Will Seward's election analysis

Will Seward over at More Monmouth Musings offered his explanation for why Andrew Lucas suffered a setback at the polls:

With no incumbents in the race, McMorrow's victory can be chalked up to name recognition, given that this is her second time out. The APP's endorsement no doubt helped, but was not decisive, as Anna Little's victory proves. The Republicans ♥ BARBARA McMORROW movement, rumored to be supported by both supporters of Joe DiBella and Lillian Burry, also was a factor. Not that the signs made a difference in and of themselves. They didn't. The signs were demonstrations that Republican support for Andrew Lucas was weak and divided.

That Lucas's support was weak and divided is only in part his own doing. He was selected, by one vote, by the reformers of the party, but then embraced the old guard in the chairman's race and continued to dance with both sides throughout the summer and most of the fall. He failed to identify himself as a reformer to an electorate that is still angry over the culture of corruption exposed by Operation Bid Rig. His weak endorsement on Anna Little's position on the county counsel fiasco came too late to be considered anything but pandering. He tried to cruise in by offending neither side. Not a bad strategy for a rookie, but not enough to carry the day in this environment.