Absolute nobody was predicting there would be a poll showing Pennsylvania Congresswoman Susan Wild up +18 in the Lehigh Valley’s 7th district which Cook political has as merely “Likely Democratic” and the NRCC was scouting for a pickup opportunity.
But there is!
Holy smokes!
54% of those say they'd vote for Joe Biden, compared to 39% for Donald Trump. 40% of those polled approve of the president's job in office, compared to 54% who disapprove. Of those who voted for someone other than Trump or Hillary Clinton in 2016, 45% say they'll vote for Biden, compared to 20% for Trump.
In the 7th congressional race, incumbent Democrat Susan Wild has an 18-point lead over Republican challenger Lisa Scheller. Wild is getting heavy support among higher educated likely voters. -WFMZ.com
That brings the focus squarely on Kevin Branco in HD-131 (75% of district in PA-07) and Tara Zrinski in HD-138 (100% in PA-07), two sleeper PA House candidates that did not even make the Dailykos dedicated PA State House State Leg Page! (Which is a great way to support PA, btw.)
Since this poll is breaking news, and these candidates just popped onto my radar, I don’t have super elaborate stories to share about them. Zrinski is a solid progressive, as you can see from her endorsement page featuring Bernie, PCCC and the Working Families Party. And Branco is a community organizer with traditional Labor support who could definitely use your help with phonebanking this weekend!!
The bottom line is that both of these candidates were just outside my selection criteria when I drew up my overall list in August, but these are winnable districts in the right year with the right candidates and the right political climate. And, the fact is, this poll showing Susan Wild pulling away really changes things and we should not leave any winnable race on the table this year.
So, in honor of Dems in the Lehigh Valley, I’ve added both candidates to my State Level Local Impact Page below!
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If you are a bit “email fatigued” and haven’t had a moment to donate using my email opt-out ActBlue State Level Local Impact page yet, now is the perfect time. (This is an unaffiliated fundraising page that I created to provide a data-private, email opt out default option for those looking to contribute to many candidates at one time without signing up for emails or sharing your info with a group.)
You are able to donate to 25 worthy local candidates flipping Red seats Blue, but with the email setting to default opt-out (you have to opt-in at the end if you want to be subscribed.) Not only does this send last minute money to crucial local campaigns (who can spend on digital GOTV right up until the last second!) but it also lets you save yourself the hassle of unsubscribing from multiple lists.
Even small donations split multiple ways make an impact. 67 of us have donated a grand total $5,200 so far, and every donation is definitely appreciated by the candidates. I know we can grow that total as the election closes.
Trust me, this will help us win.
Please consider donating today.
(Prefer to donate via a group or organizational portal? This DLCC page focused on flipping state houses and the official DKos anti-Gerrymander page are great options!)
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About this series:
I’m a longtime local election activist and Dailykos blogger dating back to 2003. I was part of helping local blogs and the netroots drive Democrats to take back the House in 2006 and helped build some of the biggest and most successful grassroots and online groups supporting Barack Obama.
The 2020 Democratic State Legislative candidates are heroes, and deserve our support. (If you are on Twitter please click on that link!) They are our best chance of changing US politics including GOP voter suppression and gerrymandering for decades to come and many of them will run campaigns that help us win electoral college votes and key US Senate and House votes:
Pennsylvania:
Michigan:
Wisconsin:
North Carolina:
Arizona:
Texas:
Georgia and Florida:
You can also visit and donate at the State Level Impact 2020 ActBlue Page (Page created w/ an email privacy option for those who prefer to make a one time donation to multiple candidates.)
