Schmookler talks state of the race on Election Eve

It’s an uphill battle, to be sure, for Andy Schmookler, the Democratic Party congressional candidate in the bright-red Sixth District.

There’s little that Schmookler, a Shenandoah County writer and political commentator, can do on Election Eve to change the state of the race. So he’s thinking ahead to the postgame.

“How can I use where I am right now to the best effect to fight the battle that led me to get in the race in the first place?” said Schmookler as he met with volunteers at the Waynesboro Democratic Party headquarters late Monday.

Winning the race, of course, would be a great way to achieve his purpose, which he defined as having “as much of an impact as possible on turning around the destructive political dynamic that’s degrading our country.”

Schmookler has been critical of 10-term Republican incumbent Bob Goodlatte and congressional Republicans for their unwillingness to work across the aisle with President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. Republicans have effectively used the rules in place in Congress to block as much of the Obama-Democrat agenda from taking effect as possible, but critics have charged that they have done so without proposing an alternative agenda.

Schmookler plans to be active politically win or lose.

“If I don’t win, I’ll be asking myself the same question. What can I do now to make the best use of what we’ve built and what we’ve accomplished?” Schmookler said.