Warner-Puckett fallout: ‘Brainstorming? Is that what they’re calling it these days?’

By Lynn R. Mitchell

During Monday night’s Virginia U.S. Senate debate between Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner and Republican Ed Gillespie that took place in Richmond, Warner flitted around the issue of Puckettgate, the black cloud that is now hanging over Richmond concerning Democratic State Senator Phil Puckett’s resignation earlier this year. Puckett’s leaving handed control of the senate to Republicans and blocked Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe’s hopes to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (see Warner, Gillespie spar over Puckett scandal, energy, Ebola).

The reasons for what played out are varied (see Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial Warner should come clean):

Cantor challenger Brat stands up Grover Norquist

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Mr. Brat didn’t go to Washington on Wednesday.

The Dave Brat campaign set up a schedule of events for Wednesday in D.C. that included a meeting with Grover Norquist and made sure to spread the news to the press and social media and even the Washington Post.

Washington Post reporter Robert Costa wrote:

Brat, a primary challenger to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), made arrangements to attend two exclusive meetings Wednesday: anti-tax activist Grover Norquist’s weekly breakfast at the Washington offices of Americans for Tax Reform, and the Weyrich lunch, a Capitol Hill gathering of hard-right operatives named after the late conservative strategist Paul Weyrich.

Calls were made, details were confirmed, and on Monday, Brat said in an interview that he was excited … He was ready to make his pitch to the grassroots power brokers who have lifted conservative unknowns with their mailing lists and social-media reach.