Nye eager to mount re-election bid?

Buried in a post about the prospects of 2012 for the House of Representatives was an interesting tidbit about the political future of outgoing U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye.

Last we check in on Nye he was cleaning out his office and preparing to turnover the keys to Republican Scott Rigell, who outworked and out muscled Nye in Virginia's 2nd District, which includes parts of Hampton and Norfolk and all of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore.

The piece takes a look at the freshman Republicans that serve in districts that Barack Obama won when he was last on the ticket in 2008. Now comes this look at Nye, which comes from a distinctly blue side of the spectrum.

"Ultra-conservative freshman Blue Dog Glenn Nye, for example, lost his Virginia seat to wealthy far right Republican Scott Rigell. Nye very much wants to run again, and he made many friends among lobbyists and industry groups that like having anti-consumer Democrats like Nye in Congress. If he can raise the money he needs to mount a comeback challenge, he's likely to try again in the hope that having Obama at the top of the ticket will turn out enough Democrats in 2012 to help his chances. This year Democrats just saw no reason to bother showing up in his district, since he tended to vote with Republicans on almost every contested issue."

I wonder what Hampton Roads Democrats - the rank and file folks walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors - would think about this take on Nye. But the post seems fairly confident that Nye wants another chance at the district.

Rigell's folks would have to love the idea of seeing Nye on the trail again in two years - especially after the largely mediocre way that Nye's folks tackled the campaign trail. That said Nye would have higher name recognition than just about any other Democrat currently in the district - redistricting caveat here because there's no telling where those lines might end up after this year.

But the question would really be who would be Nye's champions in the district? Would if be the same folks who said he was working hard for the district this year on the trail? Would there even be a way to tap into the pools of Democratic voters who basically ignored his entire campaign two years after putting him in office?

Comments

[Lynn Larmore]

So glad that Nye is, or will very soon be gone! I think that Scott Rigell will make this district proud! 2012 will be interesting, especially if Nye runs again. Scott Rigell's team is like one I've never seen before and you are right about Nye's medicore staff. Blah!

[JLT]

I voted for Nye in 2008, and was so disappointed with him that I wrote in someone else this year. If he's the nominee in 2012 I'll do the same. If Nye thinks that Obama voters will mindlessly vote for him again in 2012, he's got another thing coming.

[frankoanderson]

Maybe Nye is hoping that people will work hard for Obama and he could ride the coattails again, even though the grassroots doesn't support him.