Could the man we at RK like to call "Sideshow Bob" -- Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), that is -- actually defeat former Governor Jim Gilmore in the GOP nomination contest for U.S. Senate? According to this morning's Washington Post, it sure sounds like a possibility:
"From what we can tell, we are ahead," Marshall said. "This [Gilmore] is someone who is bluffing at poker because he doesn't have a good hand."Marshall estimated that he has secured three of every four delegates in Loudoun County as well as a majority in Fairfax County, where activists had until late March to register as delegates. Marshall also expects to rack up big margins in Prince William County, where activists will convene today to choose delegates.
Marshall said he has also snared about half of the delegates in heavily Republican Chesterfield County in suburban Richmond. If true, the Chesterfield results could be a bad sign for Gilmore, who lives in suburban Richmond.
It will be fascinating to watch this process unfold through the last weekend in May, when the GOP holds its nominating convention and decides which candidate -- Jim "No Car Tax" Gilmore or "Sideshow" Bob Marshall -- will gain the privilege of getting slaughtered by taking on Mark Warner in November.
UPDATE: The Richmond Times Dispatch writes that Gilmore "appears to have early delegate lead on Marshall."
However, I expect him to fall flat on his face against Gilmore in most of the rest of the state; as the rest of them all know Gimore's name better and most rural conservatives are not as interested in Bob's personal vision of theocracy.
Chesterfield surprises me some, because it includes some pretty rural areas.. I guess the exburbs of both Richmond and Petersburg outnumber the rural areas?
Sideshow Bob is still a sideshow.
Frankly, I'm surprised Marshall thinks he can run for the Senate without his name being dragged through the mud. He is either that arrogant or that delusional.