In the wake of the tragic passing of GOP candidate Frank Powers, media speculation has focused heavily on the possible replacements for Powers on the ballot. For his part, incumbent Rep. Vito Fossella says that he won’t be changing his mind on retirement:
The sudden death yesterday of GOP congressional candidate Frank Powers hasn’t made Rep. Vito Fossella rethink his decision not to run for re-election to the House this fall.
“My plans for the future have not changed,” Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) told the Advance during an exclusive interview in his Eltingville district office today. “I am not running for re-election.”
Other contenders are feeling the same way:
State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) and City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island) both said that they would not second-guess their decisions not to run for Congress. GOP District Attorney Daniel Donovan is thought to feel the same way.
Other rumored replacements include state Supreme Court justice Joseph Maltese and retired investment banker and Conservative Party member Paul Atanasio. NY1 reporter Lisa Giovinazzo, who lost the GOP’s endorsement to Powers, is also considered a potential contender. Donovan would clearly be the strongest choice, but his entry into the race seems unlikely at this point.
As for the means of tapping a replacement, if the GOP collected enough signatures for Powers, the party will be able to appoint a candidate via a committee on vacancies. Otherwise, it seems that the replacement would have to start gathering signatures — and fast.
UPDATE: Elizabeth runs through a list of all the possibilities. A spokesman for Dan Donovan says that he is standing by his decision not to run.
TX-32 covers the northwestern suburbs of Dallas. Its population is 36% Hispanic and has a PVI of R+10.7. However, it’s been trending in the right direction: under its current lines, the district supported Bush by 64-36 in 2000, but narrowed to 60-40 in 2004. Mid-decade redistricting forced Democratic Rep. Martin Frost to face off against the incumbent Sessions in 2004, resulting in Frost’s defeat by a 54-44 margin. Dallas attorney Will Pryor (cousin of Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor) attempted a dark horse campaign against Sessions in 2006, but lost by 56-41.
Eric Roberson appears to be even more of a dark horse candidate, having only raised $21,000 for his campaign so far. Of all the “long shot” campaigns in Texas this year (TX-07 and TX-10 are the two other notables), this one seems to be the unlikeliest. But a good showing by Roberson could provide us with some clues and inspiration for the future here.
The following is a preview of Oregon’s delegates who were recently selected to attend the National Convention (excluding state-level delegates whose results are not posted yet). More information is available by going to: http://restricted.dpo.org/delegates/. Delegates are listed below by District and Candidate whom they support. Crossposted from Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/23/122757/648/415/540647)
The following are the district-level delegates elected to attend the Democratic Convention in Denver this August.
Delegates are listed by district and candidate, along with the candidate they were elected to support (although obviously all, or nearly all, of the HRC delegates will actually vote for Obama in Denver). Alternate delegates are indicated with a *.
The Eric Roberson campaign commissioned a poll of CD32. As with earlier polls of CD7 and CD10, the population sampled was prior voters, and results were weighted to match historical turnout. These polls are designed to be apples-to-apples comparisons with earlier elections, looking at how much the district has shifted rather than projecting new turnout patterns. As with the other Congressional polls, I first asked about McCain v Obama, then Cornyn v Noriega and then the Congressional matchup. While there was minor variation in the responses, margins were identical in all three races.
I find a nine point lead for Pete Sessions and the other Republicans, down from a fifteen point margin in the 2006 election. Three percent said they would vote third party or not vote, in line with the 2.3% that a Libertarian candidate received in 2006. Only one percent said they were undecided in the Congressional race, while the Presidential and Senate races had about 4% undecided.
Questions were posed in this format:
In the 32nd District Congressional race, the candidates are Republican Pete Sessions and Democrat Eric Roberson
If you would vote for Republican Pete Sessions, press 1
If you would vote for Democrat Eric Roberson, press 2
If you would vote for another candidate, or if you would not vote, press 3
If you are undecided, press 4
The order of candidate names and choices is randomized. As of last week, I have changed my format to add the Libertarian candidate’s name, but this poll was conducted prior to that change.
Additional questions requested by the Roberson campaign were asked after the three matchup questions so that there would be no bias. Sessions was viewed favorably by 37% and unfavorably by 39%, with the remainder neutral. Roberson’s name recognition was low, even among those who supported him. Top issue was the Economy, followed by the War.
Illegal Immigration, Change and Healthcare also received support at lower levels.
Sessions 52%
Roberson 43%
Third party/no vote 3%
Undecided 1%
Excluding third party/no vote
Sessions 54%
Roberson 45%
Undecided 1%
581 likely voters polled 6/4/2008, margin of error 4.1%
Below is a blog post from the Josh Zeitz for Congress campaign. Josh is a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent (and anti-choice caucus chair) Chris Smith in NJ-4.
With gas prices at $4/gallon, the last thing New Jersey drivers deserve is to get ripped off by gas station owners. I read recently about the inspections conducted by law enforcement of over 1000 gas stations in all 21 counties of our state. Any violations would be unacceptable, but over 350 station owners, more than one in three, were found in violation.
You know, this past weekend I walked through two precincts in Bordentown Township and attended the really amazing Florence Occasion in the Park. People told me they were fed up with the high cost of gas, and one specifically brought up how many gas stations were cited for cheating drivers at the pump.
More after the break.
Like most of you, I am outraged at these violations, which Attorney General Anne Milgram said are in all likelihood intentional attempts to deceive consumers. I’m glad that these inspections took place and that drivers can now be more confident that they are at least getting what they are paying four dollars a gallon for. I would suggest they mandate more frequent inspections.
It’s for reasons like this that I support strict criminal penalties for price gouging. The law has to protect drivers not only from gas station owners but also from the Big Oil companies who are making record profits and still receiving outrageous subsidies from our governments in Washington. We need measures that investigate price fixing by Oil Cartels like OPEC as well as unfair and ridiculous prices set by the biggest oil producers in the United States.
I’m going to stick around for comments. If you are interested in volunteering for the campaign, please contact me at ian_at_joshzeitz_com. I am a volunteer myself, and serve as Josh’s Netroots Outreach Coordinator.
As I said yesterday, it goes without saying that my condolances go out to the Powers family. However, the busness of politics goes on, and if the Republicans hope they can recruit a stronger candiate to take Frank Powers’ they may be out of luck.
State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) declined to run because he didn’t want to be away from his young family, and yesterday said that Powers’ death didn’t alter his thinking.
“I made the decision for all the right reasons,” Lanza said. “This doesn’t change the reasons why.”
“Nothing’s changed for me,” said Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island), who passed on the congressional race in order to focus on a 2009 run for borough president. “What I said a month or so ago still rings true.”
District Attorney Daniel Donovan as well as County Clerk Stephen Fiala, a former South Shore City Councilman, each said last month that they would not run for the seat.
It is believed that Fossella, who announced last month that he would not seek re-election, will remain on the sidelines.
This has to be one of the most unusual races of the year, so sa the least and anything can happen, but the picture seems to go from bad to worse for the Republicans.
Boy, soliciting contributions from, and voting for the special interests must be really tiring work. Being Mitch McConnell’s favorite lackey in the Kentucky Republican Party machine must be too. Exxon Eddie has been a busy man, and unfortunately it is catching up with him. He is looking pretty tired……
When Veterans needed him to stand up for them on the benefits they had earned and were promised:
Whitfield voted against a $53 Million boost for Veteran’s Health care and benefits. The vote was against an amendment to the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs funding bill to add $53 million for veterans health care and other benefits, offset by a 9% cut to BRAC. The amendment would add $8 million for combat-related trauma care, $6 million for poly-trauma centers to support wounded troops once they return to their homes, $9 million for VA medical and prosthetic research and $7 million for 100 additional staff who process claims for compensation and pension benefits. Finally, the amendment would provide $23 million to help approximately 4,100 souses of service members with children whose spouse died during the War on Terrorism between September 11, 2001 and November 30, 2004 by making them eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. The amendment failed 213-214 – Whitfield was the deciding vote which denied these benefits to injured veterans. (Leadership Document, “Medical Quality Democratic Amendment Final.”)
[HR 2528, Vote #224, 5/26/05; Failed 213-214; R 19-210; D 193-4; I 1-0]
Exxon Ed Whitfield was asleep at the wheel:
While others fought for Ethics in Goverment:
Whitfield voted to Weaken House Ethics Rules. The new rules would allow lobbyists to cater meals to members’ offices and let charities pay for lawmakers to travel and stay at golf resorts and other locales. The measure would allow outside interests to pay for “perishable food or refreshments offered to members of an office.” For example, a lobbying firm representing pharmaceutical interests sent in dinner for House speaker J. Dennis Hastert’s (R-IL) staff while they were working late on a prescription drug bill. The weaker rules passed, 221-203. Whitfield has since traveled abroad at the expense of lobbyists who sit on the boards of non-profit organizations.
[HRS 5, Vote #6, 1/4/2005; Passed 220-195; R 220-0; D 0-194; D 0-1].
Exxon Eddie was Asleep at the Wheel:
When Americans needed a break from Price Gouging:
Whitfield Opposed Cracking Down on Price Gouging and Lowering Gas Prices. The vote was against a measure to provide the Federal Trade Commission with new authority to investigate and prosecute those who engage in predatory pricing, from oil companies on down to gas stations, with the emphasis on those who profit the most. This includes price gouging of gasoline and natural gas, home heating oil and propane. The measure increased funding for the low-income home energy assistance program through fines from price-gouging companies and created a strategic refinery reserve with capacity equal to 5% of the total United States demand for gasoline, home heating oi8l and other refined petroleum products.
]HR 3893, Vote #517, 10/7/2005; Failed 199-222; R 2-222; D 196-0; I 1-0].
Exxon Eddie was asleep at the wheel:
Finally, when Kentucky’s Coal Miners needed a friend to fight for safer working conditions for them:
Whitfield Voted to Put Coal Miners at Greater Health Risk
[HR 2660, Vote #349, 7/10/2003; Failed 216-216; R207-19; D 9-195; I 0-1]
The vote would allow for new rules allowing four times the amount of coal dust previously legal in underground mines. Under the proposal, operators could violate a standard spelled out in the 1969 federal mine safety law that specifically says respirators are not to be used as a substitute for otherwise lowering the level of dust in mines. An effort to block the new fule failed 210-212.
You guessed it, Exxon Ed Whitfield was asleep at the wheel:
All these years of representing the special interests and Corporate America over the interests of the average working American have taken a toll on Exxon Ed Whitfield. He needs rest, and where better to get it than beautiful, sunny Florida where he lives?? Lets send him there to catch up on his beauty sleep.
Shocking news from the NY-13, Daily Kos and The Albany Project are reporting coverage from the NY Daily News that Republican Frank Powers has died of an apparent heart attack.
GOP and law enforcement sources confirmed Powers, 68, a retired Wall Street executive and MTA board member, died at his Annfield Court home on Staten Island.
“We’re back to square one in terms of finding a candidate,” said one obviously shaken Staten Island Republican. “You go from the bizarre to the surreal around here.”
UPDATE: Powers’ family issued the following statement:
“Our dad Frank passed away early this morning. As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for our family. We would appreciate privacy and time as we make the necessary arrangements.”
“We shall have more information when final arrangesments have been made. We thank you for your kindness and cooperation and ask you to keep our dad and family in your prayers.”
It goes without saying that my condolances go out to the family, however the political reamificatios are huge if local Republicans can leverage is memory to recruit a stronger candidate. Stay tuned.
In a tragic turn of events, Francis H. Powers passed away in his sleep, apparently from natural causes. Powers, 67, a former Wall Street executive, was selected by the GOP to run for the seat of retiring Congressman Vito Fossella. All politics aside, our thoughts are with Powers' family at this sad time.
We all know that tragedy has struck our heartland. In IA, IL and other states along the Mississippi River, we have seen huge flooding. Levees have been breached and towns and livelihoods have been destroyed. While we cannot control the weather, our government can invest in it’s own people and infrastructure to help alleviate disasters like this one.
Whether its NOLA, Iowa, or Illinois, our country has let us down. We can do better for our citizens and we must. If we have a trillion dollars to invest in the bottomless pit of Iraq, surely we can invest in our own country once more.
That is what Democrats are supposed to fight for. FDR took a lot of flack in his day, because he understood that this nation after decades of excess simply had to invest in its own people once more.
Enter Heather Ryan. Long before the floodwaters inundated her native state of Iowa, Ryan called for a national emergency plan to deal with such disasters:
National Preparedness: Where would you go if there was a national, state or local emergency? What would you do if severe weather hit your area? What if you lived in a mobile home or had no transportation to get to higher ground? These are serious issues that
the Republican party has had 7 years to think about and plan around since the War on Terror began. When Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, thousands of low income people were without a plan and were abandoned by the Bush administration. When tornadoes hit Kentucky and the south on February 5th, 2008 my family and I found ourselves in the same
situation. A low income family, living in a mobile home park with nowhere to go. The people who died in those storms were largely like us, they knew they were in danger but they had no plan. WE NEED A NATIONAL EMERGENCY PLAN! Every life in our nation is precious and deserves protection against the elements and terrorist threats; not just the lives of the Republican Party’s rich donors deserve to have shelter in times of crisis. As your congressional representative, I will immediately begin work on a national emergency plan. Unlike the Republicans, who want you to be afraid, I do not believe that Fear Mongering is a plan, instead it is a tool for their re-election campaigns. I will be part of the solution – not the problem!
How many disasters before our leaders in Washington realize that we need a plan to protect our own people? How long until they realize that we need to invest as much in our own infrastructure as we do the infrastructure of Iraq?
We need new leaders, with bold new ideas in Washington. Heather Ryan knows what the average American and Kentuckian faces, because she faces those challenges right along with us. She is not afraid to stand up to Republicans, or anyone else to fight for what is right!!:
Heather is a great candidate and the more people get to see her here, the more our campaign gains steam. We have crossed the $5000 mark in online contributions alone. In fact, due to the efforts of our campaign, Exxon Ed Whitfield has been forced to come up from Florida where he lives and pay some attention to this district yet again.
Yes, we need new leaders in Washington. We need leaders who aren’t afraid to fight for us, and what is right. Heather represents a new generation of leadership stepping forward, a candidate that lives, works, and raises her family among the people she hopes to represent. She knows the problems that face real Americans, because she is right there facing them with us.
We need your help to make this happen. We need to show that Democrats will support grassroots Democrats serious about change wherever they emerge. We are oh so close to showing everyone just how viable Heather Ryan’s candidacy is. Every penney we raise brings us closer to that threshold. Please, go to Americans for Ryan and show everyone that we believe in candidates like Heather Ryan. Candidates who share our values, and will fight for us, while fighting for a sane new direction for our country. Go here, and help expand our Congressional majorities with a veteran, and a “Fighting Democrat” that will fight for us!!:
