NATIONAL: First, more on the Employee Free Choice Act, about which MissLaura and Trapper John have written so well in the past:
As we all know, this November brings major opportunities for Senate pick-ups. And if we get enough Democrats in the Senate, there's a lot of legislation we might be able to get passed that seemed like pipe dreams just two years ago. That's precisely one of the reasons some business groups will be fighting tooth and nail to prevent Democrats from picking up Senate seats.
The Employee Free Choice Act is one of the most important such bills -- and practically every competitive Senate race is being targeted by anti-union groups with millions of dollars in funding from undisclosed sources.
Well, the pro-labor group American Rights at work is fighting back, having launched a $5 million ad campaign on behalf of the Employee Free Choice Act:
These ads are airing in seven key states with pro-EFCA Senate candidates, including Alaska, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Oregon. All these states have been flooded by anti-EFCA ads in the past.
NATIONAL: So, do Republican convention delegates sound excited about picking up Senate seats?
Eh....
CO-Sen: The DSCC has a brand new ad out against Bob Schaffer in Colorado:
KY-Sen: Democrat Bruce Lunsford's campaign has released a new website on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, entitled "McCon Job".
Meanwhile, McConnell's approval rating is at 37/47, per SUSA. An interesting fact from 2006; every Republican at 47% disapproval or worse, from their October polling, lost his reelection.
George Allen -- 47% -- lost
Lincoln Chafee -- 48% -- lost
Jim Talent -- 50% -- lost
Mike DeWine -- 55% -- lost
Conrad Burns -- 56% -- lost
Rick Santorum -- 57% -- lost
OR-Sen: Gordon Smith ducked out of the national Republican convention, so as not to be tied with the President and Presidential nominee to whom he has been so loyal.
He claimed he would be too busy campaigning in Oregon, yet he has no events scheduled...so the campaign of Jeff Merkley has written a speech for him, featuring past quotes of his, should he change his mind and head for the Twin Cities.
Check it out. It's hilarious.
House Races
NM-01: Terrific news from SUSA in New Mexico's First: Martin Heinrich is up.
Heinrich (D) 51
White (R) 46
Meanwhile, Heinrich is up on the air with this ad:
NC-08: Pretty good poll out for Democrat Larry Kissell, as well. Per Public Policy Polling, he's down five points, but with incumbent Robin Hayes at only 44%:
Hayes (R) 44
Kissell (D) 39
Kissell lost by just 369 votes in 2006. Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are tied in the district at 43%, while Democrat Kay Hagan leads Republican Elizabeth Dole in the Senate matchup, 45-41. One disappointment; in NC-08, Lt. Governor Bev Perdue, a Democrat, trails Republican Mayor of Charlotte Pat McCrory 43-40.
PA-03: Good riddance to two-time losers turned independent spoilers: Dr. Steven Porter, 2006 Democratic nominee and 2008 independent candidate, has been kicked off the ballot.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — An independent candidate for Congress does not have enough valid signatures on his nomination petitions to have his name on the November ballot, a state judge ruled.
Senior Commonwealth Court Judge James R. Kelley ruled Tuesday that 1,542 of the more than 3,200 signatures Steven Porter collected were invalid because Porter helped some voters fill out his nomination petitions. Porter needed 2,171 valid signatures to be on the ballot.
Porter was seeking to unseat seven-term U.S. Rep. Phil English, R-Pa. Three Democratic voters sought to get Porter off the ballot because they were concerned he would siphon off votes from their candidate, Kathy Dahlkemper.
Though a political novice, Dahlkemper has surprised so far with the strength of her campaign and proven competitive in polling with English. Having Porter off the ballot can only help.
Now, if only the same would happen with three-time loser Jan Schneider, another Dem turned independent, in Florida's 13th, we'd be cooking with gas.
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