Congratulations to Mark McCracken, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 5th district. I've said numerous times I would be happy with any of the 3 candidates, but I must say, I didn't think McCracken would win. I thought it would be Cahir, then Vilello, then McCracken. Shows you how much I know!
As for the Republicans, bummer, bummer, bummer. Peterson's late endorsement pushed Glenn Thompson just past the 2 scandal-plagued rich boys, Shaner and Walker. The Republicans didn't drive themselves off a cliff, as we would have hoped. Their rare level-headedness has made this longshot race even more of a longshot now.
I do derive some pleasure in knowing that Shaner wasted about $1.5 million of his own money, and I hope that this ends his nascent political career.
Some meager analysis of both sides on the flip.
Democrats:
Looking at election returns, it appears that McCracken was the default "western" candidate, even though Clearfield County really isn't that far west in the district. Cahir and Vilello are both from the 2 easternmost counties in the district. Clearfield County has a large population (second only to Centre County) and McCracken is a popular commissioner there. He got a blowout there, and then added blowouts in counties to the north and west (including Elk, Jefferson, McKean, Clarion, Venango, Warren, and Forest).
The other 2 never had a chance! Actually, before all this started, McCracken was the only one I had ever heard of - which should have told me something. McCracken spent just under $9000 on the whole race, and I never even saw one lawn sign. He did have a billboard on 322.
So, what do I think of him? I've always liked him, even if I liked one of the other candidate's issue statements better. In fact, I first became familiar with him through local efforts to keep landfills out of Centre and Clearfield Counties. Also, he has overseen a great advancement for Pennsylvania, in securing the first, and second, ethanol plants in the state, now under construction in Clearfield County. The first also includes a research facility that will find new ways to produce ethanol from sources besides corn. Hello Green Collar jobs! Also, he endorsed Obama. He was the only one of the 3 candidates to be brave enough to admit whom he supported.
Bottom line: He's a nice guy and a Democrat who wins in Republican areas. He would be a huge step up, even just environmentally, from John Peterson or Glenn Thompson.
Republicans:
I didn't bother trying to predict what would happen in this clusterfuck of a primary. It was too crazy. Geography didn't play such a large role for Republicans this time around, because there were just so many of them. I do think that Stroup and Richardson, both from Clarion in the west, really crippled each other.
Peterson's endorsement got Thompson just enough scattered support throughout the district, and combined with strong support in Centre County, where Thompson has served as County GOP chair, was enough for the win with about 19%. Interestingly, Shaner did poorly where people know him best - in his native Centre County - and better where people were only bombarded with his propoganda. (And man, it was a lot - I got at least one mailer and robocall from him every day for the last 2 weeks.)
So how bad is Thompson? Pretty darn bad. His website doesn't raise any worse-than-your-average-Republican alarm bells, but some of his press coverage does.
Thompson would shrink government by eliminating the current tax code, instituting a flat tax and reducing the size of the Internal Revenue Service.
By 2010, he would reduce federal regulations on administering health care by at least 20 percent, and he would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.
. . .
According to his Web site, he opposes abortion and would "stop treating traditional marriage as disposable and replaceable."
He would also "stop the unregulated Internet pornography that only serves as hate speech towards America’s family values and promotes such atrocities as trafficking of young girls and boys."
What the hell is he talking about? Outlaw divorce? Regulate the Internet? Your guess is a good as mine. Unfortunately, he'll now have access to all of Peterson's contributors.
The District:
Here are the registration numbers:
Democrats throughout the 5th Congressional District increased their registration numbers by almost 13,000 since last November while Republican registration fell by more than 1,000, according to new data from the Department of State.
. . .
The new registration numbers across the district are 192,111 Republicans, 160,331 Democrats and 42,392 no-affiliation and minor party voters.
That translates into 49 percent Republican and 41 percent Democratic, compared with 50 percent Republican and 38 percent Democratic last November.
So, it's a long shot, but if the Republicans remain unenthusiastic, and Democrats plus Independents remain excited . . well, we can make this a race. The Republicans are coming off a fractious primary and Thompson only got 19%. We're supposed to challenge them everywhere, right? Right?