Staci Appel (center)
Remember what I was saying about Democrats going on offense? Well, Daily Kos has endorsed a whole bunch of candidates who are running in Republican districts, and here's another: Staci Appel in IA-03.
Obama actually won Iowa's 3rd 51-47, but Rep. Tom Latham, one of the last few Republican moderates, decided he was sick of Congress and pulled the rip-cord. That turned out to be a big problem for the GOP, since they had no obvious heir apparent to carry a swingy district like this. Instead, they've wound up with David Young, a former chief of staff to Sen. Chuck Grassley (of "assume deer dead" fame).
Quite pathetically, Young didn't even win the GOP primary—he came in a pitiful fifth, but a quirk in Iowa law threw the nomination to a convention, where somehow party elders decided that this weird stage magician (oh yeah, not kidding about that) was their best choice. Young's bizarre ads didn't stop with sleight-of-hand tricks. He also was roundly mocked for airing another spot that contrasted government with a basket of oddly unappetizing chicken fingers.
Fortunately, a lot of folks in western Iowa won't have to see his television commercials anymore, as his impoverished campaign recently went dark from now until election day in the Omaha media market, which covers a full fifth of the district. That follows a week in which he cancelled all his ads in Des Moines, which covers the rest.
Former Democratic state Sen. Staci Appel, meanwhile, has proven to be both a strong progressive and a strong fundraiser, and as of the last reporting period, she had eight times more cash in the bank than her opponent. Even better, two polls conducted last month both showed her with a small lead on Young—and Young didn't offer any contradictory polling of his own.
This is one of the Democrats' best pickup opportunities this cycle, so please give Appel $3 to help her kick some Republican behind.