Former Georgetown Mayor Brian Pettyjohn, a Republican, has filed as a write-in candidate for the 19th Senate seat. Far Right radical religious conservative teabagger Eric Bodenweiser won the Republican primary against the incumbent Republican Senator Joe Booth. The Democratic nominee is Jane Hovington.
Today was the deadline for write in candidacies to be filed.
I have been told that Joe Booth had been considering a write in campaign, but in the end he was “cool” with losing in the primary and if he were to run a write in campaign, he would need Eric Bodenweiser to step aside, something that Eric has no reason to do since he is the legitimate nominee and there are no career ending scandals coming down the pike that would tip this race into the hands of the Democrat. Hell, even if there was a career ending scandal, the Republican nominee would still likely win this seat.
So the interesting and necessary question is why? Is there really a ground swell of revulsion among normal reasonable Republicans in the 19th SD against Bodenweiser as their next Senator? Does Pettyjohn really have that much support among such Republicans, who likely voted for Booth in the primary? Are these Republicans willing to divide the electorate so much that Jane Hovington might have a chance to be elected?
So what will happen? Why is this happening? Questions that we find out shortly, I am sure.