I hope all is well with everyone at this time. As for me, I'm fresh out of my first year in college, and am beginning to settle back into politics for the summer. And that means keeping up to date on the latest happenings in politics around the country.
I'd like today to cover a number of House races that are seeing new candidates enter the fray, in both open seats and against incumbents of both parties. 2008 is important not only for the Presidency (although that clearly is numero uno in priority), but for Congress; the Democrats have a slender majority at best in the Senate and only a 16-seat margin in the House. Expanding our majorities in both houses is imperative if a Democratic President is going to get much accomplished in 2009 and beyond.
With that in mind, let's take a tour around the country to see what's new:
Illinois-14: Chapa LaVia to challenge Hastert
Dennis Hastert has settled back into the rank-and-file of the Republican minority of the House of Representatives, after being kicked out of the Speaker's chair by Nancy Pelosi in 2006. His image, while tarnished nationally following the Mark Foley "PageGate" scandal (he helped to cover it up) remains intact back home, where he won 60% in 2006 against Navy veteran John Laesch. Laesch was heavily outspent during the campaign, as he spent $300,000 to Hastert's $5 million. Laesch may run again, and attorney Jotham Stein is already in the race. Now however, a state legislator has thrown her hat into the ring.
Linda Chapa LaVia was first elected as a State Representative in 2002, the first in her district in 20 years. She also became the first Latino (or Latina, for that matter) elected to the Illinois Legislature outside of Cook County (Chicago). Chapa LaVia has filed with the FEC, and (as her website shows) is definitely in the race. As an elected official who starts out with an electoral base, Chapa LaVia is arguably the highest-profile challenger Hastert has faced this decade (if ever). She also is a longtime army veteran.
The 14th leans Republican on the Presidential level, with Bush recieving an average of 55% in the four counties around Aurora, Illinois (where Chapa LaVia lives). However, these "collar counties" - so called because they are in the suburbs of Chicago - are growing more Democratic each cycle, compared to 2000.
Regardless of the Democratic challenger, Hastert will be tough to beat. But Chapa LaVia could give him a run for his money.
ID-01: Democratic Primary Against "Silly Sali"
In 2006, Bill Sali was elected with 50% in one of the reddest states in America - Idaho. This proud Republican is on record as believing that abortion causes breast cancer, among other ridiculous notions. Sali's 2006 opponent, businessman Larry Grant is likely to run again, but will face a primary challenger if he does. Rand Lewis is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army, as well as a former Director at the University of Idaho. He briefly considered running in 2006, but deferred to Grant. A Democratic primary could bolster interest in the state and help the eventual nominee, but also has the possibility of whittling down precious funds as well. With Sali likely to be well-funded again by the Club for Growth and other far-right groups, this will be another uphill race.
ME-01: More Democrats Than You Can Shake a Stick At
With Congressman Tom Allen off and running against Senator Susan Collins, his open seat (which includes Portland and the southern part of the state) is up for grabs. Even before Allen left his seat, three Democrats had formed exploratory committees to run for his seat. Now, with Allen officially in the Senate race, one can expect a number of Democrats to run in this Gore/Kerry district. These candidates include:
Chellie Pingree - former State Senate Majority Leader, ex-CEO of Common Cause, and Collins' 2002 opponent
NOTE: I've known Chellie since 2002, and I think very highly of her, so please excuse my bias.
Michael Brennan - former State Senate Majority Leader and College Professor (and son of ex-Congressman Joe Brennan)
Adam Cote - attorney and Iraq War veteran
Ethan Strimling - State Senator and ex-Congressional aide
Mark Lawrence - 2000 US Senate nominee and ex-State Senate President
Jill Duson - Portland Councilwoman
Strimling, Lawrence and Duson don't have websites yet (to the best of my knowledge), while Pingree is still building hers. Pingree arguably starts out as the frontrunner due to her strong name ID and her national connections; indeed, she raised over $12,000 in 24 hours after setting up her ActBlue account with no fanfare. However, Strimling, Brennan and Lawrence all start with name ID as well, so expect a free-for-all in Maine. The Republicans have a few candidates considering a bid as well, with 2002 Gubenatorial nominee Peter Cianchette among them.
I should also mention that I will be publishing an interview I did with Pingree in the near future, that should clear up any misconceptions about her stance on Net Neutrality.
In Other News...
CO-04: Democrats are trying to recruit State Senator Brandon Shaffer to run against Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, who won just 46% in 2006. Musgrave benefited from a split opposition, as Independent candidate Eric Eidness drew anti-Musgrave votes away from State Rep. Angie Paccione (who is still considering a rematch). Eidness is now running as a Democrat for the seat. A Shaffer candidacy would be a strong one, and would make Musgrave sweat yet again in a bid for reelection.
Connecticut: Republicans believe they have found strong challengers to take on freshmen Democrats Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Chris Murphy (CT-05). Sean Sullivan, the former Commander of the Groton Submarine Base will challenge Courtney, and State Senator David Cappiello will face Murphy. Courtney won by just 83 votes in 2006, but his district leans Democratic (Kerry got 54% here); Murphy got 56% in 2006, but his seat is a swing district (Kerry eked out a win here). Both races will be competitive, as will CT-04, where Chris Shays will face a strong Democratic challenger (possibly Ted Kennedy, Jr.).
UT-03: Republican Congressman Chris Cannon has never been popular amongst his own base, and in 2008 he will be facing a bevy of primary opponents. Already, three Republicans have made their intentions clear: former Utah Gubernatorial Chief of Staff Jason Chaffetz, 2006 candidate John Jacob (a millionaire developer) and David Leavitt, the brother of former Governor Mike Leavitt (who is currently our EPA Director, if I'm not mistaken). Cannon won his 2006 primary with 55% against Jacob, but under Utah GOP rules will have to go through a convention in 2008 to make it to the primary. The winner will be heavily favored in this deep-red district.
NC-03: Congressman Walter Jones has garnered a great deal of criticism from conservative Republicans by calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. While otherwise having a standard conservative voting record, Jones' antiwar stance has brought him a Republican primary. Joe McLaughlin, an Onslow County Commissioner and financial planner has decided to run, and will no doubt make the Iraq War ar his key issue. In this decidedly Republican district, being antiwar may well be a negative.
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Hopefully this will be the first of many updates. Thanks for reading!