TPM has a good article out that showcases how toxic U.S. Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land (R. MI) is that even Governor Rick Snyder (R. MI), who is facing his own re-election challenges, is afraid to be seen with her:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
"Detached." That was the word of choice when Michigan political observers were asked by TPM about the relationship between Land and Snyder.
Their campaign appearances so far can be a little tough to pin down. The Land campaign pointed to a recent appearance in Traverse City, in an apparent reference to the National Cherry Festival last month, though it didn't respond when asked if Land and Snyder had actually appeared at the same place at the same time. The Land campaign also pledged "multiple joint events" in the future despite the Saturday event mix-up.
"Terri Lynn Land and Governor Snyder are committed to moving the state forward," the Land campaign said in a statement. The Snyder campaign declined to comment on the record.
Bill Ballenger, a former GOP state legislator and long-time political analyst at Inside Michigan Politics, contrasted the Land-Snyder relationship with another incumbent GOP governor who helped a fellow Republican snag an open Senate seat 20 years ago.
Then-Gov. John Engler handpicked Spencer Abraham to run alongside him in 1994 for Michigan's Senate seat, and the pair appeared together constantly on the campaign trail. Engler won re-election with a resounding 62 percent of the vote, while Abraham took 52 percent and an improbable spot in the Senate, one he would lose six years later to Debbie Stabenow with an Engler-less ballot.
"Engler did everything he could to help Spencer Abraham. They were the opposite of Snyder and Land," Ballenger said. "She's just not somebody who's going to underscore his strengths. She's not a soul mate. When you had Engler and Abraham, you had two guys who were everything wrapped up into two. In Snyder and Land, you've got a bifurcation. Just a totally different situation." - TPM, 8/11/14
It's pretty clear why Snyder wouldn't want to be associated with Land. She's been facing some serious legal problems:
http://www.freep.com/...
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land has given her own campaign nearly $3 million this year and last, but nowhere in her federal financial disclosure form has she listed any bank accounts or other assets in her control worth that much.
Her campaign says it’s an oversight, claiming Land — who for two terms as Michigan’s secretary of state oversaw the enforcement of election laws — inadvertently failed to disclose a joint account she has with her husband, Dan Hibma.
But it still leaves unanswered questions about the source of the funds. And it raises questions about if such a transfer — if from her husband’s assets — violates the spirit of the campaign contribution law.
“If a noncandidate spouse gives money to a candidate spouse to influence that candidate’s election, it’s subject to contribution limit,” said Paul Ryan, senior counsel with the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center. “This raises a red flag for me. A candidate suddenly coming into possession of several million dollars raises questions for me.” - Detroit Free Press, 7/17/14
And even Republicans are losing faith in Land's candidacy:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/...
There's one simple reason Michigan Republicans worked feverishly to recruit someone other than Land to run: She is not a top-tier candidate. The last few months of her campaign is proof, revealing the warts and weaknesses that her allies have always known could ruin the GOP's best opportunity in two decades to take a grab at this Senate seat.
Certainly, Land has some things going for her. The former secretary of state is a woman in a male-dominated party. She's known by GOP donors nationwide after serving on the Republican National Committee, and has raised impressive sums of money, self-funding roughly one-third of her campaign. She also won two statewide elections with healthy majorities, giving her solid name identification.
But on the nuts and bolts of campaigning – operational tactics, articulating policy specifics, messaging through advertisements and media – there were serious doubts about whether Land could compete. With partisan control of the Senate up for grabs, Michigan's race this year is a nationally significant one. Republicans who know Land were concerned about her lack of exposure to the national spotlight, and whether she could survive the scrutiny of such a campaign.
Those fears are now being realized. - National Journal, 8/7/14
Plus the Koch Brothers haven't been helping the GOP in Michigan:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
A new poll commissioned by the League of Conservation Voters and AFSCME finds that Dem Gary Peters is leading GOPer Terri Lynn Land in Michigan by seven points, 43-37. The average of polls shows Peters leading by over six points.
Is it possible that in this particular race, climate change and the Koch brothers — whose group, Americans for Prosperity, has spent millions bludgeoning Peters over Obamacare — are hurting the Republican candidate?
The internals of the poll — which was done by respected Dem pollster Joel Benenson and hasn’t been released — show that Michigan voters view the Koch brothers unfavorably by more than two to one: 32-15. While it’s true that 33 percent have not heard of them, a total of 56 percent have heard of them, which is pretty high. A large majority finds the anti-Koch message — that Land is beholden to big oil billionaires bankrolling her campaign — convincing.
The poll also finds that 45 percent see climate change as an urgent problem, and another 13 percent see it as a problem to address in the years ahead — a total of 57 percent. And it finds 39 percent would probably or definitely not vote for someone who doesn’t believe human activity is causing climate change. Land’s position is that climate change exists, but she hasn’t, to my knowledge, clarified whether she believes humans cause it. - Washington Post, 8/7/14
Democratic voters are coming home to their candidates, Mark Schauer (D. MI) and Gary Peters (D. MI). I'm feeling very confident that we can win both these races but we have to get our base out to the polls. Click here to donate and get involved with Schauer and Peters' campaigns:
http://markschauer.com/
http://www.petersformichigan.com/...