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The Top Five Not-Ready-For-Primetime Freshmen
By Jeremy P. Jacobs
November 10, 2010 | 3:12 PM
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With every incoming class of freshmen in Congress, there are some who are ready for primetime and some who aren't.

Over the next two days, we'll bring you two lists: The top five incoming Republican members who are likely to be rising stars in the GOP and the top five who are most likely to say or do something that, well, won't help their re-election chances.

We'll start with the ones that appear most prone to do something outlandish or who may have already done something that could severely damage their re-election prospects. Who, for example, will be the Republican version of outgoing Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who became known for his liberal rants on health care and against the Bush administration? Which is most likely to give their opponent's press secretary bunny ears on air, a la former Rep. Bill Sali (R-Idaho)?

Stay tuned on Thursday for a look at the five freshmen who will likely be rising stars.

1. Allen West (R-Fla.)

West, who defeated Rep. Ron Klein last Tuesday in a rematch of their 2008 face off, is most likely to become the GOP's equivalent to Grayson. West, an Iraq war veteran, has long been known for incendiary language, including one in which he said the U.S. is at war with Islam. The Republican is also well accustomed to dealing with the media and even hired conservative radio talk show host Joyce Kaufman -- who is known for her own incendiary rants -- as his chief of staff.

2. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas)

Farenthold, who looks like he has beaten Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D), already has a treasure trove of oppo research to use against him. And, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Farenthold was captured hugging a scantily clad woman while wearing pajamas with ducks on them. Really.

3. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.)**

Until the closing days of the campaign, Ellmers was considered a longshot to unseat Rep. Bob Etheridge(D). That's probably why no one paid attention to her outlandish TV ad that claimed that the proposed Ground Zero mosque in New York City was a "victory mosque" for Muslims. Ellmers also didn't make any friends at the National Republican Congressional Committee when she lashed out at them on her website earlier this week for not helping to pay for her recount fees. (The NRCC later chipped in $5,000 for Ellmers, for which she later thanked them.)

4. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.)*

The problem for Walsh, who is leading Rep. Melissa Bean (D), is that no one on his staff appears to like him. Most of his campaign staff walked out on him early in the race, saying that they were "basically just done." His campaign manager sued him for $20,000. And all that came after he had to pay a fine for filing his personal disclosure forms late.

5. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.)*

Unlike the previous members of this list, Buerkle hasn't done anything too far-fetched, but her profile is quite conservative for her district, which gave Pres. Obama 56 percent in 2008. Buerkle is leading Rep. Dan Maffei (D), and has taken some very socially conservative views, most notably on abortion rights. Buerkle is a former head of Syracuse Right To Life and was a spokesman for Operation Rescue. She has also protested Planned Parenthood offices with a group that carried a blackened fetus named "Baby Choice."

Honorable Mention

Jon Runyan (R-N.J.): We don't want to to play into football stereotypes, but if Runyan, a former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman has been known to make a few misstatements. In a debate this year, Rep. John Adler (D) asked him to name a recent Supreme Court decision with which he disagreed. Runyanresponded with Dred Scott, the decision that declared that slaves cannot be U.S. citizens 150 years ago. Also worth keeping in mind: Runyan was once named the second dirtiest player in the NFL.

*These races haven't been officially called yet, but the Republican is leading in each.

** Ellmers was declared the winner, but Etheridge may call for a recount after the re-canvass.


Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
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