There's five candidates in the running for
Democracy for America's Grassroots All-Star Campaign. (
Vote here). I've got a wealth of links and info about each of the five below the fold, as well as about the Republicans they're aiming to unseat. After I lay out the anti-Pombo case, there's more than enough stuff for you to review on your own.
Jerry McNerney's running against Richard Pombo in CA-11. Pombo's vulnerable, and in IMHO, one of the most harmful members of Congress today. Getting him out of office will make a difference for the whole country. (Why stop there? For the whole world!) McNerney's professional background is as a wind engineer. Wouldn't you like to see someone who actually knows something about renewable energy in the mix in Congress? I sure would.
As I write, the lead advert here on dKos is McNerney's, encouraging us to vote for him in the poll. Good move, Jerry. And good slogan, too. One which I believe to be true: We ALL live in Richard Pombo's district!
Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see the others elected, too. Because changing the majority in the House, so that there can again be oversight, is crucially important. Dunno who "needs" the money more, but I'm guessing it might be McNerney. For one thing, DCCC is reportedly backpedalling a little since their choice in CA-11 did not prevail in the primary, and their support is likely to be "lukewarm". For another, Pombo's got a lot of industry money pouring in. (They know a good thing for them when they see it!)
Back to the Pombo question: I honestly believe that the country really does need to get rid of Richard Pombo even more than it does the other incumbents being challenged by these Democratic candidates. The incumbents have all got voting records on the Right, but none has the power, nor the demonstrated commitment that the 45-year old Pombo has to actively stir things up. He's big on late night secret moves, conference committee shenanigans and so on - as one would expect from a Tom Delay protegé. It's probably worth noting, also, that Pombo's the only one of these incumbent in holding a leadership position or committee chairmanship, and so is more capable of doing damage to our country, and our world. Pombo currently chairs House Resources, is vice-chair of Agriculture (in line to take it over), and acts as Assistant Minority Whip.
So, for anyone who hasn't voted yet: I would urge you to take these things into account. By all means, vote for the others if you'd like to, but seriously consider my request to place them behind McNerney in the prioritized, instant-runoff voting. The current standings are available on AmericaBlog, with Skinner & McNerney trading off at the #1 position throughout the day today. Please note that because of the Instant Runoff feature built into this election, simply being in first place does not guarantee a victory. Voting closes at 5pm EDT, tomorrow June 23.
Here's all the challengers, incumbents, and numerous links, listed in the order of the current standings in the poll:
#1. McNerney vs. Pombo (CA-11)
JERRY McNERNEY
Age: 54
Superribbie ranking: #28 (2nd Tier)
What supperribbie says: As Stu Rothenberg pointed out, whenever an incumbent loses more than 1/3 of the primary vote, he's in trouble. Pombo took only 62%. Worse, 32% of the GOP primary vote went to iconoclastic anti-war anti-Bush former Rep. Pete McCloskey. McCloskey has said he doubts strongly that any of his 32% go to Pombo in the fall. Given that the district is about 53.5/46.5 GOP, McCloskey's voters make up a crucial 18% of the electorate. If McNerney can pick up these voters and does not lose his centrist primary opponent, Steve Filson's, supporters, he wins.
Campaign Website
Campaign finances from Open Secrets:
Latest FEC report
Funds raised this cycle: $242,688
Cash on Hand: $71,252
RICHARD POMBO
Age 45, Elected 1992
Latest FEC report
Funds raised this cycle: $1,699,970
Cash on hand: $800,456
Committees & Leadership:
Resources Committee, Chair
Agriculture Committee, Vice-Chair
Assistant Majority Whip
Caucuses:
Congressional Western Caucus, Former Chair
House Energy Action Team, Co-Chair
House Portuguese American Caucus, Co-Chair
Task Force on Affordable Natural Gas, Co-Chair
Republican Study Group
Project Vote-Smart main page
Interest Group Ratings
Official House Site
Campaign Site
Campaign Donors from Open Secrets (Rich PAC not included.)
#2. Skinner vs. Knollenberg (MI-09)
NANCY SKINNER
Age 42
Superribbie ranking: #70 (3rd Tier)
Campaign Website
Campaign finances from Open Secrets:
Latest FEC report
Funds raised this cycle: $103,151
Cash on Hand: $89,123
JOE KNOLLENBERG (MI-09)
Age 72, Elected 1992
Latest FEC report
Funds raised this cycle: $1,218,998
Cash on hand: $1,071,173
Committees:
Appropriations Committee
Caucuses:
Congressional Automotive Caucus
Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans
Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus
Silk Road Caucus
Republican Policy Committee
Project Vote-Smart main page
Interest Group Ratings
Official House Site
Campaign Site
Campaign Donors from Open Secrets
#3. Murphy vs. Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
PATRICK MURPHY
Age 30s
Superribbie ranking: #20 (1st Tier)
What superribbie says: Murphy's easier than expected win in the primary points to strength going into the fall.
Campaign Website
Campaign finances from Open Secrets:
Latest FEC report
Funds raised this cycle: $533,812
Cash on Hand: $314,409
MICHAEL FITZPATRICK (PA-08)
Age 44, Elected 2004
Latest FEC report
Funds raised this cycle: $1,676,716
Cash on hand: $1,382,023
Committees:
Financial Services
Small Business
Caucuses:
(None found on Project Vote-Smart)
Project Vote-Smart main page
Interest Group Ratings
Official House Site
Campaign Site
Campaign finances from Open Secrets
#4. Studebaker vs. Turner (OH-03)
STEPHANIE STUDEBAKER
Age c.40s
Superribbie ranking: Not ranked in top 70 seats
Campaign Website
Campaign finances from Open Secrets:
Latest FEC report
Funds raised this cycle: $36,922
Cash on hand: $14,899
MICHAEL TURNER (OH-3)
Age 47, Elected 2002
Latest FEC report
Funds raised this cycle: $503,178
Cash on hand: $314,103
Committees:
Armed Services
Government Reform
Veterans Affairs
Caucuses:
Project Vote-Smart main page
Interest Group Ratings
Official House Site
Campaign Site
Campaign finances from Open Secrets:
#5. Avillo vs. Platts (PA-19)
PHIL AVILLO
Age c.60+
Superribbie ranking: Not ranked in top 70 seats
Campaign Website
Campaign finances from Open Secrets:
Latest FEC filing
Funds raised this cycle: $52,932
Cash on Hand: $29,121
TODD RUSSELL PLATTS (PA-19)
Age 44, Elected 2000
Latest FEC filing
Funds raised this cycle: $ 138,037
Cash on hand: $137,170
Committees & Leadership:
Education & Workforce
Government Reform
Transportation & Infrastructure
Caucuses:
Project Vote-Smart main page
Interest Group Ratings
Official House Site
Campaign Site
Campaign finances from Open Secrets:
Note that most recent FEC filings vary between candidates, due to reporting requirements for primaries.
Mark Warner's Map Changers
This one's in Round 2 now. Round 1 was nominations, narrowed down to 20 candidates in the East & 20 in the West. In this one, you make 5 ranked votes in each region. Of these, there will be ten finalists, with a Grand Prize of a Mark Warner fundraiser for the one candidate who comes out on top. All five of the DFA candidates discussed above are also in the running for Round 2 here. Jerry McNerney is the only one of the in the West. So, please vote for him there. Deadline for Round 2 is next week, so expect a reminders as the time draws near.