Is the GOP driving out moderates?

When a moderate Republican decides to take a pass on running for an open U.S. Senate seat, I think it's a problem. The WaPo reports:

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III said this morning that he will not make a run for the U.S. Senate next year in part because of what he sees as the Republican Party's increasingly narrow focus on candidates who pass conservative litmus tests.

Davis (R-Va.), who has been preparing for a Senate bid for years, said national and state Republicans have failed to recognize how dramatically the country's electorate is changing. Continuing to close their tent to such groups as social moderates, immigrants and those who look to government to protect public schools or reform health care will result in further electoral losses, he said.

Would I vote for Davis if I lived in Virginia? No. But I still think it's tragic how Republicans seem to be squeezing their more moderate members out.

How do they think this will help them win elections? The president's approval rating is at an all time low for ANY president. So why are party faithfuls still listening to the likes of Karl Rove and James Dobson?

Davis, 58, said his decision to take a pass on the Senate race next year was fueled largely by the Republican State Central Committee's decision this month to choose a convention over a primary to nominate the GOP Senate candidate in the spring. The choice is widely viewed to favor former governor James S. Gilmore III, whose right-leaning positions on taxes and social issues are more likely to appeal to the conservative Republicans who tend to participate in conventions.

Still, Davis, a seven-term congressman and former chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, appeared far from ready to withdraw from politics. He said his decision on whether to seek reelection to the House next year will come later. In addition, his choice of a roomful of Washington journalists as his audience seemed designed to give himself a national platform as GOP critic. It is a role that could keep him relevant if the party's fortunes continue to suffer.

I hope he continues to speak out!