Paul Begala is right. “Democrats shouldn’t try to spin this loss,” Begala, a veteran political consultant, tweeted after it became clear that the Republicans had won a keenly contested special election for a vacant seat in Florida’s 13th District, which runs through Pinellas County, on the Gulf Coast. “We have to redouble our efforts for 2014. Too much at stake. #noexcuses.” The Democratic contender, Alex Sink, a former gubernatorial candidate, had experience and strong name recognition; the Republican, David Jolly, was a little-known former lobbyist. Despite the endorsement of Begala’s former boss Bill Clinton and other leading Democrats, Sink came in second—largely because her opponent, with the aid of well-financed Republican groups, portrayed her as a poster child for the Affordable Care Act.
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Published on March 12, 2014 13:54