Shelley Adler’s campaign is in trouble.
She is not raising and will not raise enough money to topple a popular sitting Congressman.
She could not figure out her opinion on ObamaCare and then picked the wrong one. She is losing support among unions that traditionally back Democrats. She needs me to proofread her website for pete’s sake!
The Adler camp, running a race in a newly drawn, more Republican 3rd Congressional District is running out of options. So they are going for what they perceive to be Congressman Runyan’s weak spot: Debates.
In 2010 Jon Runyan had three debates with then Congressman John Adler. Adler, a Harvard graduate and long time attorney and politician handled the events with ease…
He made lofty mini-speeches, he deflected questions and attacks, he even sometimes got the crowd on his side in only a way that someone with lots of experience in this game could.
In contrast, Runyan was a novice and it showed. He at one point made a comment in a debate that he saw the Dred Scott decision as the most important Supreme Court ruling in the last one hundred years (Dred Scott came down 1857). I am sure that he would agree that it was an embarrassing moment. Fortunately Congressman Runyan had two things going for him after that night in Cherry Hill:
- Flubbing Supreme Court history has absolutely nothing to do with being an effective legislator.
- People saw through Adler’s good performance and wanted a congressman that truly represented the district.
A lot has actually changed in two short years. Jon Runyan is not the same candidate he was back then. He is better coached, better spoken, and far more knowledgable. The last time I saw Runyan speak was at his headquarters opening in Marlton, NJ where he spoke completely off the cuff and did not so much as fumble one word. It was a transformation I had not expected, and one that should worry Shelley Adler.
Adler has called on Runyan to join her for six debates between Labor Day and Election Day. She figures that if she can trip Congressman Runyan up on stage in front of hundreds who come to watch that she can steal votes away based on that alone. Not only is that assumption asinine to the core, but it reeks of desperation. But I cannot say that I am surprised. What else can a campaign do when it seems that nothing will go its way?
The old Runyan beat an incumbent, Adler’s husband, who was arguably sharper and definitely more well known and supported than she is (Hell, at least he lived in the district!). The new Runyan should be able to handle her without a problem.
