Author: Sven

This diary is in reaction to the diary about former Democrat Joe Lieberman giving more money to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) than most Democratic Senators. It’s also a try to get another “use it or lose it” campaign going.

All numbers below the fold.

UPDATE 8/13/2008:

When I looked through all the numbers I was surprised that several Senators did not have a PAC. I now learned that Sen. Schumer does have a PAC (Impact). For some reason it’s not listed on Open Secret’s Chuck Schumer page. His PAC has contributed to the DSCC and individual Senate candidates. I’ve updated the numbers below.

Listed below are all the members of the Democratic Caucus in the U.S. Senate with their current cash-on-hand numbers of their campaign accounts and their PACs. Listed below are the amounts given to the DSCC through their campaign accounts (not sure if there are any legal limits) and through their PACs (I think the legal limit here is $15,000 per quarter, not sure though). Also listed are contributions either through their campaign committees or their PACs to individual Democratic candidtes for the Senate in 2008.

I researched the numbers using the FEC homepage and the list of leadership PACs provided by Open Secrets.

Daniel Akaka (2012):

current CoH: $101k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $50,000

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $0

total given: $50,000

Max Baucus (2008)

current CoH: $5,457k

current PAC CoH: $309k

DSCC: $585,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $75,000

total given: $690,000

Evan Bayh (2010)

current CoH: $10,634k

current PAC CoH: $572k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $0

2008 Sen candidates: $12,000

total given: $12,000

Joe Biden (2008)

current CoH: 2,000k

current PAC CoH: $49k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $35,000

total given: $65,000

Jeff Bingaman (2012)

current CoH: $759k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $250,000

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $29,000

total given: $279,000

Barbara Boxer (2010)

current CoH: 3,547k

current PAC CoH: $427k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $79,500

total given: $109,500

Sherrod Brown (2012)

current CoH: $768k

current PAC CoH:64k

DSCC: $150,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $91,000

total given: $271,000

Robert Byrd (2012)

current CoH: $110k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $0

total given: $0

Maria Cantwell (2012)

current CoH: $81k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $10,000

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $1,000

total given: $11,000

Ben Cardin (2012)

current CoH: $195k

current PAC CoH: $32k

DSCC: $105,000

DSCC through PAC: $20,000

2008 Sen candidates: $6,600  

total given: $131,600

Thomas Carper (2012)

current CoH: $903k

current PAC CoH: $174k

DSCC: $350,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $92,000

total given: $472,000

Bob Casey (2012)

current CoH: $92k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $10,000

total given: $10,000

Hillary Clinton (2012)

current CoH: $278k

current PAC CoH: $5k

DSCC: $100,000

DSCC through PAC: $0

2008 Sen candidates: $0

total given: $100,000

Kent Conrad (2012)

current CoH: $2,067k

current PAC CoH: $77k

DSCC: $200,000

DSCC through PAC: $45,000

2008 Sen candidates: $92,500

total given: $337,500

Chris Dodd (2010)

current CoH: $123k

current PAC CoH: $115k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $0

2008 Sen candidates: $0

total given: $0

Byron Dorgan (2010)

current CoH: $1,430k

current PAC CoH: $89k

DSCC: $75,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $16,500

total given: $121,500

Dick Durbin (2008)

current CoH: $8,145k

current PAC CoH: $121k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $150,000

total given: $180,000

Russ Feingold (2010)

current CoH: $2,277k

current PAC CoH: $369K

DSCC: $45,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $46,500

total given: $121,500

Dianne Feinstein (2012)

current CoH: $2,697k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $500,000

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $0

total given: $500,000

Tom Harkin (2008)

current CoH: $4,109k

current PAC CoH: $21k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $20,000

2008 Sen candidates: $85,000

total given: 105,000

Daniel Inouye (2010)

current CoH: $1,206k

current PAC CoH: $21k

DSCC: $175,000

DSCC through PAC: $30k

2008 Sen candidates: $120,000 (plus $10k for Ted Stevens)

total given: $325,000

Tim Johnson (2008)

current CoH: $2,724k

current PAC CoH: $58k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $0

2008 Sen candidates: $11,500

total given: $11,500

Ted Kennedy (2012)

current CoH: $5,657k

current PAC CoH: $130k

DSCC: $250,000

DSCC through PAC: $15,000

2008 Senate candidates: $49,500

total given: $314,500

John Kerry (2008)

current CoH: $8,829k

current PAC CoH: $80k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Senate candidates: $27,000

total given: $67,000

Amy Klobuchar (2012)

current CoH: $504k

current PAC CoH: $73k

DSCC: $50,000

DSCC through PAC: $43,500

2008 Sen candidates: $48,300

total given: $141,800

Herb Kohl (2012)

current CoH: $15k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $0

total given: $0

Mary Landrieu (2008)

current CoH: $5,515k

current PAC CoH: $23k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $78,500

total given: $108,500

Frank Lautenberg (2008)

current CoH: $1,290k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $0

total given: $0

Patrick Leahy (2010)

current CoH: $1,121k

current PAC CoH: $180k

DSCC: $110,000

DSCC through PAC: $15,000

2008 Sen candidates: $100,000

total given: $225,000

Carl Levin (2008)

current CoH: 4,341k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $28,000

total given: $28,000

Blanche Lincoln (2010)

current CoH: $526k

current PAC CoH: $289k

DSCC: $100,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $68,000

total given: $198,000

Claire McCaskill (2012)

current CoH: $78k

current PAC CoH: $19k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $28,300

total given: $58,300

Robert Menendez (2012)

current CoH: $824k

current PAC CoH: $267k

DSCC: $110,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $72,500

total given: $212,500

Barbara Mikulski (2010)

current CoH: $658k

current PAC CoH: $51k

DSCC: $10,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $39,000

total given: $79,000

Patty Murray (2010)

current CoH: $2,047k

current PAC CoH: $108k

DSCC: $200,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $108,500

total given: $338,500

Bill Nelson (2012)

current CoH: $1,817k

current PAC CoH: $26k

DSCC: $150,000

DSCC through PAC: $20,000

2008 Sen candidates: $63,500

total given: $233,500

Ben Nelson (2012)

current CoH: $296k

current PAC CoH: $211k

DSCC: $90,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $25,000

total given: $145,000

Barack Obama (2010)

current CoH: $122k

current PAC CoH: $96k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $15,000

2008 Sen candidates: $68,000

total given: $83,000

Mark Pryor (2008)

current CoH: $3,606k

current PAC CoH: $90k

DSCC: $200,000

DSCC through PAC: $15,000

2008 Sen candidates: $52,400

total given: $267,400

Jack Reed (2008)

current CoH: $3,788k

current PAC CoH: $87k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $112,500

total given: $142,500

Harry Reid (2010)

current CoH: $2,511k

current PAC CoH: $685k

DSCC: $105,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $200,000

total given: $335,000

Jay Rockefeller (2008)

current CoH: $3,336k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $350,000

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $4,000

total given: $354,000

Ken Salazar (2010)

current CoH: $1,838k

current PAC CoH: $60k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $55,000

total given: $85,000

Chuck Schumer (2010)

Updated!

current CoH: $10,309k

current PAC CoH: $150k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $210,000

total given: $240,000

Debbie Stabenow (2012)

current CoH: $347k

current PAC CoH: $71k

DSCC: $60,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $88,000

total given: $178,000

Jon Tester (2012)

current CoH: $62k

current PAC CoH: $31k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $35,000

2008 Sen candidates: $4,000

total given: $39,000

Jim Webb (2012)

current CoH: $171k

current PAC CoH: $67k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $20,000

2008 Sen candidates: $11,000

total given: $31,000

Sheldon Whitehouse (2012)

current CoH: $41k

current PAC CoH: $28k

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: $43,500

2008 Sen candidates: $90,000

total given: $133,500

Ron Wyden (2010)

current CoH: $1,266k

current PAC CoH: $186k

DSCC: $100,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $18,000

total given: $148,000

Independents caucsing with Democrats:

Bernie Sanders (2012)

current CoH: $55k

current PAC CoH: none found

DSCC: $0

DSCC through PAC: n/a

2008 Sen candidates: $0

total given: $0

Joe Lieberman (2012)

current CoH: 2,011k

current PAC CoH: $489k

DSCC: $100,000

DSCC through PAC: $30,000

2008 Sen candidates: $22,500

total given: $152,500

These numbers vary from the Lieberman diary cited above because any contributions after June 30 were not included in the totals.

Notes:

All amounts above are for the 2007/2008 cycle up until June 30, 2008. Any money contributed to the DSCC or individual candidates by these Senators since July 1 is not included in the totals! So, there may have been some changes in the past few weeks.

Also, please take each Senator individually. Some have very low Cash-on-Hand numbers, so they wouldn’t be able to give much. Others have millions and are sitting on it. Others have competetive races this year. Some are Freshmen, some are recuperating from their presidential campaigns.

Anyway, there clearly are a couple of people who should be targeted by another “use it or lose it” campaign. What do you think?

Cross posted at Daily Kos, MyDD & Open Left

Dean Heller, friend of big business, friend of Dick Cheney, friend of Halliburton.

Yep, the company formerly chaired by Dick Cheney, the company getting probably the most bang for the buck out of the Iraq war, the company so infamous that there’s an entire website devoted to its shameful practices, that company, Halliburton Energy Services, has contributed $1,000 to Heller for Congress on August 1. And Heller gladly excepted it.

Why? I refer you to the first sentence of this diary. Honestly, though, without the loans he gave to his campaign (his current debts are $365k) and without the big business PAC money his campaign finances wouldn’t look so good. In fact, out of the $1.2 million Heller has received this cycle, more than $500k came from PACs or other committees. That’s more than 40%. You can view the whole list of PAC money here.

And don’t kid yourself about the individual contributions. Doesn’t mean they’re all ordinary folk. A lot of those are business executives, real estate, development, financial services giving in four figure sums. From Nevadan casino executives alone Dean Heller received at least $75,500 thus far. That’s more than 10% of all his individual contributions.

So, in case you’re wondering why we’re still in Iraq, why we have a big budget deficit, Heller getting contributions from companies like Halliburton is one of the reasons.

Heller’s Democratic challenger Jill Derby may not have Halliburton. But Jill Derby has ordinary supporters like you. How about giving her ten bucks?

Crossposted from My Silver State

With only three and a half month left before election day, Nevada bloggers have joined forces and today announce the creation of the “Nevada Bloggers for Jill Derby and Dina Titus” ActBlue fundraising page.  

Dean Heller and Jon Porter were almost beaten in 2006 in what were the closest races the 2nd and 3rd Nevada Congressional Districts have seen to date. Considering that Democratic voter registration has significantly increased since 2006 and that Nevada will be a battleground state in the presidential contest both Jill Derby and Dina Titus have a big chance of beating the Republican incumbents this fall.

However, both have one disadvantage: they have significantly less cash-on-hand than the incumbents. While they both reported good fundraising numbers in the last quarter it will be hard to make up the time and incumbency advantages of Heller and Porter. Therefore, Jill Derby and Dina Titus need all the help they can get. Whether you can give $5,$20 or $100 – anything helps!

The following blogs have been and will continue to cover one or both of these contests and today we are announcing that we stand together to help elect Jill Derby and Dina Titus: Blue Sage Views, Desert Beacon, Helluva Heller, My Silver State, Nor’Town, Nye – Gateway to Nevada’s Rurals, Reno and Its Discontent, and Vote Gibbons Out.

We support Jill Derby and Dina Titus for Congress! Help us in our effort!

One of the most amazing candidates running for Congress this is year is Darcy Burner in Washington state’s 8th congressional district. She was the one who (with the help of retired generals and national security experts) put together “A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq” which has been endorsed by over 50 Democratic congressional candidates, including Jill Derby. She has been on the forefront on all the important fights, including FISA. She’s just such a wonderful candidate that I’d be writing about her daily were she running in Nevada.

However, yesterday Darcy received a deep personal blow when her family’s home was destroyed in a fire and she, her husband, and her son were lucky to escape alive. Firefighters also managed to rescue their puppy but their cat died in the fire.

Now, I told you above what a wonderful candidate she is and naturally, a lot of candidates are all talk and of little substance. This is the t-shirt Darcy wore when she escaped the fire:

The text on the shirt is XML for “end war”.

Now, as Markos points out, Darcy faces a huge problem. Running a campaign is a time consuming effort. When your house has been destroyed through a fire your life has been uprooted and you simply can’t campaign and raise money as before. He (and other bloggers) has made a pretty good suggestion. We can’t help much with the personal side of this being so far away. But everyone of us can help her continue her campaign. Markos estimated that she would need to raise $150,000 in the month of July to keep her campaign competitive. So, the goal is to have the netroots raise that money for her so that she can focus the saved time on putting her life back together.

You can give to Darcy’s campaign here. And whether it’s $5 or $50, every bit helps.

In the meantime Darcy has put out a statement on her website. In it she asks not for contributions for her campaign but rather:

For those who would like to do something to express their support, let me suggest making a contribution to your local humane society or animal shelter in memory of Charlotte, or to the Washington State Council of Firefighters Benevolent Fund.

It’d be great if you show your support to Darcy in any way you like. Thanks!

Contribute to Darcy

Here’s a news report:

Cross posted from My Silver State

Cross posted from My Silver State.

Remember 2004? When the incumbent Senate Democratic Leader was beaten when he was running for reelection in South Dakota? The first time the Republican  Senate Leader Bill Frist broke one of those so called DC “gentlemen’s agreeements” of not actively campaigning against the leader of the other party?

You want that to happen again in 2010?

No? Then follow me below the fold to see what you can do NOW to stop the Republicans from beating Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010!

Why help Harry Reid now:

The Republican party in Nevada is as much in dire straits as the national party. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t put up a fight to defeat Harry Reid in 2010. Harry Reid once survived a very close race after against now Sen. John Ensign only after a recount (1998). In 2004 he won by a more than comfortable margin. However, that was before he was elected the leader of Senate Democrats. Because of his new leadership role his approval ratings in Nevada have suffered and Nevada Republicans have no greater goal but to topple Harry Reid in 2010.

Now, this is not about whether you like Harry Reid and his actions as the Senate Majority Leader. I’ve personally been very critical of him on several occasions. No, this is about whether you want the Republicans to once again take out the Democratic Leader in the Senate. And Republicans, in Nevada and nationally, will be itching for a fight in 2010 if they lose the White House and more seats in the Senate and the House. And who will be the most prominent target in 2010? Harry Reid.

Potential opponents:

Republicans already suffered pretty badly in 2006 when they lost four out of the six statewide constitutional offices. The only statewide incumbents right now are Gov. Jim Gibbons who is scandal plagued and currently divorcing his wife who has barrickaded herself in the Governor’s mansion. He’s lucky if he won’t either have to resign before 2010 or be primaried.

The other is Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki who seems to be more likely to succeed Gibbons than Reid.

The other top Republicans in the state are Sen. John Ensign who obviously can’t run against Reid and Congressmen Dean Heller (CD2) and Jon Porter (CD3). In 2006 Dean Heller barely managed to get above 50% in this open seat against Democrat Jill Derby. Porter barely won his reelection campaign in 2006 against Democrat Tessa Hafen. Hafen was a Reid staffer who received major financial backing from Reid. A sign that Reid thought Porter to be his strongest and most likely opponent in a future Senate race.

Once you’re done with the most obvious opponents, you have to search in the State Legislature or the local level to find a possible opponent for Reid. You might find one, whether it would be a strong and credible one is highly questionable as the Democrats are only one seat away from a 2/3 majority in the Assembly and just one seat away from getting the majority in the State Senate.

So, the two most likely opponents for Harry Reid are Congressmen Jon Porter and Dean Heller (in that order).

What you can do now:

In one sentence: help defeat Porter and Heller this fall.

Both are vulnerable. Currently, CQ rates CD 2 as Republican Favored and CD 3 as Leans Republican. However, that’s mostly on the basis of the Republicans current financial advantage. After serving as Nevada Democratic State Party Chair for the past year and preparing the state for the caucus in January, Jill Derby announced another run against Heller in late February. By the end of the first quarter filing deadline she had raised $144,000.

In CD 3 a lot of Democrats were mentioned as possible challengers last year. In the end Clark County prosecutor Robert Daskas was the candidate backed by most in the Democratic Party. He was added to the DCCC’d red to blue list in March. However, everyone was shocked when Daskas dropped out this month just two weeks before the filing deadline. Local Democrats, the DCCC and Daskas’ primary opponent Andrew Martin soon rallied around Senate Minority Leader and 2006 gubernatorial nominee Dina Titus. However, six months before the election Titus is at a serious fundraising disatvantage.



Why Jill Derby and Dina Titus can win:

So, both of our candidates are way behind in fundraising. Why, then, can they still win?

Jill Derby ran a hotly contested race in 2006 for a seat that Democrats have not seriously contested since Gov. Jim Gibbons first ran in 1996. While everyone pronounced this seat unwinable for any Democrat, Jill Derby ran a strong campaign and won 45% of the vote and kept Heller at 50%. One reason, Gibbons was even a serious contender for Governor and eventually won in 2006 is that Democrats never seriously contested his seat after his first election in 1996.

Two years later, the situation for Jill Derby is much better. She has new DC and national connections due to her time as State party chair during the caucus (which will help with fundraising), the caucus led to an increase in registered Democratic voters and Heller now has to run on his two year Bush rubber stamp record. The race has gained attention from national Democrats as Derby was endorsed by the Blue Dogs in Congress. Yes, I know, none of us are two fond of the Blue Dogs. That said, I’m happy about any help Jill Derby will get and this is after all still a pretty conservative district. When Derby talks about joining the Blue Dogs in Congress, she’s mostly talking about fiscal conservatism. Yet, she’s progressive on other issues, announcing her campaign at a green architecture form, has made health care and supporting SCHIP one of her main campaign themes (Heller voted against SCHIP). Also, her campaign will be managed by the former head of Americans Against the Escalation in Iraq in Nevada. Subsequently, she also endorsed the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.

As for Dina Titus, she has actually already won in CD 3. In 2006 she won here by two points against Jim Gibbons in her run for Governor. Additionally, the district is trending Democratic as the registration advantage now is at 43% Dem, 37% Rep. Plus, Porter only won by 4,000 votes in 2006.

All Jill Derby and Dina Titus need now is the money to be competitive.

You can do three good deeds today:

You can help two great Democratic women get elected to Congress.

And you can help beat two possible opponents of Harry Reid.

All you need to do is give as much or little as you can and contribute through the My Silver State ActBlue page.

Links:

Jill Derby for Congress

Dina Titus for Congress

Helluva Heller – local blog with more information.

Mcjoan on Jill Derby in 2006.

This diary is about Nevada’s 3rd CD.

It’s a rhetorical question of course! At least for me.

Nevertheless, it is still an interesting one. On the one side we have one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents, on the other a Democratic elite unwilling to jump into the race – whatever reasons they may have.

From the Las Vegas Sun:

Invitations went out to the big dance off, and it had to be tempting. Challenge a Republican congressman who has been unwavering in his support of an unpopular war. Get millions of dollars in assistance from national Democrats. And do all of this when voters are leaning toward Democrats.

The cool kids, though, decided not to show. So a political neophyte will be the candidate.

Robert Daskas, a chief deputy district attorney, filed papers last week announcing his intention to run against Rep. Jon Porter, a three-term incumbent. (The other announced Democratic candidate is Andrew Martin, who will have a tough time beating Daskas, the party’s preferred candidate, for the nomination .)

Daskas has the support of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Shelley Berkley of Nevada . But that doesn’t mean he was the first choice. At least four other s, three of them veteran elected officials, passed up a chance to run.

“There’s no question Daskas is a fourth-choice candidate for national Democrats,” said David Wasserman, House editor for the Cook Political Report. “That said, Republicans can’t take him lightly.”

If you think this only applies to Nevada’s 3rd congressional district you’d be wrong. The same is true for Oregon’s U.S. Senate race. There, Bush rubber stamp Gordon Smith is seen just as vulnerable as Porter is in Nevada. And yet, one prominent Democrat after the other said thanks but no thanks. In the end, the Democratic elite in Oregon settled on House Majority Leader Jeff Merkley. In Nevada, they settled on Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Robert Daskas.

The number of elected Democrats in Oregon is much higher than in Nevada so the following assertion by the Sun doesn’t quite ring true:

In other states, political parties spend years nurturing potential candidates for higher office. But Nevada Democrats have not always focused on grooming candidates by helping up-and-comers get elected to school boards and city councils to gain experience.

It’s more a resistance of leading Democrats to take a chance and jump into a race with an uncertain outcome. One wonders why. However, this reluctance may be one reason why there is still no talk of a challenger for our Republican freshman in Congress, Dean Heller. What’s up with that anyway?

Cross posted from My Silver State.

The House Minority Leader John Boehner said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that the blood shed in Iraq and the billions spent were a “small price.” A lot of bloggers pounded Boehner for this and rightfully so, though many missed an important angle: Boehner is the leader of his fellow 200 Republican members of the House of Representatives.

So on Thursday, I called on the Republican members of Nevada’s delegation (Jon Porter and Dean Heller) to answer one question: Do they think the death of Nevada’s fallen soldiers is a “small price to pay?”

I also asked members of the 50-State blog network to do the same. Thus far five other blogs have done so.

Left in Alabama has two posts up (here and here), Calitics, Minnesota Campaign Report and Blue Jersey are asking their Republican Congressmen as well, and Blue Mass Group wants an answer from the Republican candidate in Massachusetts 5th CD (which has a special election coming up) and also has a follow up.

We already have John McCain on record saying “he ought to retract it.” But McCain’s a Senator.

Where are the 200 men and women who elected John Boehner as their leader? Do they agree that the 3,780 American lives lost in Iraq are a small price?

If you haven’t already pressured your local representative on your blog, please join us and do so now. Also, bring this to the attention of your local media. Write an old fashioned letter to the editor. CNN has picked up the blogospehere’s reaction, so should your local media. Every Republican member of the House should have to answer if they agree with their leader.

Cross posted from My Silver State.

As there isn’t a U.S. Senate race in Nevada this cycle, about which we could write at My Silver State – Nevada’s progressive community blog, and there are no major candidates yet to challenge Republican Congressmen Dean Heller (NV-02) and Jon Porter (NV-02), I’d like to take a look north across the Nevada stateline to Larry LaRocco‘s run for the U.S. Senate in Idaho.

By looking beyond Larry Craig’s resignation announcement, I’d like to make an argument why Larry LaRocco is an ideal candidate to be featured on the Blue Majority fundraising page run by Daily Kos, Open Left, MyDD and the Swing State Project.

Just in case you don’t know Larry LaRocco yet, watch this video about a true “working” candidate:

A couple of days ago, Larry was live blogging at Daily Kos, you can also read more about him on his campaign website where he has also posted about the jobs he’s been working thus far.

So, with all the Senate candidates out there, why would Larry LaRocco be an ideal Blue Majority candidate, one the national netroots should be supporting?

First, I’ll just let today’s Washington Post speak for me:

The Craig scandal is only the latest issue to demoralize the Republican Party, and new wild cards keep springing up, such as an FBI raid on a home of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and questions about the role that Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) may have played in the firing of U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias in Albuquerque. Democratic surrogates in labor-backed groups such as Americans United for Change have even been attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) in Kentucky.

The Cook Report considers those three seats and the Idaho seat “likely Republican,” but if the GOP is forced to spend any money defending them, it would be siphoning funds from races where the money would be badly needed. As of June 30, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had $20.4 million on hand, while the National Republican Senatorial Committee had $5.8 million in its bank account.

“If Republicans are investing significant money in Idaho, that means they are losing at least five seats in 2008,” said Nathan L. Gonzales, political editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. “If Idaho ends up the fire wall, they are in deep trouble.”emphasis added

Now, the conventional wisdom, including in this Washington Post piece, is that Idaho is likely to stay Republican, that Larry LaRocco is unlikely to win. We all know conventional wisdom can be challenged as has been proven in the Senate races in Virginia and Montana last year. Watch out for an additional conventional wisdom this cycle, especially if Lt. Gov. Jim Risch will replace Craig, that Larry LaRocco can’t win as he has already lost twice against Risch (1986, State Senate; 2006 Lt. Gov, with Risch being the incumbent in both elections). We ought to challenge these conventional wisdoms because wise they’re not.

First of all, this is a federal election. Very different dynamics come into play when people vote for a U.S. Senator opposed to a rather powerless Lt. Governor.

Also, Larry LaRocco has represented Idaho in Congress before (1991-1995). He’s got the experience, he knows what he’s talking about.

Most importantly, though, we’re currently witnessing the implosion of the Republican party as we know it. Corruption, moralistic hypocracy, and, first and foremost, the Iraq occupation have not only led to the Democrats recapturing the majority in the House and in the Senate. It may also lead to the election of a Democratic President and an increased majority in Congress next year.

We all know how it’s gonna work. The establishment support and money will mostly go along the conventional wisdom. It is most likely to go to New Hampshire, Minnesota, Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and also Virginia now. That’s good and hopefully we will win all of these seats.

That said, last year has proven that the netroots can have an impact in unlikely races with small media markets. Idaho and Larry LaRocco fit this mold perfectly, as do Andrew Rice in Oklahoma and a possible Mark Begich candidacy in Alaska, by the way.

What could be more wonderful than having Idaho as the Republican firewall? It’s not unlikely as the Club for Growth may force a primary on whoever will be appointed to Craig’s seat. This can only strengthen Larry.

In 1982, Larry LaRocco had zero support from the DCCC and yet got 46.5% of the vote. Back then there was no internet, blogs didn’t exist. This time we can help him out and help him win.

If you want to support Larry know, here’s his campaign website and his ActBlue page.

Cross posted at Daily Kos, Open Left, and MyDD.