Here’s your daily dose of bullet points…
• TX-10: Democrats have lined up a solid candidate in TX-10, where Larry Joe Doherty came within 10 points of Mike McCaul last year. Jack McDonald, CEO of Austin high-tech firm Perficient, has started an exploratory committee. This fast-growing, Dem-trending district may also be an open seat in 2010, as McCaul considers a bid for Texas AG.
• CA-48: It looks like GOP Rep. John Campbell is about to receive a stronger-than-expected Democratic challenge in 2010. Beth Krom, the former mayor of Irvine and a current city councilor, has made a formal announcement of her candidacy on her campaign website. A traditionally red district, Obama edged out a slight victory over McCain here in 2008, pulling 49% of the vote. (Hat-tip to Gus Ayer, friend of SSP) (J)
• NV-Sen: Here’s one that slipped through the cracks last week: ex-Rep. Jon Porter, who’d be the GOP’s best option against Harry Reid, is staying in Washington and becoming ‘director of public policy’ at a lobbying shop. Not that this closes him out from running, but it diminshes the likelihood.
• FL-Sen: Rep. Kendrick Meek has been racking up money ($90,000 at a recent Bill Clinton-headlined fundraiser) and endorsements (Florida’s SEIU chapter and United Teachers of Dade) while primary opponent state senator Dan Gelber is preoccupied with the legislative session.
• DCCC: In a big behind-the-scenes move, DCCC executive director (and Pelosi ally) Brian Wolff has left the D-Trip to become senior VP for external affairs at the Edison Electric Institute, a utility-owned trade and lobbying group that has previously given significantly more money to Republicans. (UPDATE: The DCCC’s new executive director will be Jon Vogel, who previously led the DCCC’s independent expenditures arm.)
• WA-08: Here’s an interesting take from American Prospect on what went wrong with Darcy Burner’s rematch against Dave Reichert, written by Eli Sanders, the former politics reporter for the Stranger (Seattle’s alt-weekly). I’m not sure I agree with the final analysis (they say it was mostly a matter of tone) but it’s thought-provoking.
and Porter’s staying in DC. I’m still waiting to hear who exactly is able to beat Harry Reid, as he is supposedly our most vulnerable senator in 2010.
if crist runs? or does the cash only work for fed office?
Although I’ve been an intermittent friend of Swing State Project. I seem to recall some nasty comments of mine when SSP declared Debbie Cook “below the Mendoza line” when the asshats in DC were clueless about California.
In the CA-46 race, unfortunately, Debbie Cook started way too late, and Dana Rohrabacher’s friends nudged him awake, so the conventional wisdom was fulfilled, but not without a hell of a fight.
From here on the ground in Orange County, Beth Krom has a much better shot than Debbie Cook ever had, although the district is even tougher. Rohrabacher established himself as an outsider, and showed up at Indian Princess breakfasts and Eagle Scout Ceremonies, and sponsored snow days in Long Beach. Campbell is an elitist with monogrammed French cuffs who never shows up at local events.
Obama carried CA-48 by 2500 votes but lost CA-46.
And in 2010, the Obama organizers won’t go to Nevada.
Non-religious population soaring. The % of Americans claiming no religion has jumped from 8% in 1990 to 15% today. The breakdown by state is fascinating.
States with highest % of non-religious residents:
1. VT – 34%
2. NH – 29%
3. WY – 28% (WTF?!)
4. WA – 25%
5. ME – 25%
6. OR – 24%
7. NV – 24%
8. ID – 23%
9. DE – 23%
10. MA – 22%
States with lowest % of non-religious residents:
50. MS – 5%
49. ND – 7%
48. LA – 8%
47. AR – 8%
46. TN – 9%
45. GA – 9%
44. NC – 10%
43. SC – 10%
42. KS – 11%
41. OK – 11%
7 of those 10 are ex-Confederate states. Why am I not surprised?
One surprise is Utah with 14% non-religious. That’s much higher than I expected.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/r…