“He has a strong voting record that [appeals to] the Republican constituency, he thinks for himself, and he’s willing to go outside the box on some things,” says Jack Holmes, a political scientist at Hope College in Holland, Mich.
For example, after serving two terms as chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, McCotter recommended phasing it out and using its funds to pay down the national debt.
Indeed, McCotter’s voting record bears testament to the congressman’s strong conservative and fiscal credentials, perhaps his greatest asset, and one which will serve him especially well among blue-collar voters and give him populist appeal.
And in a race where most candidates are schooled by image consultants in the finer arts of polishing their personas, McCotter is refreshingly real, says Professor Holmes, who’s heard McCotter speak several times.
“He’s a thoughtful individual, a thinking conservative who’s going to look at the issues in his own way and be his own person,” he says.
His independent personality has already won him the support of conservative commentator and publisher Andrew Breitbart, who, in an interview with Politico, called the candidate “blunt, sarcastic, pop-culture-savvy, constitutionally sound, and an authentic voice.”
