Republicans Love Pelton at-Large

While at-Large candidate Dave Pelton's press release today says that winning the Davidson County Republicans at-Large Straw Poll (at $25.00 a head admission) "proves" his broad appeal, I would have to say that it proves that his red-meat, culture warrior e-mail to certain voters saying that only he could protect them from left-wing domination of the Metro Council was effective at rallying a conservative cadre of Republicans who could afford entrance to the picnic.

The comments in that e-mail are rather bizarre, but the fact that they were written in the space between endorsement by the local teachers' union (not a favorite of social conservatives) and the occasion of the Davidson Co. GOP Straw Poll gives it a certain tactical campaign logic. The e-mail should have put the torches-and-pitch-forks social conservatives at ease enough to cast a vote for Mr. Pelton.

I also heard today that Charlie Tygard came in second with the Republicans, who don't have an easy go in largely Democratic Davidson County. That would make sense since Mr. Tygard generally votes with the conservative wing of the Metro Council. Every time I hear his name, I cannot help but be reminded of him absurdly railing against the Metro Courthouse Public Square as a "monument to government."


UPDATE: Sean tells us that Buck Dozier overwhelmingly won the Republicans' Mayoral Straw Poll. No surprise there. If I were a Republican, especially a plugged-into-the-system Republican business man, I would probably vote for Dozier, too.