbal, on the media and his fellow candidates. His tirades caused his entire campaign staff to abandon him, increased scorn from the RNC, and eventually he was kicked out of his own party, ending any chance at a presidential run.
In order to maintain his position in the House (as an independent), Wendt was forced to enter rehab on May 1st. He came out 83 days later in mid-July, and has reportedly been sober ever since. He continues to champion conservative causes, and was an early supporter of Walken after his withdrawal, something not reported on in the media. Although he has made overtures to rejoin the South Carolina Republican Party, he was effectively banned from running in the 2010 primary for his district's seat. He has stated he will not run for election as an Independent, and will therefore retire from the seat in January 2011.
4.
Ray Sullivan - Former Governor of West Virginia (2001-2009); Campaign began January 7, 2009; Ended March 2, 2010
The longest-campaigner for the 2010 nomination (Walken will exceed Sullivan's 14 months in mid-May), Sullivan was considered the front-runner almost from the end of last election, where he was Arnold Vinick's running mate. Sullivan declared in January, and until December easily held frontrunner status over the other candidates with minimal campaigning necessary. A moderate, much of Sullivan's support was taken with the introductions of Nicholas Alexander and Marcus Blakemore to the campaign, all but assuring a smooth victory for Glen Alan Walken. With the later withdrawal from Blakemore and eventually Alexander, Sullivan gained some momentum, but it was too late and Walken eventually gained enough delegates after Mini-Tuesday to become the presumptive nominee. Sullivan conceded the campaign, and within weeks gave a full endorsement to Walken (mostly drowned out with the disappearance and later "capture" of New Mexico Governor Rudi Vansen).
It's only been a few weeks since Sullivan's withdrawal, and other than an appearance at CPAC and the endorsement of Walken, he has made minimal public appearances. Most commentators agree that Sullivan will likely not become Walken's running mate, but it is believed he may secure a spot on Walken's potential cabinet, perhaps as Attorney General.
5.
Matt Skinner - Congressman for Vermont's At-Large District (1995-Present); Campaign began January 7, 2009; Ended November 16, 2009
Upon his entry in January, Skinner became the most talked-about of the early candidates due to his sexual orientation rather than the issues. Skinner was decried by the ultra-conservatives in his party, such as Wesley Burke and Libby Lassiter, purely because of his orientation, and many moderates had already supported Sullivan, leaving Skinner an underdog behind the likes of Sullivan, Haffley, Blakemore, Walken, and Alexander (controversies such as the Hampton e-mails and "Bridgegate" did little to help in this period). He withdrew from the race after the fourth debate, and decided to endorse Glen Alan Walken as nominee. The reasons for his withdrawal weren't apparent right away, and DNC Chairman Josh Lyman claimed that Skinner was forced out by the Republican Party. Skinner later rebutted Lyman, claiming he withdrew purely on lack of support.
Since his withdrawal and the exchange with Lyman, Skinner has announced his intention to run for the Senate (some believe that was his reasoning for withdrawal), and most of his recent attention has been on that race. He did attend the recent CPAC, where he denounced statements by his former fellow candidate Edward Pratt that homosexuality was a threatening lifestyle.
