All is fair in love and war, but former NFL player Clint Didier needs to stop acting like a petulant child and endorse Washington GOP Senate nominee Dino Rossi.

This year Rossi has a real chance to defeat incumbent Sen. Patty Murray in an overwhelmingly Democratic state. However, if this opportunity is going to reach fruition it is going to require the GOP nominee to garner the vote of nearly every conservative voter in the Evergreen State.

Didier, a political neophyte, made a good showing in the “jungle primary,” garnering 12 percent of the vote – connecting with a good portion of conservative voters in eastern Washington, voters Rossi will need come November. Now that the primary is over, Didier needs to realize that the welfare of his state and his party take precedence over his now defunct candidacy.

It’s not the substance of the requests from Didier that are troubling, it’s the timing and presentation. If Didier’s supporters were looking for a candidate who could say no to the backroom dealing in D.C., it would be ironic indeed for Rossi to kick off his campaign by cutting a deal with Didier, whether it’s based on a pledge, retiring campaign debt, or other reasons. No, if Didier truly wants to push his ideas, he needs to jump in behind Rossi and earn his influence.

For Didier to remain relevant in politics, he needs to endorse Rossi and campaign like heck for him – rather than trying to trip him up. If Didier cares about his supporters and the principles he supported during the primary, he’ll stay in the game and support the team.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia and CivicForumPAC.

On Aug. 10, Centennial State voters will take to the polls to determine who will represent the Republican Party on the ballot in November.

GOP voters will choose between Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and Lt. Governor Jane Norton, two candidates will relatively similar positions on key issues.

The most recent Rasmussen Reports survey indicates that Ken Buck gives the GOP a better pick-up opportunity in the general election than Jane Norton, regardless of Buck’s opponent. On the Dem side, Senate appointee Michael Bennet faces a primary challenge from former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.

Of course the latest Rasmussen survey does not account for Buck’s recent missteps concerning high heels and Tea Party birthers.

While it is not our place to tell Colorado voters which candidate to pick in the upcoming primary, Republicans across the country are counting on them to make a wise choice not just for this year, but one that will be a conservative champion for the next six years.

In all likelihood, the GOP will not retake the Senate this fall. Like NRSC Chairman John Cornyn, we believe that it will take the GOP at least two cycles to retake the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress. Therefore, Republicans across the country need to select Senate candidates who will not succumb to the wiles of Beltway insiders, but respect the conservative principles that many in the Senate grow distant from after they have been elected to office.

We think that Ken Buck has what it takes to make a long-term difference in Washington. Even Buck openly admits that he isn’t going to Washington to attend to politics as usual. According to Buck:

“There is a conservative movement within the Republican Party that distinguishes a lot of us, and we recognize that Republicans are a big part of the problem. . . . I don’t have any deep friends in Washington now, and in six years I won’t have any friends.”

Like many Republican candidates seeking office this year, Buck has made illegal immigration a focal point of his campaign. Ironically, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, a champion of border enforcement, recently endorsed Norton over Buck. Still northern Colorado’s left-leaning Greeley Tribune, who backed Buck, made the point that Buck is the stronger candidate on the issue of illegal immigration:

“While we have often disagreed with Buck’s hard-line stance on illegal immigration, we do believe he is well-equipped to get the issue moving in Washington. His diligence in prosecuting illegal immigrants caught in criminal acts, coupled with his dedication to keeping the issue in the forefront of his campaign, gives us hope that he might actually be able to push federal, comprehensive immigration reform if elected, something no one else in Washington has accomplished successfully.”

Buck’s tenacity as a prosecutor leads us to believe that not only will he serve the interests of Colorado residents, but expand a team that could use more members in the U.S. Senate, conservatives who stand by their principles beyond Election Day.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia and CivicForumPAC

Among Virginia’s most vulnerable Congressional Democrats, freshman incumbent Tom Perriello in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District leads the pack of those who should be shown the door in 2010.

According to NRCC political director Brian Walsh: “Perriello’s district is experiencing some of the highest unemployment rate in the state — yet he has voted for the job-killing trio of the stimulus, cap-and-trade, and government-run healthcare.”

When you combine Perriello’s less than fiscally responsible voting record with the political landscape of the central Virginia House District (The Cook Political Report affixes a Partisan Voting Index of R+5 to VA-5), one would think that Republican nominee Robert Hurt would be in the driver’s seat heading into the fall.

Wishful thinking!

Unfortunately recent fundraising totals paint a bleak picture for the Republican nominee. As of June 30, Perriello had $1.7 million in the bank, while Hurt reported $216,000.

Simply put, save Idaho’s Walt Minnick (D), few House members are as campaign savvy as Perriello. If you don’t believe us, just ask Virgil Goode (R), who Perriello knocked off in 2008 when it appeared that Goode was going to cruise to victory with less than one month to go in that election.

Additionally, Hurt, while not an incumbent, carries the burden of his state legislative career in a district where a significant portion of the conservative electorate would prefer fresh faces in every office. Compared to Perriello, we’re hard pressed to see how Hurt isn’t a good fit for his district, but the lingering animosities that fueled a six-way Republican primary in this district could hinder Hurt’s chances in the fall.

“Some tea party activists still say the GOP nominee, state Sen. Robert Hurt of Chatham, is too mainstream and orthodox,” writes the AP’s Charles Babington. “One of them, Jeff Clark, is on the November ballot as an independent, and he threatens to siphon conservative votes from Hurt.”

Can Hurt Beat Perriello? Yes, but he certainly has a tough road ahead. He must solidify the conservative base, fundraise like mad (in 2008, Perriello raised just under $2 million for his campaign; in 2010, he is already on pace to raise close to $3 million), and expect a no-holds-barred campaign from his opponent.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia and CivicForumPAC

There may not be another incumbent in the country that we would rather see go down in 2010 than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada.

Unfortunately the latest Mason-Dixon poll has Republican nominee Sharron Angle trailing Sen. Reid by seven points in the Silver State.

When you combine the rapid fade of Angle’s post-primary “bounce” with the most recent fundraising numbers through June, which indicate that Reid has $7 million more in the bank than his opponent, one begins to realize that Angle is going to need a great deal of hard work and luck to be victorious in November.

If you think that the Nevada GOP is going to be a driving force in helping Angle turnout the vote, think again. The party’s impact is likely to be limited this fall due to the proposed massive budget cuts in the RNC’s “victory” program.

Angle can turn to high-powered conservative groups for help, right? Yes and No. American Crossroads is doing what it can to curtail Reid’s newfound momentum. But earlier this week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which many analysts believe could greatly aid Republican efforts in 2010, decided to publicly shy away from the Nevada Senate Race citing concerns that a U.S. Senate under the leadership of Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) or Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would be more disastrous to their efforts beyond 2010 than it would if it remained under Reid’s stewardship.

While Election Day is roughly four months away and Angle has demonstrated strong early momentum, Harry Reid’s advantages in the bank and on the ground will continue to present formidable obstacles at every step for Angle, which leads us to believe that GOP should hit the panic button in Nevada every day until November 2^nd.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia and CivicForumPAC

In 2009, the long-ago-Democrat-turned-Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter decided to switch parties one more time, seeking to protect himself from a strong GOP primary challenger. Specter made the switch back to Democrat, only to be defeated in last month’s primary by Rep. Joe Sestak, who will now represent the Democratic Party on the ballot in November.

Earlier this week, deep in the heart of Dixie, Alabama GOP voters showed the Democrat–turned-Republican Congressman Parker Griffith the door – again, for party switching. Like Specter, he was unable to convince enough rank-and-file primary voters that he truly was one of them.

With anti-incumbent sentiment running high this year, it’s safe to say that no amount of spin could cover the naked opportunism of these two candidates. Whatever you call the trend – populism, party purity, anti-establishment, or just an aching desire for an honest politician – it’s clear that voters are tired of those politicians who are more concerned about their future than OUR future.

So where does this leave the Sunshine State’s Charlie Christ, recently a life-long Republican, now an “independent,” no-party candidate running for the U.S. Senate? His poll numbers look good now, but chances are good that his lengthening record of flip-flopping to appease interest groups from both sides will leave him in a squeeze play among both voters and donors as this election goes to the final innings this fall.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia and CivicForumPAC.

Relishing anything that might quell the GOP’s November momentum, the mainstream media is unmercifully hammering the Republican effort in Tuesday’s PA-12 special election.

According to the Obama Administration’s resident journalists-on-call at Politico, “Republicans failed spectacularly [in PA-12], losing on a level playing field where, in this favorable environment, they should have run roughshod over the opposition.”

Sorry, we didn’t know that competing in a congressional district where Democrats hold a 60,000-voter registration edge in a state that was also hosting the most heated Democratic senatorial primary in decades constituted a level playing field. Remember, GOP candidate Burns lost by slightly more than 10,000 votes – hardly a spectacular defeat in that special election.

This upcoming weekend in Hawaii’s First Congressional District, a special election defeat for the ages might actually occur. In a district that President Obama carried with 70 percent of the vote, the race to replace now-departed Democratic incumbent Rep. Neil Abercrombie pits two Democrats against one GOP candidate in a single winner-take all race. On the Dem side are former Rep. Ed Case and state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa; the GOP is represented by Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou.

Due to friction between local Hawaii Democrats and national party leaders (Sen. Inouye and Sen. Akaka), both popular Democratic candidates are fighting to the finish. It is likely that Case and Hanabusa will evenly split the Dem vote, giving Djou, the Republican candidate, a win with well less than 50% of the vote. This heated situation has led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to throw in the towel, refusing to direct any more resources to the race. In fact, the situation has gotten so out of control that the rallying cry in Hawaii among Democrats is a Brewster’s Millions-esque, “Whatever you do, don’t vote for Djou.” Sound familiar? (See, NY-23 2009 Special Election, mainstream media lambasted GOP for similar situation). For added symbolism, HI-1 is the native district of President Obama.

Here’s a prediction — If Djou does win, any mainstream media coverage of the Dem’s internal frictions will disappear over the horizon when the sun sets. No one will be calling to throw Tim Kaine overboard and the mainstream media will go back to the story they love best, beating on the missteps by conservatives, tea party activists and GOP groups as they engage in a very public debate on changing the Washington mindset of tax, spend and then spend some more. You can take that to your bookie, Danno.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia and CivicForumPAC.

On Tuesday, most politicos will be fixated on the special election in Pennsylvania’s 12^th Congressional district, the race to fill Democratic Rep. John Murtha’s seat. Everyone from The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza to the National Journal’s Amy Walter has already weighed in on this race.

Generally speaking, we’re in the camp that believes trying to project the national implications of a special election is about as useful as calling-in to ask Dr. Phil for psychological advice. Even so, we do agree with the consensus across the political spectrum that the race in southwestern Pennsylvania is a must win election for the GOP. Here’s our take on why:

1. PA-12 District Makeup

Residents of this district have a practical, blue-collar mind-set — they are primarily concerned about jobs and hold great contempt for beltway politicking. While Democrats hold a 60,0000 voter registration edge over Republicans in PA-12, this is precisely the type of district Republicans will have to win in other states if the GOP is to take control of the House of Representatives in November.

2. Only CD To Flip From Kerry In 2004 To McCain In 2008

PA-12 is an interesting political animal. As Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball points out, this congressional district was a downright anomaly in 2008. In the last presidential election, McCain picked off this district, though it went for John Kerry four years earlier. If McCain could pick up a win here while losing states that had voted Republican since before Tim Burns was born, this seat is winnable by a GOP candidate (especially one that can actually articulate why he is running).

3. Critz Is Nothing But A Washington Insider

In today’s anti-Washington climate, Mark Critz personifies the Washington establishment. Critz, considered by many to be Murtha’s right hand (or hand in the government wallet, so to speak), is part of the problem, not part of the solution in this narrative. For America to rise from the economic doldrums, Congress is going to need people with experience beyond the beltway. Burns, an entrepreneur and former business owner, is better suited to address the district’s economic woes. If Burns is unable to convince voters that the old way of doing business (pork-barreling, bigger government, higher taxes and unions) is what ails the district, the GOP is going to leave a lot of gains on the table in the fall.

4. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Endorsement

The PA-12 special election to fill the seat for the remainder of the current term is not the only item on Tuesday’s ballot. Each party also will be selecting their respective nominees for November’s general election fight to fill the seat for the next two years. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the liberal rag with the largest daily distribution in the region, has put forth one of the limpest endorsements it could muster: It has endorsed the Democrat, Critz in the special election, but it has chosen to endorse Ryan Bucchianeri in the Democratic primary for the November election. They have essentially tagged Critz as good enough only to keep the seat warm because Bucchianeri “was [more] direct” and forthcoming about his positions on politically controversial issues. If the liberal soapbox of western Pennsylvania concedes that Critz is not their first choice to lead PA-12, the opportunity to win a congressional seat can’t really get any better.

5. Mainstream Media

As Conservatives and Republicans, we know we are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to bias on the part of the mainstream media. Unfortunately, if Tim Burns fails in PA-12, the mainstream media will declare that the GOP is unable to connect with a broad swath of voters in middle America. As summer turns into fall, we certainly don’t want this to be the story line the media peddles.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia and CivicForumPAC

As the nation’s chief Republican organization, the mission of the Republican National Committee (RNC) is to raise money for candidates and committees, disseminate the party’s message to a broad swath of constituents and to mobilize as many voters as possible to the ballot box.

Given the heightened importance of 2010, with the short-term opportunity to shift the balance of power in Congress for the next two years and the even longer-lasting opportunity to shape the redistricting efforts in 2011 by increasing GOP control at the state level, it was extremely disheartening to read a recent New York magazine article entitled “Taking Politics Private.”

In this piece, longtime GOP stalwart Ben Ginsberg posits that the GOP could fall short in 2010 because the RNC is not “developing an [adequate] ground game,” “pumping [enough] money into the congressional campaign committees to put more seats in play,” and dedicating the right amount of resources to redistricting.

With 37 governor’s races on the docket, the battle for redistricting is going to fall squarely on the shoulders of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), and a select group of 527s and financiers.

If the RNC were to dedicate a sizeable portion of its resources to developing a strong ground game and work to put more congressional seats in play, these actions would positively bolster GOP redistricting efforts.

Here is why.

Most state and local GOP committees do not have the resources to conduct a successful field operation, and, due to the efforts of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) and Organizing For America (OFA), the left is better positioned in down-ballot races. Over the last several election cycles, the left has essentially executed a “perpetual campaign” – their efforts to organize never ceased following President Obama’s 2008 victory and the Democrats’ takeover of Congress. For these reasons, it is necessary for the RNC to take the lead and coordinate field operations in contested districts. If the RNC chooses to shy away from this responsibility, several state and local GOP candidates will be adversely affected, thereby hampering Republican redistricting efforts.

On the congressional front, pollster Stuart Rothenberg recently stated that 68 Democrat-held House seats are in play this fall. While this is great news, herein lies the problem. At present, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) doesn’t have the money on-hand to combat the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). In fact, the DCCC, at the end of March, had $16 million more in its coffers than its Republican counterpart. If the RNC does not pursue a more active role in assisting Republican House candidates this year, the GOP will not take full advantage of the current political landscape. By inserting itself into the sweepstakes for the battle of Congress in 2010, the RNC can work to stretch the resources on the left. If successful, the RNC’s actions will have a trickle down effect that will improve the chances of GOP state and local candidates at the ballot box.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are the co-founders of ProjectVirginia – “Where Politics Meets Social Media.”