The following diaries are examples of this week's Election Diary Rescue. This post features a collection of 49 diaries.
(OR-Sen) Oregon GOP Senate frontrunner accused of stalking her ex-boyfriend by Jon Perr - With less than a week to go before the Oregon Republican Senate primary, pediatric neurosurgeon Monica Wehby has a healthy 14 point lead over her opponent. Then Politico reported that Wehby's former boyfriend and current moneyman Andrew Miller filed a police report last year accusing her of stalking him. Here's some strange relationship dynamics.
(VA-07) Oh Eric, you poor baby!!! by Murfster35 - at a Republican convention in VA District 7 where Cantor slithers, his handpicked favorite was narrowly defeated by a tea party backed candidate for the position of committee chairman. Tea party activists were touting this as a bellweather in Cantor's upcoming Republican primary against a tea critter with the seemingly appropriate name of Dave Brat.ns property and an organic market.
(PA-StSen-44) PA State 44th Senatorial District Race: Voter Protector vs. Voter Suppressor by SpringCityPADem - Kathi Cozzone (D) has worked hard to protect voter's rights. In complete contrast to Cozzone's history of standing up for Voting Rights, State Senator John Rafferty (R) has consistently voted to disenfranchise voters in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Link to Kathi Cozzone's campaign site is in the second paragraph of the diary.
Nate Silver Doesn't Think This Election Is Important. He's Very Wrong. by pollwatcher - “So NO Nate, you're wrong! Not only is this election important, it is literally a matter of life or death to some people living in Republican controlled states. And it may determine the future lives and deaths of our children as they face a climate as radical as the Republicans that left it to them.”
This is the 19th weekly edition of Election Diary Rescue. It covers rescued down-ticket election diaries published from Sunday, May 11, through Saturday, May 17. We hope you enjoy the following gems dug up by our dedicated team of miners.
Diaries: (49)
Senate: (21) posts, (15) states
House: (8) posts (5) states, (6) districts
State and more: (16)
General: (4)
Please check below the fold for more great diaries.
EDR has compiled, described and linked
down ticket election related diaries since 2006.
EDR chronicles the passion, power and effectiveness of political engagement and shines a light on candidates and issues that might be otherwise missed. It gives quick access to races, hopefully inspires people to write about contests that interest them, and has become an archive for thousands of election related diaries over the years.
Archive links
Format and Tags
Diarists can help the EDR mining team by identifying the race in the diary title, for example: (FL-14) or (GA-Gov) or (NY-Sen). Using the "Elections" tag is also very helpful and keep in mind that your first sentence or two can be what you would like to see in the EDR description.
This edition of EDR was made possible by the following miners and editors: Alma, eeff, edrie, Joieau, Land of Enchantment, randallt, sylv, suejazz and turbonerd. Special thanks to Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse.
Senate - 21
(AK-Sen) AK-Sen: Sen. Begich Holding His Own in Alaska by akmk - Outside interests are pouring money into Alaska, but pro-Democratic PACs have the most skin in the game.
(AK-Sen) AK-Sen: PPP Has Mark Begich (D) Leading Dan Sullivan (R) 42-37 by poopdogcomedy - New research from Public Policy Polling shows Sen. Mark Begich (D) leading all of his potential Republican opponents. The poll shows Sen. Begich leading with independents by at least 19 points over his Republicans challengers.
(AR-Sen) Mark Pryor's very smart Medicare strategy for winning re-election by Joan McCarter - Diarist covers the Arkansas Senate race with Incumbent Mark Pryor (D) using Medicare & Social Security to hammer Tom Cotton (R) over cuts he voted for.
(AR-Sen) AR-Sen: Cotton (R) Promises Not To Fundraise Off Benghazi But Now Hosting Fundraiser With Allen West by poopdogcomedy - Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who is challenging Sen. Mark Pryor (D) this November has repeatedly vowed not to fund-raise off the Benghazi tragedy. Cotton's trying to have his cake and eat it. Link to Senator Pryor's campaign site included in the diary.
(AR-Sen) AR-Sen: Tom Cotton (R) Removes Posts On Votes Against Sandy Relief From Website by poopdogcomedy - Shorter Tom Cotton (R): Federal disaster relief for dirty filthy hippies in New York - bad; Federal disaster relief for fine upstanding tornado victims in Arkansas - doubleplusgood.
(CO-Sen) CO-Sen: PPP/LCV Poll Has Mark Udall (D) Beating Cory Gardner (R) 47-43 by poopdogcomedy - A new survey conducted for a group backing Colorado Sen. Mark Udall (D) shows him locked in a tight competition with Rep. Cory Gardner (R) for one of the state's Senate seats. Udall's been painting Gardner as an extremist who's out of touch with Colorado voters and the League of Conservation Voters have been hitting him with ads as well. Link to Senator Udall's campaign site included to enable volunteers/donations.
(GA-Sen) Karen Handel (of Susan G. Komen fame) plays the whiny little victim in Georgia race by SantaFeMarie - Karen Handel, chief architect of the insane moves that destroyed the Susan G. Komen brand, is currently sitting in third place for the Georgia Republican primary for Senate, but does enjoy the endorsements of Rick Santorum, Erik Erikson and Sarah Palin. Her tactic? "I'm the Mean Girl."
GA-Sen Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Two new Georgia polls point in different directions for Dems by David Nir. GA-Sen hasn't been ruled out as a possible Dem pickup for the Senate, indicated by inconsistent poll results in the digest's lead story. Other races are covered as well.
GA-Sen Does Senate candidate Karen Handel oppose the minimum wage and Equal Pay Act? by Laura Clawson. Republican Senate candidate should already be familiar, thanks to her divisive, scandalous tenure at the Komen Foundation attacking Planned Parenthood. This post reviews some of her other highly objectionable positions.
HI-Sen HI-Sen: PPP Has Brian Schatz (D) With A 15 Point Lead Over Colleen Hanabusa (D) by poopdogcomedy. A report on recent trends in polling and endorsements in this primary race.
(LA-Sen) LA-Sen: Mary Landrieu's (D) Father Appears In New Ad, Calls Her "Hardheaded" Fighter For LA by poopdogcomedy - Lot’s of info on Landrieu’s campaign.
(MN-Sen) MN-Sen McFadden's Lazard royally robs British taxpayers by ericf - Republican Senate candidate Mike McFadden, challenging incumbent Al Franken (D), is running on his business background as co-CEO of Lazard Middle Market. Noted mostly for ripping off British taxpayers.
(MS-Sen) Tea Party blogger arrested for sneaking into nursing home, photographing Chochran's ill wife by NinetyWt - A supporter of state senator Chris McDaniel (R-TeaParty) was arrested after sneaking into a Mississippi nursing home to photograph incumbent Senator Thad Cochran's (R) ill wife. The winner of the Republican primary will likely face former Democratic Congressman Travis Childers.
(MT-Sen) Republican frontrunner for Senate in Montana wants schools to teach creationism by Hunter - Republican congressman and Senate candidate from Montana Steve Daines expresses his support for teaching "creation theory" alongside "evolution theory" in public schools. Because he doesn't know the difference between fantastical religious beliefs and verifiable physical facts. Priceless Hunter take on the silliness.
NC-Sen Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 5/13 by David Nir. In this edition, there's discussion of the role of Libertarian candidates, in this and other races.
(NC-Sen) NC-Sen: PPP Confirms Tillis' (R) Rightward Shift Fended Off A Runoff But Hurting Him In The General by poopdogcomedy - The latest poll from Public Policy Polling shows Sen. Kay Hagan (D) with a slight lead over Republican Thom Tillis. The extreme positions Tillis adopted in the primary won him the Republican nomination, but are hurting him the broader electorate.
(NE-Sen) NE-Sen: Sasse (R) Bashes McConnell (R. KY) To Win The Primary Then Endorses Him For Minority Leader by poopdogcomedy - Teabagger Ben Sasse will take on democrat Dave Domina in Nov.
(NH-Senate) Scott Brown campaigning on Obamacare like it's 2010 by Joan McCarter - Scott Brown (R) is really just phoning it in as a candidate for Senate from his new state of New Hampshire. He's just using his 2010 playbook, running entirely on a platform of being opposed to Obamacare.
(OR-Sen) Oregon GOP Senate frontrunner accused of stalking her ex-boyfriend by Jon Perr - With less than a week to go before the Oregon Republican Senate primary, pediatric neurosurgeon Monica Wehby has a healthy 14 point lead over her opponent. Then Politico reported that Wehby's former boyfriend and current moneyman Andrew Miller filed a police report last year accusing her of stalking him. Here's some strange relationship dynamics.
(SC-Sen) SC-Sen: Lindsey Graham (R) Censured By Local GOP For Not Being Conservative Enough by poopdogcomedy - Pressure from the Tea Party and other far-right groups pushes South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham to beef up his standing as a "true conservative," including introducing a ban on abortion and calling for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
(TX-Sen) Meet David Alameel - Republican Mega Donor - Texas Democratic Senate Candidate by Deep Throat - Diarist introduces Democratic candidate for the Senate nomination in Texas, David Alameel. Who has donated nearly a million and a half dollars to candidates and PACs since 1989. See how that works out in dollars for each party.
House - 8
(HI-01) HI-01 Meet the Conservative Who's On the Verge of Winning In A Deep-Blue District by Karen from Maui – Donna Kim's record as the Democratic State Senate president is anything but progressive. She has opposed increasing the minimum wage and marriage equality and has consistently supported business interests over labor and the environment. The diarist urges us to contribute to the progressive alternative to Kim, City Councilman Stanley Chang, through Blue America's Act Blue page.
(HI-01) HI-1 Dueling TV ads among 3 frontrunners by Karen from Maui - New ads are out from the three leading candidates in the race for Hawaii's 1st CD.
(MN-02) MN-2 Mike Obermueller Commercial: This is how a Democratic Candidate Should Defend the ACA by Intheknow - Democrat Mike Obermueller has an uphill battle against incumbent John Kline (R) in a +6 Republican district. Last fall, a PPP poll found Obermueller leading Kline. Check out his latest commercial, an indictment of Kline's support for ACA repeal.
(NC-02) NC-02 (Primary): Clay Aiken's opponent dies in home accident by wesmorgan1 - Keith Crisco, a Congressional candidate who was in a close primary race with "American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken, died suddenly Monday apparently after suffering an accident in his home. Condolences to Crisco's family and friends.
(PA-08) Election in PA-8: exciting recent updates and a chance to support Progressive Shaughnessy Naughton by ERdoc in PA - Diarist offers some important endorsements for Shaughnessy Naughton over the DCCC-blessed candidate in Tuesday's Democratic primary, as a better candidate against Republican Mike Fitzpatrick in the fall.
(PA-Gen) The Gerrymandered Districts of Southeastern Pennsylvania by dLiberty Equality Fraternity and Trees - An illustrated look at the bizarrely gerrymandered districts of southeastern PA, as the state prepares for its primary this Tuesday. And how the gerrymandered borders could change the voting dynamics.
(VA-07) Oh Eric, you poor baby!!! by Murfster35 - at a Republican convention in VA District 7 where Cantor slithers, his handpicked favorite was narrowly defeated by a tea party backed candidate for the position of committee chairman. Tea party activists were touting this as a bellweather in Cantor's upcoming Republican primary against a tea critter with the seemingly appropriate name of Dave Brat.
(VA-09) I am willing to run for the VA 9th by Peter Olandt - Diarist learned at the Montgomery County Democrats meeting that there may be a way to list a candidate for the 9th district despite the passed filing deadline, and volunteers. Incumbent Republican Morgan Griffith is currently running unopposed.
State, local and more - 16
(CA-Mountain View City Council) Diary of a Candidate for City Council: Victory! by BayAreaKen - Our intrepid diarist has finally won the right to run for City Council from his employer, along with a review of the company policy that had been such a road block. Now on to the actual campaigning!
(FL-Gov) Ex-Lt. Gov. Carrol says working for Florida Gov. Rick Scott was 'bad' for minorities (DI) (DRSI) by HoundDog - In an interview with Steve Boussquet of the Tampa Bay Times, Ex-Lt. Gov. Carroll says working for Scott was 'bad' for minorities, due to his "good ol' boy system," and her "loyalty to Scott was not returned." Carroll was the state's first African-American lieutenant governor and the most visible black member of Scott's administration.
(GA-Gov) GA-Gov: Sierra Club Endorses Jason Carter (D) For Governor by poopdogcomedy - The Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed Jason Carter (D) for governor, citing his efforts to protect Georgia’s coast and environment and support for Georgia’s growing clean energy industries.
(MA-Gov) MA-Gov: Baker (R) Oversaw Firm Where Pension Funds Were Invested In Christie Pay-To-Play Scandal by poopdogcomedy - In the Massachussets gubernatorial contest, Republican candidate Charlie Baker finds his company in the middle of a pay-to-play scandal, while Democrat Martha Coakley picks up two important endorsements.
(MO) Dark of Night: MO Legislature Strips Early Voting, Attacks Choice & Unemployed after Midnight by tmservo433. While-you-were-sleeping stealth moves by Republicans in the Missouri legislature include new limitations on voting.
(MN-Gov) MN-Gov Los Angeles private equity guy seeks to buy his own Minnesota governor by ericf - Alec Gores owns a private equity firm that once employed Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Honour, donated $200,000 to Honour's campaign.
(NY-AD-113) NY-AD-113 - Over Half Of Contributors For Upstate NY GOP Candidate Come From Washington DC Area by Upstate Blue - Out of curiosity today, I took a closer examination of Steve Stallmer's (R) contributions and found out that a startling 93% of them came from outside of Saratoga and Washington Counties. The diarist goes on to profile some of these contributors. Carrie Woerner is the Democrat in the race.
(OH-Gov) OH-Gov: Ed FitzGerald (D) Campaigns For Universal Pre-K by poopdogcomedy - Democrat Ed FitzGerald unveils his first major policy of the campaign: Pre-Kindergarten for every Ohio child. Twenty eight percent of U.S. 4-year-olds are enrolled in state-funded Pre-K, but in Ohio that figure is just two percent.
(OR-Gov) OR Gov: Kitzhaber v Richardson by James Allen – Despite the terrible rollout of Oregon's ACA website, Covered Oregon, for which incumbent Governor John Kitzhaber has taken heavy criticism, he remains popular. The diarist believes that Kitzhaber will crush his Republican opponent, state representative Dennis Richardson, in November in the race to win his 4th term as governor.
(PA-GOV) Anti-Fracking Activist Forces Pennsylvania Democratic Debate to Focus on Fracking by StewartAcuff. Fracking got some attention in the Democratic primary debate for the opportunity to challenge incumbent Republican Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett.
(PA-Gen) Centre Region PA Legislative Primaries by PSUCentrePA - The lagislative races in the Centre region are somewhat dull this year, but there are a few interesting races. Diarist offers the ones to watch.
(PA-StSen-44) PA State 44th Senatorial District Race: Voter Protector vs. Voter Suppressor by SpringCityPADem - Kathi Cozzone (D) has worked hard to protect voter's rights. In complete contrast to Cozzone's history of standing up for Voting Rights, State Senator John Rafferty (R) has consistently voted to disenfranchise voters in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Link to Kathi Cozzone's campaign site is in the second paragraph of the diary.
(RI-Gov) RI-Gov: Angel Taveras (D) Slams Wall Street's Gina Raimondo (D) For Lying About His Record As Mayor by poopdogcomedy - Diarist supports Providence Mayor Angel Taveras over Gina Raimondo in the Democratic primary for Governor. Diarist's reasons for support and a link to Taveras' campaign inside the diary.
(TX-Gov) TX-Gov: Wendy Davis' (D) New Ad Ties Greg Abbott (R) To Cancer-Fund Scandal by poopdogcomedy - The Wendy Davis campaign is focusing on opponent Greg Abbott’s role as an overseer of the scandal-marred Texas cancer-research agency in a new, strongly worded line of attack. Millions of dollars earmarked for cancer research went to Abbott’s political donors.
(VA-Arlington County Sch.Bd) Barbara Kanninen for Arlington County School Board by teacherken - “It is worth noting that Barbara has in her own work demonstrated her commitment to these principals. She is a noted and successful children's author, she has served as a volunteer in the schools both as tutor and as mentor, she has helped write curriculum.”
(WI-Gov) WI-Gov: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) Endorses Mary Burke (D) For Governor by poopdogcomedy - Mary Burke (D) picks up the endorsement of Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D), and a new poll from the Liberty Foundation shows Burke and Gov. Scott Walker (R) tied 47-47.
General - 4
New GOP strategy for luring women: Ignore facts, just tell stories by Laura Clawson - Republicans have found another new way to reach out to women voters without actually changing their positions to appeal to women voters. Instead, they're changing the tone of their campaign ads.
If You Don't Like Money in Politics by Words In Action - Action diary, a nice compilation of possibilities to fight back against Citizens United.
GOTV II: High Schoolers rock the vote by ShoshannaD - How to do a voters registration drive effectively.
Nate Silver Doesn't Think This Election Is Important. He's Very Wrong. by pollwatcher - “So NO Nate, you're wrong! Not only is this election important, it is literally a matter of life or death to some people living in Republican controlled states. And it may determine the future lives and deaths of our children as they face a climate as radical as the Republicans that left it to them.”