In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Anti-gunner Paul Helmke Loses Decisively in IN
offeror
Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
Anti-gun Republican Primary candidate Paul Helmke lost decisively (by about 20% of the vote) in every county in Northeast Indiana yesterday. Mark Souder was predicted the winner by the local media by 8 PM last night, and the election had been decided and concession had been made by the time our late news broadcasts aired at 10 and 11 PM. Helmke remarked that he had hoped to campaign on the notion that he could better support President Bush -- but when Bush loudly endorsed conservative incumbent Mark Souder a week before the vote, that plank of Helmke's platform went out the window. Helmke complained that he had been criticized practically from day one of his filing, but the truth is that there was no personal attack leveled at Mr. Helmke -- criticism was quite well focused and targeted at his positions on issues, his effectiveness while in the Fort Wayne mayoral office for 12 years, and the results (the legacy) of his terms in office.
Interestingly, both Republican candidates were pro-life, making that a non-issue. Helmke's "liberal" reputation was largely based on his Washington connections to Clinton and his administration's policies. Helmke made the mistake early in Clinton's presidency of talking about having been a school chum of Bill's, and then when the scandal broke, this information became a liability. Add to that the fact that Mr. Souder gently mentioned, on several occasions, that Helmke was anti-gun while Souder was pro-2nd Amendment, and combine that with a very active NRA mailing campaign (for which I personally am very grateful to those responsible at the NRA/ILA offices), and you have a recipe for disaster for Mr. Helmke. Since Republican candidates seldom have serious contenders at the Primary level, this race attracted much national attention in Washington, and the defeat of Mr. Helmke has just that much more impact as a result. This has been a significant example to Washington observers and one of the lessons linked to Souder's win which Washington must take note of is the fact that middle America is enthusiastically voting for conservative values, strong homeland security, and the positive input of the NRA. And they did reject Helmke's characterization of himself as a middle-of-the-road Republican -- they branded him a liberal for his views and defeated him for it. This helps determine, folks, what a Republican is supposed to look like, and stand for.
Damn, I'm proud of this district.
When asked if he would further pursue political office, Helmke remarked that for now he would get back to being a lawyer in Fort Wayne.
- Life NRA Member
If dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Interestingly, both Republican candidates were pro-life, making that a non-issue. Helmke's "liberal" reputation was largely based on his Washington connections to Clinton and his administration's policies. Helmke made the mistake early in Clinton's presidency of talking about having been a school chum of Bill's, and then when the scandal broke, this information became a liability. Add to that the fact that Mr. Souder gently mentioned, on several occasions, that Helmke was anti-gun while Souder was pro-2nd Amendment, and combine that with a very active NRA mailing campaign (for which I personally am very grateful to those responsible at the NRA/ILA offices), and you have a recipe for disaster for Mr. Helmke. Since Republican candidates seldom have serious contenders at the Primary level, this race attracted much national attention in Washington, and the defeat of Mr. Helmke has just that much more impact as a result. This has been a significant example to Washington observers and one of the lessons linked to Souder's win which Washington must take note of is the fact that middle America is enthusiastically voting for conservative values, strong homeland security, and the positive input of the NRA. And they did reject Helmke's characterization of himself as a middle-of-the-road Republican -- they branded him a liberal for his views and defeated him for it. This helps determine, folks, what a Republican is supposed to look like, and stand for.
Damn, I'm proud of this district.
When asked if he would further pursue political office, Helmke remarked that for now he would get back to being a lawyer in Fort Wayne.
- Life NRA Member
If dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
This guy would have been no less dangerous an opponent to the Second Amendment than Chuck Schumer or Sarah Brady. He wouldn't have represented the will of the district on the issue -- he would have rationalized gun control as meaning a "safer" homeland, and rather than listening to us on the issue he would have lectured us about it. It is difficult to overestimate the importance to gun owners of his defeat for the U.S. Congress. We owe George W. a huge debt of gratitude for endorsing Souder and shooting a TV commercial with him, because Helmke feels that put the lid on his coffin, that and the money Souder got from other Republicans in Congress to keep running his TV ads right up through election day.
- Life NRA Member
If dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878