14 thoughts on “Weekly Open Thread: What Races Are You Interested In?”

  1. Spoke in front of a crowd of 20,000 in Austin, Texas.  This guy is spectacular.  Let’s see Hillary Clinton do something like this.

  2. We need to start targeting new states based on how much they are leaning towards our party, away from the repubs, or just might be able to switch over.  Now the obvious ones are New Mexico and Iowa, win back what bush took.  From there, there’s the newly moderating Colorado which could very well turn blue in 08.  we should also look at Tennessee, according to cnn.com’s election coverage of the 2004 and 2006 election, Tennessee went from 32% dem 40% rep in 2004 to 35% dem 37% repub in 2006.  sure ford lost, but it was close and we made ground.  Ohio seems obvious as it went from 35/40 repub advantage to 40/37 DEM ADVANTAGE!  In Ohio, that’s all we needed in 2004 to win!  We lost ground in Nevada, which doesn’t bode well, we need that state to reaffirm power in the west.  We went from 30/44 to 32/40 in Arizona, which Napolatino there we might have a shot, assuming Mccain’s not on the ticket.  Indiana might also be a state moving our way.  Considering our incredible gains (3 us house seats and the legislature, what what!  sorry)  we might be able to turn it with the right candidate.  We moved up a point in Virginia which A: is something and B: reaffirms the fact that Webb won because of maccaca, not because of the “dynamic personality” everyone’s talking about, or his capable campaigning skills, it was dumb luck.  Wonderful dumb luck, magnificent dumb luck, makes you wonder if that kid allen called maccaca was actually a time traveler who had to stop president allen in the future whose incompetence initiated a nuclear war.  any-y-yhoo, we also need to go after West Virginia and Arkansas.  In 2004 41% of Arkansas voters DEMOCRATS!  That should have been our state!  In West Virginia it was 50%.  50 freaking percent!  Now it’s up to 51%, we should not be losing that state any more than they should lose Utah, or Wyoming!  In short, we need to win and to do that, we need new states.

  3. In the first election after the Democrats lost the House, a number of Members, fearing Democrats would not regain the majority in 1996, did not seek reelection.  Tom Bevill (AL), Sonny Montgomery (MS), Pat Williams (MT), Bill Brewster (OK) and Pete Geren (TX) retired, and Glen Browder (AL), Dick Durbin (IL), Tim Johnson (SD) and John Bryant (TX) sought higher office.  When the Democrats failed to gain control, Bill Richardson accepted an appointment with the Clinton Administration.  Republicans won all of these open seats.  Two years later, they won five more open seats vacated by Vic Fazio (CA), Jane Harman (CA), Scotty Baesler (KY), Bill Hefner (NC), and Paul McHale (PA).

    Now the shoe is on the other foot.  Since it evident that Iraq is still going to be a huge issue next year, some Republicans may decide to retire or seek other office, especially those who have term-limited out of chairmanships.  The DCCC should be making contingency plans to pounce on these opportunities.  While Heather Wilson’s seat in New Mexico is on the radar screen whether or not she runs for Senate if Pete Domenici decides to hang it up, the type of seat I have in mind is that occupied by Tom Davis (VA11), who has indicated interest in running for Senate if John Warner retires.  Given the recent electoral success of Democrats in Northern Virginia, surely we can find a congressional candidate for this district who can raise more than $360,000.

  4. can we get someone better for this district in 08?  murphy has had three chance to win, including one during the biggest democrat election in years and she still lost.  let’s try someone new, someone who might actually be able to win okay?

  5. Rumors are flying that Steve Boyda, husband of Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, is mulling a challenge to Incumbent Senator Pat Roberts in 2008.  The Boydas are in the “no comment” stage but the fact they are not outright denying the rumor sure is interesting.

    Kansas sure does like power couples afterall.

  6. Jay Buckley, a Dartmouth professor, and former astronaut, medical doctor, and Air Force flight surgeon, announced he’s forming an exploratory committee to enter what’s already a crowded Democratic primary for John Sununu’s Senate Seat. Buckley served as a payload specialist for the space shuttle Columbia in the 1990’s and spent 16 days in space in 1998. More recently, he worked on Wesley Clark’s 2004 primary bid.

    Buckley currently serves as Dartmouth’s medical director for hyperbaric medicine, is a professor in the medical school and adjuncts at Dartmouth’s School of Engineering. Buckley is 50 years old and resides in Hanover, New Hampshire.

    It’s awfully early, but this guy has got one hell of a resume.

    Pic and Bio here
    http://www.jsc.nasa….

    1. Baker, Boustany and Latham perhaps running. But, Kirk won’t run. I wish he would because its a suicide mission. Durbin may not be the most popular guy in Illinois but he’s not nearly as bad as Blago who got re-elected, he’s got lots of money and he’s very powerful in the senate. Its no sure thing that Kirk beats Dan Seals this time around especially if Obama is at the top of the ballot but if Kirk decides to run against Durbin he’ll lose by atleast 10 points and we might as well just start calling him Congressman Dan Seals.

  7. she’s just barely hung on in a very republican district (is there a website that has the PVI of house districts, if so, what’s the site?) because she’s one crazy SOB.  while strickland could surely redistrict her into less friendly territory come next redistricting, we should get her out in 2008, simply because SHE’S INSANE!  let’s start recruiting challengers now and kick her out!

  8. She seems to be connected to the U.S. Attorney firing scandal. See here. She won by about 1,000 votes in a seat that usually votes D in presidential elections.

    Charlie Cook’s website has some of the PVIs here, at least for ones that are 5 points or less in either direction, or are represented by the “wrong” party. For all of them, I think you have to go to the print version, unfortunately.

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