When Steve Daines throws his hat into the U.S. Senate ring, probably Tuesday, Kalispell Republican State Senator Jon Sonju will throw his hat into the U.S. House of Representatives ring, probably Wednesday. Sonju, reports Charles Johnson, is ready to throw and simply waiting for Daines to announce for the senate.
He’s hired Republican strategist and former state GOP Chairman Erik Iverson, who works for Moore Information, a polling firm. Iverson was a key adviser to the 2012 U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Denny Rehberg, who lost a close race to U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.
The Montana Street Fighter blog is not impressed:
Sonju may be beloved by the whack job TEA Bagger faction up in the Flathead, but he is less popular in places like Yellowstone – a key battleground in a statewide race. “Sonju who?”
But Street Fighter is right on the money regarding the wing on which Sonju and other Republican house seekers will fly:
All the Republicans looking to replace their great leader Daines will run hard to the right. In fact, as of right now, a potential moderate Republican candidate has yet to show any interest in running for the House. By contrast, the Democrats have put forward John Lewis, a mainstream Montanan who will be able to appeal to both the base and Independents.
I consider Sonju the frontrunner for the nomination, and at this point a slight favorite to beat John Lewis in the 2014 general election. Sonju is an attractive young politician with years of service in the legislature, an agreeable personality, and experience as a statewide candidate. I don’t agree with him on most issues, but that disagreement does not prevent me from recognizing his political talent.