As Republicans in TX-22 may soon find, it's not an easy task trying to win election to the House of Representatives as a write-in candidate. Nonetheless, Ken Rudin notes three have done it successfully in the last half century.
Dale Alford, Arkansas, 1958: "The issue here was President Eisenhower's sending in federal troops to integrate Central High School in Little Rock. Most Arkansas politicians opposed the intervention, but Rep. Brooks Hays (D) tried to mediate the standoff between the federal government and Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus (D). This inflamed segregationists in the state, who rallied around a Citizens Council candidate in the Democratic primary. Hays prevailed by a 3-2 margin. Then, with a week to go before the November election, Alford, a member of the Little Rock school board, launched a write-in bid against Hays. Backed by Faubus' allies, Alford won in a major upset by just over 1,200 votes (51-49 percent)."
Joe Skeen, New Mexico, 1980: "Five-term Rep. Harold Runnels, a conservative Democrat, was so popular in his district that the Republicans didn't even put up a candidate against him, either in 1978 or '80. Then, on Aug. 5, 1980, Runnels, 56, died of cancer. The state attorney general, a Democrat, announced that the Democrats could replace Runnels on the ballot but that it was too late for the Republicans to do so. Enraged Republicans rallied behind a write-in effort by Skeen, a former state senator who twice ran for governor and who was well-known in the district. The Democrats also had their problems: They nominated David King, the nephew of Gov. Bruce King, to replace Runnels on the ballot. David King had only moved his voter registration into the district some 10 days after Runnels died. Worse, he defeated Runnels' widow Dorothy for the nomination, which led her to launch a write-in candidacy as well. The Democratic disarray enabled Skeen to win as a write-in candidate with 38 percent of the vote."
Ron Packard, California, 1982: "Eighteen Republicans were running in the primary for the seat being vacated by Rep. Clair Burgener (R). The winner was political novice Johnny Crean, whose family wealth bankrolled his saturation of the airwaves in the district, situated just north of San Diego. Crean spent well over $750,000 in the primary, then a substantial amount, mostly attacking his fellow Republicans, while ducking candidate forums and personal appearances. Crean defeated Carlsbad Mayor Ron Packard in the primary by 92 votes out of more than 83,000 cast. Furious, Packard announced a write-in effort. Fearful that the GOP split in this overwhelming GOP district could end up electing a Democrat, there was great pressure on Packard to end his bid. But he refused, and won the seat with 37 percent of the vote. The Democrat finished second with 32 percent; Crean received 31 percent."
Wikipedia also has an excellent run down of successful write-in candidacies.
August 28, 2006
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