Muñoz - Heimlich

Gee, I saw it in Republican State Central Committeeman John Becker’s report on Tuesday, and didn’t think it was a big deal.

Bill Sloat was the first blogger on the news, followed by Matt at Weapons of Mass Discussion and Dave at Wide Open.

First, to dispel the inevitable: I haven’t endorsed any Republican in the Second Congressional District. At this point I don’t intend to, but I reserve the right to change my mind. I will only say that anyone who wants to take the seat away from incumbent Jean Schmidt should have to tell us why their performance will be better than hers, not just that he or she happens not to be her. None of this should surprise anyone.

Now to the Anthony Muñoz situation. Matt, Dave, and, in his follow-up post, Bill Sloat, are all calling the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s October 16 appearance as a guest speaker at “the fundraiser at the home of Bob and Marilyn Rhein” (from Becker’s post) an “endorsement.”

It is not. Obviously, it’s a show of support. Muñoz may endorse Heimlich, but he hasn’t yet, and based on past history, there’s at least some reason to believe he won’t.

“Showing support” vs. “endorsing” is more than a distinction without a difference. In January and February of 2006, during Bob McEwen’s second attempt to defeat Schmidt, Muñoz’s endorsement of McEwen from the Spring 2005 Special Election primary stayed on McEwen’s campaign web site for several weeks after he announced his candidacy. Muñoz’s name was at some point taken down, along with the names of several others who had endorsed McEwen in 2005, but were not doing so in 2006. One of those other names was that of right-to-life legend John Willkie, who endorsed Schmidt.

In March, during preparation for an unsuccessful election law complaint against McEwen relating to endorsements and other matters, I spoke with Muñoz’s personal secretary, who, apparently after speaking with Muñoz, specifically told me that he would not be endorsing anyone in the primary. Muñoz did indeed “show support” for McEwen by appearing at a campaign fundraiser that also featured jack Kemp. But he never formally endorsed McEwen, and his name never reappeared on McEwen’s Endorsements page, which still exists, during the 2006 campaign.

Given what came out about Mr. McEwen during the final few weeks of the 2006 primary campaign, I suspect that Mr. Muñoz is more than a little relieved that he did not formally endorse him. That lack of a formal endorsement saved Muñoz, who is heavily involved in the community with character-building and other noble programs, quite a bit of embarrassment and backtracking.

Now, to Heimlich. His web site does not have an endorsements page. It does have an announcement of the October 16 event, which begins as follows:

NFL Hall-of-Famer Anthony Munoz will be the featured speaker at a fundraiser to support Phil Heimlich’s campaign for Congress on October 16.

The fundraiser is to support Heimlich; the speaker, as of this moment, hasn’t endorsed him.

That said, there are solid reasons, including Heimlich’s involvement in some of the same character-related programs as Muñoz, and Heimlich’s probable lack of McEwenesque overstuffed baggage, to believe that a formal endorsement by Muñoz is coming. If it does, it will shake up the race. Until then, I remain true to my patron saint’s nickname.