Hasner polls on par with fellow Republicans seeking to topple Nelson

Never let it be said Republicans run short on candidates. Three well-known Republicans are engaged in a battle for the chance to topple Florida Democrat Bill Nelson from his U.S. Senate seat. The battle is fairly heated, considering the three Primary contenders all belong to the same Party and claim conservative positions.

At the moment, a poll roundup at Real Clear Politics shows each Republican trailing Nelson, with Sen. George LeMieux down by 11 and candidates Mike Haridopolos (president of the Florida State Senate) and former Florida state representative Adam Hasner down by 12.

Down at this point means little; it’s early yet. And an 11-12 point margin doesn’t exactly put feathers in Nelson’s cap because the Republican nominee is unresolved at present.

Adam Hasner is one of three Republican candidates seeking a chance to oppose Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. (Photo from Adam Hasner Facebook Page; screen snip)Hasner intrigued me by jumping into the field to begin with. LeMieux had served in  the US Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez. Former governor Charlie Crist (NPA) appointed LeMieux. Haridopolos had received praise from high profile legacy media like The Washington Post. Both Haridopolos and LeMieux have the fundraising edge among big money Republicans; that is indisputable.

But Hasner has managed to connect with Republicans because despite the money matters, Hasner is polling right alongside Haridopolos and LeMieux.

Hasner has also received an outright endorsement from influential conservative talk show host and blogger Erick Erickson (Red State). The Minority Report pointed out Erickson referred to LeMieux as “LeCrist” and TMR also pointed out Erickson’s concern about Republicans losing sight of the importance of the Senate races because of the critical race against President Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012.

Nelson is a thorn in the side of conservatives of all persuasion. The Washington Post database on voting records shows why. Nelson votes with Democrats 92 percent of the time; at present the Democrats follow a socialist progressive ideology.

Nelson supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, casually referred to as ObamaCare. Like most of his colleagues, Nelson may not have read the bill that is, in the opinion of those who did read the bill, a cataclysmic disaster for healthcare in the future.

Nelson voted against repealing ethanol subsidies even as Democrats attacked tax-friendly policy for cheaper energy sources. Nelson also took a progressive position on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty most Republicans opposed. Nelson also voted for amnesty for millions of foreign nationals when Democrats presented their version of the DREAM Act in an obvious ploy to gain votes by any means after the November, 2010 shellacking the Party experienced.

As if those votes aren’t bad enough, Nelson asked the US Dept. of Justice to go after Florida after the state legislature took up a bill to streamline voting. Nelson viewed the bill as an attempt at disenfranchising progressive youths. Perhaps he didn’t read the bill because the legislation would not disenfranchise anyone.

Nelson also took little interest in April when a threatened government shutdown held potential to delay paychecks for members of the military. The US Report was one of a very few voices protesting that potential delay and the response from Nelson was less than acceptable.

Hasner is taking his Republican competition in stride, even making his fundraising status a plus. In a statement, his campaign noted Hasner is relying on small and grassroots donors:
"We always expected the two establishment opponents to start off raising more money than us, because that's what the establishment does...But we'll ultimately win this race because of our positive conservative principles and a growing grassroots movement that's looking for leaders who'll stand up to Democrats and Republicans who act like them.”

Hasner also uses social media like Facebook where he has a very active page.

Hasner was scheduled to guest on NE Florida’s popular ‘What’s the Buzz’ talk show on WBOB 600 am radio (5-6 p.m. EDT) on Thursday, July 7. Hasner will also speak at the annual Red State Gathering, to be held in Charleston Aug. 12-14. Other guests include Texas governor Rick Perry and SC governor Nikki Haley.

The US Report will attend the Red State gathering and cover events for our readers.

(Analysis by Kay B. Day/July 7, 2011)

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