2008 Congressional, Statehouse Races

[Gokul43201]

Use this thread to discuss local races for Congressional and Gubernatorial seats, and directly related issues.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I was going to vote for Gordon Smith - US Senator [R] from Oregon - whom I've supported twice before, but when I learned of Rove's connections to advertising in Oregon, that was it. Smith denies any connection, but he chose not to explicity denounce the negative ads.

Funny thing is, Smith has effectively been running as a Democrat - he specifically links himself to Obama in his campaign ads. And I do believe that he is better than most. He also denounced Bush for his abuses at a critical time, and for this I do respect him, but at this point he would have to file as an Independent and formally denounce Rove to get my vote.

 

[Astronuc]

We have a local demcrat running for state representative (assemblyman). He's running against Bush and McCain though - at least according to his commercials. You'd think he was running for congress. Local politicians are so parochial, there is isn't much diff between a republican or democrat. There are a few for whom I'd vote on an individual basis - without regard to party affiliation.

I could certainly vote for someone like Lincoln Chafee, who recently registered as an independent after being a lifelong republican.

 

[Astronuc]

N. Carolina Senate race in chaos over Dole's 'godless' ad
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/54930.html

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Furious about a new political ad in North Carolina that suggests she's "godless," state Sen. Kay Hagan said she'd seek a cease-and-desist order against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaign if the television spot isn't pulled in the next 24 hours.

Hagan, a Democrat from Guilford County, and Dole, the Republican incumbent, have both been engaged in a highly negative ad war over the U.S. Senate seat.

Hagan held a press conference Wednesday morning with her family and her minister in Greensboro to denounce the ad at the Presbyterian church where she is an elder and has taught Sunday school.

"Elizabeth Dole is attacking my strong Christian faith," Hagan said in a conference call with reporters, saying that Dole should be "ashamed" of herself for running such an ad.
. . . .

Dole is desperate - and bearing false witness.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Furious about a new political ad in North Carolina that suggests she's "godless," state Sen. Kay Hagan said she'd seek a cease-and-desist order against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaign if the television spot isn't pulled in the next 24 hours.

Good for her! It's about damned time that someone starts challenging this nonsense. The GOP is completely out of control.

 

[LowlyPion]

Here is Kay Hagan's response to that ad.

http://www.kayhagan.com/tv

Impressive.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The fact that Dole would intentionally misrepresent the religious views of another Christian to the extent that she even has her voice faked for a commericial, is beyond belief. Many Christians might expect someone to go straight to hell for that one.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...Dole is being sued over recent campaign ads that accuses Hagan of associating with a godless organization.

Hagan, a former sunday school teacher, is suing Dole for defamation, saying Dole is questioning her belief in god...

http://www.wspa.com/spa/news/local/article/kay_hagen_sues_elizabeth_dole_over_campaign_ad/10464/

 

[LowlyPion]

The fact that Dole would intentionally misrepresent the religious views of another Christian to the extent that she even has her voice faked for a commericial, is beyond belief. Many Christians might expect someone to go straight to hell for that one.

Let's don't get carried away in disbelief. It's an election campaign. Machiavelli rules.

The Republicans are gripping desperately by their fingernails and claws attempting to hold on by any means. The erstwhile Liddy Dole took her state for granted and looks about to get steam rolled.

Apparently beneath the pancake makeup lies the heart still of someone desperate to hold power by any means. Look at McCain and Palin's frenetic rhetoric these last few days.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...Machiavelli rules.

Not for a Christian.

These over-the-line tactics and ads have to stop. This is out of control. And there is no reason why any of us have to accept this nonsense.

If Dole wins, there could be a stong case here. If Dole loses, then it would be difficult to demonstrate that any damage was done.

 

[LowlyPion]

Barney Frank ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF0U-si6ZSg

 

[LowlyPion]

Latest polls in Alaska show Stevens behind between 10% and 20%.

At least he got his home fixed up for when he gets out of jail.

 

[LowlyPion]

Stevens still holds slim lead.

Stevens leads Begich by thin margin

Tens of thousands of ballots yet to be counted

By SEAN COCKERHAM scockerham@adn.com

Published: November 5th, 2008 12:45 AM
Last Modified: November 5th, 2008 08:00 AM

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens maintained his lead over challenger Mark Begich this morning with 99 percent of the precincts counted, just a week after being found guilty of seven felonies and pre-election polls showing him in deep trouble.

With all but three of Alaska's 438 precincts reporting, the Republican Stevens held a 1.5 percent vote advantage over Democrat Begich -- 48 percent to 46.5 percent. About 4,000 votes separate the candidates. The thin margin means the Senate race might not be decided for two weeks.

Still to be counted are roughly 40,000 absentee ballots, with more expected to arrive in the mail, as well as 9,000 uncounted early votes and thousands of questioned ballots. The state Elections Division has up to 15 days after the election to tally all the remaining ballots before finalizing the count.

If the lead holds, Stevens will shock the nation and be the first person ever re-elected to the U.S. Senate after being found guilty on criminal charges. Polls had shown the Republican down by at least 8 percentage points on the day before the election.

But Stevens was defying the pollsters with Tuesday's returns.

http://www.adn.com/elections/story/579005.html

 

[Gokul43201]

Looks like Stevens will win, just as Bachman did.

Franken and Coleman may still be fighting when the snow begins to melt in Minnesota.

 

[LowlyPion]

Coleman claims victory, automatic recount likely next step
Sen. Norm Coleman said today that he has won reelection for a second term from Minnesota, and urged Democratic challenger Al Franken to abandon any pursuit of a recount.

By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE and PAUL WALSHAND CURT BROWN, Star Tribune staff writers

Last update: November 5, 2008 - 12:18 PM
Sen. Norm Coleman late this morning declared victory for a second term from Minnesota, even as the wheels are churning toward an automatic recount of the nearly 3 million votes cast in his battle with Democrat Al Franken.

The Republican, whose margin in the unofficial state tally stands at 725 votes, said from his headquarters in St. Paul that he is "humbled and grateful for the victory that the voters gave us last night."

He then said Franken should abandon any pursuit of a recount, saying that "the prospect of overturning 725 votes is extremely, extremely, extremely remote." Franken could request that there not be a recount, but there is no hint that he would make such a move.

As for the recount itself, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said he expects "several weeks" to pass before it is complete.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/33900844.html

 

[LowlyPion]

Looks like Stevens will win, just as Bachman did.

Amazing that the polarizing, apparently ignorant Bachmann managed to hold on after her rather idiotic McCarthyesque remarks.

Too bad the Democrats didn't have a stronger candidate for the district. It's kind of scary to think that such people get to have input as Congressional Representatives.

As far as Stevens goes, if his appeals fail, he's gone anyway. Though likely that will be an opportunity for Palin to inject herself on the national scene.

 

[LowlyPion]

Georgia Senate race back ‘in full campaign mode’
Chambliss has 49.9 percent, but votes still remain before runoff is certain

By JIM THARPE, JIM GALLOWAY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss on Wednesday refused to concede that he’d been thrown into a U.S. Senate runoff — but acknowledged he was now “in full campaign mode” while final votes trickle in.

“I think the next four weeks are going to be highly interesting and highly competitive,” Chambliss said from his Cobb County office.
Democrat Jim Martin, who now has 46.7 percent, was holding his own press conference miles away in downtown Atlanta. Libertarian Allen Buckley won a crucial 3.4 percent of Tuesday’s vote.

“We’re in a runoff,” Martin said. “The runoff race begins right now.”

Martin said his campaign has already reached out to the campaign of President-elect Barack Obama.

Chambliss and Martin both said they didn’t know how many votes are outstanding.

Said Chambliss’ chief strategist, Tom Perdue: “We’re taking what we got overnight and going with it.”

Currently, Chambliss has 49.9 percent of the vote, according to Secretary of State Karen Handel. He needs 50 percent plus one to escape a runoff.

Chambliss expressed disappointment in Republican voting strength on Tuesday. “There was great turnout in early voting. Frankly, I think it was fairly evident that there was not the expected turnout yesterday that a lot of folks thought would be there,” he said.

“Voter fatigue” with the presidential race, and the bitterness of the final weeks of the Senate campaign could have been among the reasons, he said.

“Certainly, everybody in Georgia was ready to get this race over with. It’s been the longest presidential campaign in my memory. And I do think the tone of the campaign probably may have even turned a lot of people off,” he said.

Who might come to Georgia to help campaign for him remains undecided. But national Republican organizations have already promised hefty financial support.

On Tuesday, Democrats increased their majority in the U.S. Senate to 56, with Chambliss’ race and three others still in question.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/11/04/georgia_us_senate_election.html

 

[LowlyPion]

US Senate: Gordon Smith takes lead in counting overnight
Posted by Harry Esteve and Noelle Crombie, The Oregonian November 05, 2008 08:43AM

Republican U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith gained a lead overnight in the race against Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley, although results from Multnomah County narrowed his lead this morning.

Preliminary results show Smith, a two-term incumbent, up by about 8,000 votes, with both candidates receving 47 percent of the vote. Constitution Party candidate David Brownlow was getting 6 percent. Multnomah County results were updated this morning but are not complete.

...Despite the closeness of the count, expert number crunchers said they expect Merkley to win, perhaps handily. Portland pollster Tim Hibbitts, appearing as an analyst on Fox News(12), outright called the race for Merkley, based primarily on how many votes remain uncounted in Democrat-rich Multnomah County.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/elections/2008/11/ussenate.html

 

[BobG]

The erstwhile Liddy Dole took her state for granted and looks about to get steam rolled.

Similar situation with Marily Musgrave, a Representative in Colorado.

Ideologically, she's a perfect match for her district, being pro-life, pro-guns, etc (she's close to being the most conservative member in Congress). In practice, she has completely ignored her district in favor of pursuing national pro-life, anti-gay agendas. In fact, she's managed to hurt her own district a time or two in her pursuit of her national agenda. That's turned off a lot of voters - even the ones that agree with her ideologically.

She survived two re-elections that were extremely close considering she's representing a strong Republican district. A bad reputation and demographics finally caught up with her.

The big surprise is she got absolutely clobbered! Ironically, she got the message sent by two close re-elections and actually started doing things for her own district during the last two years. It didn't help, since she'd already cemented her reputation. The down-ticket effect of a popular Democratic Presidential candidate probably just added to her margin of defeat.

In spite of "cutting pork" being a popular Presidential campaign slogan, the job of a Congressman is to bring as many federal dollars into his/her district as possible. Those that forget it get punished.

Unbelievable! Colorado has gone from being a rock-solid Republican state with a Republican Governor, two Rep Senators, and 5 Rep Representatives (out of 7 total) to a Democratic Governor, two Dem Senators, and 5 Dem Representatives in just 4 short years.

Way to go, George Bush, Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, et al!

 

[LowlyPion]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/elections/2008/11/ussenate.html

Previously Smith was ahead, but NBC is now declaring Merkeley as the winner, as I think he is leading by nearly 40,000 votes now.

Democrat Merkley Wins Oregon Senate Race, AP Reports (Update2)

By Christopher Stern

Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley defeated incumbent Gordon Smith in a U.S. Senate race, the sixth Republican-held seat won by Democrats in the Nov. 4 election.

Merkely has 775,211 votes to 735,936 for Smith with 82 percent of precincts counted, according to the Associated Press.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a8u5QMpBXrEY&refer=us

 

[LowlyPion]

Like McCain, Stevens and Young performed best in small cities and rural areas, such as the region that includes Palin's hometown of Wasilla, where she served two terms as mayor. The two also were heavily supported by a great majority of voters identifying themselves as white evangelical or born-again Christians.

http://www.adn.com/elections/story/580014.html

So a guy that steals is OK. But when it comes to casting science aside in favor of Biblical literalism or how others conduct their private lives they want to interject and impose their beliefs on others?

But when it comes to the 7th Commandment like stealing clothes or getting a free deck put on their house, or the 8th Commandment lying they are OK with that?

 

[LowlyPion]

Begich takes lead in latest vote count

Anchorage mayor swings from 3,000-vote deficit to 814-vote advantage.

By SEAN COCKERHAM and KYLE HOPKINS

Last Modified: November 13th, 2008 01:56 AM

Mark Begich made a dramatic comeback Wednesday to overtake 40-year incumbent Ted Stevens for the lead in Alaska's U.S. Senate race.

Begich, who was losing after election night, now leads Stevens by 814 votes -- 132,196 to 131,382 -- with the state still to count roughly 40,000 more ballots over the next week.

The state Division of Elections tallied about 60,000 absentee, early and questioned ballots from around the state on Wednesday. The ballots broke heavily in the Democrat's favor, erasing the 3,000-vote lead the Republican Stevens held after election night Nov. 4.

http://www.adn.com/elections/senate/story/587414.html

 

[LowlyPion]

Begich lead over Stevens grows

MARGIN IS 1,022 VOTES: With 24,000 ballots left, no one's getting excited.

By SEAN COCKERHAM
scockerham@adn.com

Published: November 15th, 2008 03:21 AM
Last Modified: November 15th, 2008 01:13 PM

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is in grave danger of losing re-election after Mark Begich widened his lead to 1,022 votes Friday.

More than 90 percent of the votes are now counted, and Friday's count of absentee and questioned ballots could have been Stevens' best chance to make a comeback. That's because it included all the ballots left from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, where Stevens has enjoyed his most unwavering support.

There are about 24,000 ballots left to be counted, coming from Anchorage, Southeast Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula. The state will tally them all Tuesday.

Dallas Massie, state Republican Party district chair from Wasilla, in the heart of the Mat-Su, said he thought Friday would be a day Stevens closed the gap. The senator, however, saw Begich's lead grow by more than 200 over the margin the challenger established on Wednesday, when post-Election Day counting of absentee, early and questioned ballots began.

"It's concerning, from my perspective," Massie said.

http://www.adn.com/elections/senate/story/589919.html

 

[LowlyPion]

Begich Wins declares AP.

Begich headed to Senate victory

By SEAN COCKERHAM
Published: November 18th, 2008 04:53 PM

Democrat Mark Begich is headed to victory over Republican Ted Stevens in Alaska's U.S. Senate race. The Anchorage mayor has widened his lead to 3,724 votes in today's counting of absentee and questioned ballots. The only votes left to count are approximately 2,500 special absentees from people living outside the U.S. or in remote parts of Alaska with no polling place. The state will count those final ballots on Nov. 25. Begich more than tripled his lead today after the state counted about 23,000 absentee and questioned ballots from Anchorage, Southeast Alaska, the Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak. The state finished counting from other parts of the Alaska last week. The campaigns have talked about a possible recount in early December. But since the state moved to mostly machine counting, recent Alaska recounts have resulted in little change in the final tally. Begich would be the first Democrat to represent Alaska in the U.S. Senate in nearly 30 years.

http://www.adn.com/senateelection/story/593747.html

 

[LowlyPion]

Begich topples Stevens in Senate race

By SEAN COCKERHAM
scockerham@adn.com

Published: November 19th, 2008 12:51 AM
Last Modified: November 19th, 2008 02:48 AM

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens lost his job to Mark Begich on Tuesday, putting an end to the era of "Uncle Ted" as the dominant force in Alaska politics.

...Republican Party of Alaska Chairman Randy Ruedrich blamed Stevens' loss on the timing of the trial. It ended just a week before the election, giving Stevens little time to campaign.

"The Stevens campaign had very little time to get out the message of what happened in the trial," he said.

http://www.adn.com/senateelection/story/593747.html

And getting out the message would have gotten him more votes? You'd think they would be grateful that the people in North Pole might not have gotten more of the news.

 

[LowlyPion]

Recount: Norm Coleman’s lead over Al Franken shrinks

By PATRICIA LOPEZ and CURT BROWN, Star Tribune staff writers

Last update: November 20, 2008 - 7:01 AMThe Great Minnesota Recount kicked off Wednesday with masses of volunteers for Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken moving into a fresh phase of the struggle: eyeballing the first of 2.9 million ballots, ready to pounce on anything that looked questionable.

By day's end, with about 18 percent of the vote recounted, Coleman continued to lead Franken -- but by only 174 votes, notably narrower than the unofficial gap of 215 votes at which the recount had begun. Franken's gain owed much to a swing of 23 votes in the Democratic stronghold of St. Louis County -- the result of faintly marked ballots and older optical scanners that failed to read the marks.

The figures represent a Star Tribune compilation of recount data reported to the secretary of state and gathered by the Star Tribune.

Campaign monitors from both sides had challenged a total of 269 votes statewide, with Coleman observers disputing 146 ballots while the Franken camp challenged 123.

If that pace continues, challenged votes could wind up being a major factor in a race where the margin is down to hundreths of a percentage point. Challenged votes will be set aside until mid-December, when a five-member state Canvassing Board will review them individually.

In the meantime, local officials in more than 50 locations maintained a steely calm in the face of crowded observation rooms, sometimes over-eager campaign volunteers and the knowledge that they are at the very beginning of a month-long drama that has cast a spotlight on Minnesota and its voting process.

"It's amazing to see democracy in action, isn't it?" said Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, as he stopped by a recount center on Wednesday afternoon, watching officials wheel in pushcarts loaded with stacks of ballot boxes. "Things have gone pretty smooth."

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/34736454.html

Let's see Coleman Lead was 215. Lead now 174. Δ = 41

Δ / 18% = 227 potential swing to Franken when done?

Ooops it could get really close.

 

[LowlyPion]

Try your hand at judging voter intent in Minnesota ballots:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2008/11/19_challenged_ballots/

 

[LowlyPion]

Coleman leads by 136 still with 46% of the set aside ballots reviewed.

That means that Franken at this pace may fall 43 to 44 votes or so short.

215 - 136 = 79 made up over 46%, so 79/.46 = only 172 needing 215 to tie.

 

[BobG]

Try your hand at judging voter intent in Minnesota ballots:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2008/11/19_challenged_ballots/

I think the ballot with "Lizard People" clearly should be counted for Franken. The Presidential portion of the ballot clearly shows the voter wanted "Lizard People" for President, not Senator. Why don't the statewide election results show "Lizard People" counted for either? (Ah, I see the problem - http://www.mndaily.com/2008/11/18/look-write-ins. Lizard People didn't file the official write-in candidate paperwork.)

And I can't believe I actually believe that a ballot with "Lizard People" written in should actually count. I think I could almost interpret that as marking the ballot in a manner making it evident that the voter intended to identify the ballot. I imagine that voter finds it very entertaining to have his ballot shown on national TV.

 

[LowlyPion]

OK. Try your hand at judging the subtleties of these Franken/Coleman ballot decisions. Some look a shade problematical.:

http://www.236.com/news/2008/11/21/poll_minnesota_voters_moronic_10378.php

 

[LowlyPion]

Recount, Day 5: Franken’s gains build, but so do challenges

By BOB VON STERNBERG, Star Tribune
Last update: November 24, 2008 - 9:21 PM
As the number of ballot challenges passed the 3,100 mark Monday, continuing to cloud the question of who’s picking up ground in the U.S. Senate recount, one thing is clear:

DFLer Al Franken has made a net gain on Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of 46 votes that are not tied to rulings still to come on ballots that both campaigns have challenged.

More than 78 percent of the votes had been recounted as of Monday night, and the gap stood at 210 in Coleman’s favor, including ballot challenges, according to a Star Tribune compilation of recount data reported to the secretary of state and gathered by the Star Tribune.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/34993619.html

 

[LowlyPion]

Board certifies results; Goode asks for recount
November 24, 2008 - 5:44pm
By LARRY O'DELL
Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. - Republican U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode said Monday that he will ask for a recount in his narrow loss to Democrat Tom Perriello. A one-seat partisan advantage in Virginia's congressional delegation is at stake.

Goode announced his plans shortly after the State Board of Elections certified Perriello as the winner by 745 votes out of more than 316,000 cast in the 5th District race. The margin of 0.24 percentage points entitles Goode to a recount at taxpayer expense.

"If it turns out he wins, I will congratulate him and wish him well," Goode said of Perriello, who already has attended orientation for new members of Congress and is forging ahead with transition plans.

"We don't believe there's any serious chance of the result changing," Perriello said.

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=600&sid=1525375

This is the same guy that was complaining about Muslims in Congress.

A Bigot in Congress
One Muslim congressman is one too many for Virgil Goode.

Friday, December 22, 2006; Page A32

BIGOTRY COMES in various guises -- some coded, some closeted, some colossally stupid. The bigotry displayed recently by Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., a Republican who represents a patch of south-central Virginia, falls squarely in the third category. Mr. Goode, evidently in a state of xenophobic delirium, went on a semi-public tirade against the looming peril and corrupting threat posed by Muslim immigration to the United States. "I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America," he wrote in a letter to constituents.

The inspiration for Mr. Goode's rant is Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat who last month became the first Muslim elected to Congress. Mr. Ellison, who was born in Detroit and converted to Islam in college, has decided to use the Koran during a ceremonial swearing-in, as is his constitutional right. This does not sit well with Mr. Goode, who, obnoxiously referring to his congressional colleague-to-be as "the Muslim Representative from Minnesota," warned ominously that current immigration policy would lead to an outbreak of elected Muslims in this country and unfettered use of the Koran.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122101612.html

 

[LowlyPion]

Kaufman Picked by Governor to Fill Biden Senate Seat (Update3)

By Phil Milford

Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Ted Kaufman, a longtime aide to Vice President-elect Joe Biden, was chosen by Delaware’s governor today to fill Biden’s U.S. Senate seat for the next two years.

Governor Ruth Ann Minner, a Democrat, announced the choice of Kaufman at a news conference in Wilmington. Kaufman, 69, served as chief of Biden’s Senate staff for 19 years and is co- chairman of his transition team, according to the Web site of Duke University law school, where he teaches.

“I’m comfortable retiring in two years,” Kaufman said. Minner told reporters she wants “voters to decide” in 2010 who will serve the last four years of the term.

Biden’s seat will become open because he and Democratic President-elect Barack Obama defeated Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin in the Nov. 4 election. Obama resigned his U.S. Senate seat effective Nov. 16.

Minner said Biden wants to remain in the Senate until he is sworn in for his seventh term in January, and that Kaufman will take over sometime that month.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=akgp7x27hGcM&refer=home

 

[LowlyPion]

Chambliss/Martin Runoff Georgia:
http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2008_1202/003.htm

 

[Gokul43201]

Looks like a thumpin' (so far, and I believe it will get a little closer with time), but that was kinda expected.