How much will Republican social issues really matter this year?
— The conventional wisdom is that Angle’s brand of Christian conservatism may well be too much for the libertarian-ish voters in the Silver state to bear. Truth is, Lowden and Tarkanian hold similar, if more nuanced views. But I think there’s a few important caveats. First, Harry Reid is pro-life, which deprives him of the number one card typically played against Christian conservatives in swing states. Second, the idea that the state won’t elect a social conservative statewide is belied by the fact that it has twice elected John Ensign, and elected Governor Gibbons in 2006. Most importantly, I’m not sure that voters are focused on social issues this year, and even if Angle/Reid/Tarkanian are poor fits for libertarian-leaning voters, so too is Reid. After all, Reid brings a ton of baggage to the table, as a leading face of the Washington that voters presently despise. Reid may run ads implying that Angle wants to make beer illegal, or that Tarkanian favors Arizona’s illegal immigratio
