Yes? Well, I've got one we can work on that is ripe for flipping, and in doing so we can remove one of the absolute worst Republican legislators currently in office, and elect a solid progressive. The race is the 9th District of Michigan, where Democrat Gary Peters is challenging the GOP's 8-term do-nothing, Joe Knollenberg.
The 9th District (Race tracker wiki), is located entirely in Oakland County, just northwest of Detroit. It has traditionally been a Republican leaning area, but over the course of the last decade, it has moved conistently Democratic, to the point now, that Democrats are coming into the majority. In the 2008 cycle, we will likely pick up several more mayors seats and take the majority of county commission seats. On the national level, we are seen as just slightly Republican (Cook lists the 9th as R +0), and so, with a good candidate and enough money, this is a seat that can be flipped.
Who is Gary Peters?
He holds a BA in Political Science, an MBA, a JD, and even an MA in Philosophy (with a specialty in Ethics). He's taught in the business schools at Oakland University and Wayne State University, and currently holds the Griffin Chair of American Government at Central Michigan University.
He served as a Lieutenant Commander and a Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist in the United States Navy Reserve, and his reserve duty included time in the Persian Gulf supporting Operation Southern Watch.
Elected to the State Senate in 1994, Peters was voted by his Senate colleagues to serve as Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. While in the Senate, he served as the ranking Democrat on the Finance, Education, Judiciary, Natural Resources, and Families and Mental Health Committees. After leaving the state senate in 2002, as a result of term limits, he was named State Lottery Commisioner, where he lead a $600,000 annual increase in receipts and generate record amounts of money for Michgian public schools (which is where are lottery funds are allocated).
Peters is a past winner of the Sierra Club's Environmentalist of the Year Award for his highly successful crusade to stop directional drilling under the Great Lakes. The oil companies thought they could literally avoid drilling vertically into the lakes, which was already illegal, by slant-drilling from on-shore rigs. Peters led the charge and stopped that bill dead in its tracks.
Gary has been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters.
More:
- 100% Voting Record with the AFL-CIO
- Michigan Association of Justice – Champion of Justice Award Winner
- Deputy Sheriff’s Association – Star Award Winner
- Fraternal Order of Police – Public Servant of the Year Award Winner
- MARAL (Michigan affiliate of NARAL) Legislative Advocacy Award Winner
- Endorsed by the Triangle Pride PAC
- Endorsed by SEIU, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, CWA, AFT and many more unions, as well as the American Association of Justice (f/k/a American Trial Lawyers Association), and Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Federal PAC.
Once elected, Peters will make it a top priority to work to bring home the troop and care for them upon their return:
In Washington, I will work to bring about a responsible end to the war in Iraq and start bringing our troops home now. As a veteran, I will be a voice for a strong foreign policy that keeps America secure and takes the fight to our real enemies, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that we keep faith with the men and women who served and sacrificed for our great nation.
Real leadership means taking action to solve our problems – not passing the buck and waiting for someone else to act – and that’s what I will deliver in Washington. Five years after ‘Mission Accomplished,’ it’s long overdue.
What we're up against:
Joe Knollenberg was first elected to Congess in 1992, and since he has been there, it has become increasingly clear that he does not represent the interests of his district. Rather, Joe believes his only constituents are local business interests, especially the Big Three, which have gone a long way to make sure he stays in office. Knollenberg is a solidly conservative Republican, with no moderation whatsoever. Two years ago, he had an over-97% voting record when compared to Tom Delay.
I guess his greatest fame infamy comes from the fact that when the League of Conservation Voters drafted their 2008 Dirty Dozen, Dirty Joe was one of only two of the Dozen--the other was Oklahoma global warming denier, James Imhoff--to have his name released last October, rather than with the rest of the list, which came out this year.
Remember this guy? Knollenberg's Chief-of-Staff (Ret'd), Trent Wisecup?
As Peters recently wrote in a DailyKos diary:
When the House voted on a bill to guarantee that soldiers would have at least as much time at home as they spend deployed overseas, Congressman Knollenberg voted no.
When the House took up a bill that included $3.3 billion to improve military medical care, $1.8 billion for veterans care, and that would have started withdrawing troops this summer, Congressman Knollenberg voted no.
After that bill was vetoed by the President, Congressman Knollenberg voted to sustain the veto.
Why we can win
Thus far, Peters shares the distinction with only 12 other Democratic challengers to be named to the DCCC's Red-to-Blue List, along with Darcy Burner, Dan Seals, and Larry Kissell. He is on CQ’s list of the top ten best funded challengers.
Last Friday, David Wasserman, the House analyst at Cook, described Gary’s campaign as "one of Democrats' better opportunities to knock off a veteran incumbent." And just two days ago the Lansing State Journal upgraded the race in Michigan’s 9th District from "lean incumbent" to "tossup."
Last cycle a completely unknown and underfunded candidate, Nancy Skinner, came within a 46%-52% margin of beating Knollenberg. Since then, the county and distict have become even more Democratic. The Cook Political Report lists the MI-09 as R+0, and that may be kind to the GOP. Superribbie lists this race as the Number 12 (No. 23 overall) race in the country to knock over an incumbant Republican.
Over at Swing State Project, Jordan LFW explains the numbers and how well Peters does as compared to the Democratic base when running for office:
In the 2002 Attorney General race, Gary Peters performed at or above the [county-wide] Democratic base in 72% of 9th District precincts (234 out of 325).
[...]
[In] Peters’ 1998 State Senate campaign, where he could campaign locally...Peters performed at or above base in 99% of the precincts (155 of 156 precincts).
Folks, this is a guy who can win, and is deserving of our support. I've been supporting him with my time and money, and I hope you find him favorable, as well. So, if you want to learn more, go to Peters for Congress. Clearly, this is the type of campaign that we can and should get behind. We need to get rid of old dinosaurs like Joe Knollenberg, who is nothing but another GOP-bot who blindly and unthinkingly supports the current administration and GOP causes. While Peters has raised over $750,000, and still has $645,000 cash on hand, Knollenberg maintains a funding advantage of having raised over $1.8 million, with about $1.3 millon on hand. (Source: opensecrets.org).
I appreciate that there are many races that will spark your interest and which will compete for your time and contributions. I hope I've made a case for Gary Peters in the 9th District of Michigan. If so please give to his campaign, and you can do that here: Gary Peters' Act Blue Page. If you do, please end your contribution with an .08, so they'll know it came from DailyKos.
Thanks so much,
Mike (GOTV)