Republicans: Look to Fairfax and St. Louis Counties!

Here is a fascinating look at the reasons for the defeats of Sen. George Allen in Virginia and Sen. Jim Talent in Missouri, and the picture they paint of the Republican future in "red" states whose demographics may be turning them purplish.

The changes are taking place pretty much in two counties in which, as it happens, I've lived, and both of which are the largest counties in their respective states: Fairfax County in Virginia, and St. Louis County in Missouri.

But as the article points out, the drift of Virginia and Missouri into the "blue" column isn't inevitable. People in those two counties need to be able to see Republicans as compassionate as well as merely conservative.

Which argues for Huckabee or McCain in 2008. Romney or Brownback might also be able to pull it off. Or any one of them might blow it.

One thing's for sure, though: without both Virginia and Missouri, it's unlikely that any Republican will be elected president two years from now.

HT: Real Clear Politics