The following diaries are examples of this week's Election Diary Rescue. This post features a collection of 42 diaries.
(KY-Sen) Awkward: Mitch McConnell's wife is Major (player) in the 'war on coal' by Barbara Morrill - Some awkward reality to juxtapose to McConnell's charges that his Democratic opponent Alison Lundergan Grimes is a foot soldier in the 'war on coal', in that McConnell's wife Elaine Chao, sits on the board of directors of an outfit that has put $50 million into the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal initiative.
(TN-04) TN-04: An embarrassment for the GOP either way by gas28man - The results of the Republican primary in Tennessee's 4th District between Scott Desjarlais (R-Hypocrite) and state senator Jim Tracy are down to the last 90 votes, all provisional. Ironically, the results just might have been much clearer if not for the controversial voter ID law Tracy co-sponsored. Popcorn for all!
(TX-Gov) TX-Gov: First Wendy Davis TV Ad Goes on Offense (video) by nomandates - Democrat Wendy Davis' opponent in the gubernatorial race, Republican Greg Abbott, was once a Texas Supreme Court judge. Who tried in one case to absolve a company from being sued for damages by a woman who was raped by a salesman. Seems he doesn't believe companies should have to do background checks on employees. Abbott lost that ruling to his fellow justices, as pointed out in Davis' first television ad.
Dewey Defeats Truman by Grey Fedora - Some parallels noted between the public backlash against do-nothing Republicans in 1948, and the possible replay in 2014.
This is the 31st weekly edition of Election Diary Rescue. It covers rescued down-ticket election diaries published from Sunday, August 3 through Saturday, August 9. We hope you enjoy the following gems dug up by our dedicated team of miners.
VOLUNTEER ALERT! As the election approaches we will be switching back to our traditional daily schedule for producing this blog. We will need a few good Kossacks to join the team.
Please e-mail us if you would like the opportunity to contribute to this legacy project. DKosEDR@gmail.com.
Diaries: (42)
Senate: (13) posts, (6) states
House: (12) posts, (6) states, (7) districts
State and more: (15)
General: (2)
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.
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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 - 13
(AK-Sen) Sen. Lisa Murkowski demands Democratic senator take down ad showing them smiling together by Hunter - Hahahahaha! Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski wants her Democratic colleague Mark Begich to stop airing an ad showing them smiling together. Because... um... it'll give Alaska voters the wrong impression of Begich's ability to work with Murkowski for Alaskans? Them's fighting words!
(AK-Sen) Sen. Lisa Murkowski Opposes Campaign Ad Showing Her And Democrat Colleague Smiling Together by dcherry17 - Another take on Murkowski's hissy fit over Begich's ad showing them together. Can't have bipartisanship in an election year!
(HI-Sen) Will 2 hurricanes affect HI-Sen result? by Karen from Maui - Diarist covers the Hawaii Senate primary between incumbent Brian Schatz & Colleen Hanabusa.
(KY-Sen) Howard Fineman's no good terrible AND sexist essay on Allison Grimes. by StellaRay - In an essay in HuffPo entitled "Grimes Is As Tough as McConnell - And As Nasty," Fineman proceeds to paint Grimes as a cold hearted crocodile of a candidate.
(KY-Sen) McConnell the Unhappy Warrior at Fancy Farm by Merlin 1963 - Fancy Farm is a traditional political gathering in Western Kentucky. Anybody who is running or is in elective office shows up, and it is a bipartisan affair. Recently, Alison Lundergan Grimes and Mitch McConnell were on the same stage giving speeches bashing the other. The diarist believes that the video of the event demonstrates that McConnell has his hands full with Grimes, and that he is unhappy with the prospect of fighting so hard to keep his Senate seat.
(KY-Sen) Wow! Allison Lundergan Grimes burns the barn down at Fancy Farms by NewDealer - Allison Lundergan Grimes gave a barn burner of a speech at the Fancy Farms picnic in western KY last weekend. Quoting from the NY Times: "At one point Mr. McConnell, a master of the political attack, looked on, agape." The diarist describes McConnell losing the coin toss (for who would go first) and the day as well.
(KY-Sen) Miners Union Endorses Grimes in Kentucky by ericlewis0 - The diarist reports that the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) has endorsed Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky’s Senate race.
(KY-Sen) Awkward: Mitch McConnell's wife is Major (player) in the 'war on coal' by Barbara Morrill - Some awkward reality to juxtapose to McConnell's charges that his Democratic opponent Alison Lundergan Grimes is a foot soldier in the 'war on coal', in that McConnell's wife Elaine Chao, sits on the board of directors of an outfit that has put $50 million into the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal initiative.
(KY-Sen) Grimes May Be Using This Against McConnell and His Phony War on Coal by Merlin1963 - Diarist makes note of McConnell's family connection - through his wife Elaine Chao - to the supposed 'war on coal' he wants to blame on Obama and Democrats.
(MI-Sen) MI-SEN: AFSCME & League of Conservation Voters team up to support Gary Peters by Eclectablog - Democratic Senate candidate Gary Peters picked up some hefty endorsements this week.
(NH-Sen) Should DREAMers be Arrested/Deported? Mayday PAC-endorsed NH-Sen candidate won't say by DocDawg - Long-shot New Hampshire U.S. senate candidate Jim Rubens(R), who polls just 10% among Granite State Republicans versus carpetbagger and fellow-Republican Scott Brown, received a surprising boost last week in his quest to win the Republican nomination, when the predominantly liberal- and non-Republican-backed Mayday PAC endorsed his candidacy, indicating it could spend perhaps $2 million in the last nine days leading up to the primary to help Rubens win the nomination. Rubens' answers to a reporter's questions about his stance on immigration left more questions than answers.
(SC-Sen) Splitting the Republican Vote in South Carolina by The Baculum King - Diarist has news of Thomas Ravenel have enough signatures to get on the ballot to run for Senate in South Carolina.
(Sen-Gen) Can the Republicans Take the Senate? Not according to them! by mole333 - Diarist gets all sorts of crap by being on the Republican mailing list. Latest fundraising for Senate candidates claims there are ten 'vulnerable' Dem incumbents they could take out if they only had the money. A closer look at those races doesn't look so great for Republicans.
House - 12
(CA-17) Teabaggers Join the Carpetbagger to Unseat Mike Honda by Glen The Plumber - Noted misogynist and one-term congressmember Ernie Konnyu (pronounced, con you) of San Jose, is attempting to garner funds and support of the Tea Party Express to unseat Dem member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Mike Honda. Those efforts appear to be falling short.
(CA-42) Congressman Ken Calvert slammed on his response to criticism over big defense contractor donations by Sheridan for Congress CA 42 - The Sheridan campaign has some questions for the incumbent congressman Ken Calvert (R).
(IL-17) Former Republican congressman makes six figures, says he lives 'paycheck-to-paycheck' by David Nir - GOP ex-rep Bobby Schilling, seeking to oust his Democratic replacement Cheri Bustos in the 17th district, recently claimed in a radio interview that he's living hand-to-mouth on a six-figure income.
(LA-05) Democrat In Position to Take LA-05 Where is the Cavalry? by bywaterbob - Will Louisiana’s unique way of voting give Jamie Mayo (D) a better chance against incumbent Vance McAllister (R).
(NY-19) Report from CD-19: Sean Eldridge vs Chris Gibson by Valatius - Democratic challenger Sean Eldridge is fighting an uphill battle against two term incumbent Chris Gibson(R). But the diarist believes that Eldridge, who is young, well-spoken, well-funded and supported by the likes of Kirsten Gillibrand has the potential to be a really independent and principled voice in Congress if he can articulate his differences with the Obama administration's surveillance policies and foreign policy positions which are not that popular in the district.
(TN-04) TN-04: An embarrassment for the GOP either way by gas28man - The results of the Republican primary in Tennessee's 4th District between Scott Desjarlais (R-Hypocrite) and state senator Jim Tracy are down to the last 90 votes, all provisional. Ironically, the results just might have been much clearer if not for the controversial voter ID law Tracy co-sponsored. Popcorn for all!
(TN-04) Tennessee close to giving the 'pro-family' serial adulterer and abortion-pusher a second chance by Joan McCarter - It's now down to absentee and provisional ballots in Tennessee's 4th District Republican primary, and incumbent GOP serial bad guy Scott Desjarlais is within 4 votes of challenger Jim Tracy. Ouch.
(WA-08) WA-08:Nominate the good guy Jason Ritchie(D) for Mayday PAC funding by ParkRanger - Mayday PAC's mission is to fight the power of big corporate and special interests buying politicians by backing candidates who have a commitment to campaign finance reform. The PAC wants to show that citizen funding can make a difference and will choose five Democratic House and Senate races for nominees that support reform and back them with citizen-funded dollars. The diarist urges us to nominate Jason Ritchie (D) for the PAC funding and to donate to him ourselves. Ritchie is a progressive who supports campaign finance reform. His opponent is Tea Party incumbent Dave Reichert (R).
(WA-08) Q about WA-08 voting: How to energize Democrats to mail in their ballots by ParkRanger - Jason Ritchie (D) has been working hard on a shoestring budget.
(WA-08) WA-08: Meet Jason Ritchie (D) Sat 8/9 at Sammamish, Mount Si, & Augurn festivals by ParkRanger - Progressive Jason Ritchie attends three fun in the sun festivals to meet and greet potential constituents in Washington'ss 8th Congressional District.
(Various) Vaccine deniers (election edition): only a few great options for Mayday PAC by DocDawg - Which almost 1,000 US House and Senate candidates avoided becoming targets of Mayday PAC by pledging to support campaign finance reform?
(Various) StephenCLE's Baseline House Rankings - The Interior Southeast by StephenCLE - Diarist handicaps the Democratic pickup chances in the House of Representatives races in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
State, local and more - 15
(FL-Gov) Rick Scott is Suddenly an Environmentalist by jamess - If you're an "informed" Florida voter, then you probably already know Rick Scott is NO friend to the Environment.
(IL-Gov) Billionaire Bruce Rauner, GOP candidate for illinois governor, stashed part of his wealth in the Caymans by David Nir - According to a new report in the Chicago Sun-Times, billionaire venture capitalist Bruce Rauner, the Republican nominee for governor in Illinois, has stashed some unknown part of his fortune in the Cayman Islands. This report may be helpful to the campaign of his opponent Governor Pat Quinn (D) who has been running behind Rauner in the polls.
(IL-Gov) Illinois' next governor may make Romney look like a saint UPDATED by Kenneth Thomas - Diarist has info on Illinois Governor's race between incumbent Pat Quinn (D) & Bruce Rauner (R).
(KS-Gen) The state of small "d" democracy in Kansas by jazzhawk2004 - Diarist takes a look at the issues as Kansas conducts its primary and how that translates to the state of the state.
(KS-Var) In Kansas Primaries Yesterday, The Kochs Lost. Badly. by tmservo433 - Nice rundown of important KS primary results and links for helping our candidates.
(MO-GOTV) Missouri Primary Voting Begins Today by StarbucksGirl51. In particular, the diarist supports Jim Evans in MO-07, but there's other items on the ballot, too.
(NY-Gov) New Your Governor Race: There is One by El Bloguero - Zepher Rain Teachout is running for Governor against the formidable Andrew Cuomo. She's a law school professor and Democratic progressive underdog. With corruption charges swirling around Albany and the Cuomo administration, the diarist believes that Teachout is the breath of fresh air the state urgently needs.
(NY-Gov) NY Gubernatorial Primary Goes To Court by El Bloguero - Diarist has coverage of the New York Governor's Democrat Primary and how Andrew Cuomo takes his challenger Zephyr Teachout to court challenging her residency.
(OR-Ballot Initiative) Top 2 Primary will be on the ballot in Oregon. Don't Vote for it. by James Allen - The diarist thoroughly lays out the case for opposing a ballot measure on the Top Two primary in Oregon. He analyzes the measure itself and, with maps, illustrates the poison pill lying within.
(PA-Gov) PA-Gov: Tom Wolf (D) Emphasizes Manufacturing Jobs In Great New Ad by poopdogcomedy - Democratic candidate for governor Tom Wolf has a great new ad airing, here it is.
(TN-StSen07) Don't say gay! by Jilly W - Incumbent state senator for the 7th District Stacey Canfield lost his primary to a respected surgeon, Dr. Richard Briggs.
(TN-Gen) An open letter to the Tennessee Democratic Party by Yellow Dog Dem Woman - A hard-working Democrat's indictment of the do-nothing TN Dem party. How not to win friends and influence people seems to be what they're best at.
(TX-Gov) Wendy Davis Gains 4 Points - Rasmussen Moves Texas Gov Race from Safe R to Leans R by ericlewis0 - A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of likely voters finds Republican AG Greg Abbott picking up 48% to Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis' 40%.
(TX-Gov) TX-Gov: First Wendy Davis TV Ad Goes on Offense (video) by nomandates - Democrat Wendy Davis' opponent in the gubernatorial race, Republican Greg Abbott, was once a Texas Supreme Court judge. Who tried in one case to absolve a company from being sued for damages by a woman who was raped by a salesman. Seems he doesn't believe companies should have to do background checks on employees. Abbott lost that ruling to his fellow justices, as pointed out in Davis' first television ad.
(WI-Gov) Mary Burke hits Scott Walker over broken promises on job creation by Joan McCarter - Diarist has a new ad for Mary Burke (D) in her race for Governor of Wisconsin against incumbent Scott Walker (R).
General - 2
Dewey Defeats Truman by Grey Fedora - Some parallels noted between the public backlash against do-nothing Republicans in 1948, and the possible replay in 2014.
Millennial Voter Suppression - Virginia Style by ebirch1 - Diarist tell of how her daughter received a notice from Virginia's Voter Election Board.