[crossposted in part at Loaded Orygun, Oregon’s progressive community…]
Not having a second home or Chuck Schumer to rely on, yesterday Steve Novick made one more personal appeal to supporters in the primary, giving the whip to Seabiscuit as it were: help me close strong.
It sure is working; the Novick campaign today announced a quadfecta of eye-raising numbers for the supposed underdog:
Over $1 million now raised for the cycle
Just under $139,000 in April, a monthly pace 21% higher than for the three months of Q1 (which itself was 57% higher than Q4 last year)
A whopping $30,000 raised just since MONDAY.
Over $500,000 raised so far via ActBlue
From the campaign:
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Steve Novick's campaign announced today that it raised $138,983.98 in April 2008, passing the $1 million mark to raise $1,028,435.94 the election cycle.
"Our fundraising continued to accelerate in April with the vast majority of our support coming from right here in the state of Oregon," said Jake Weigler, Novick campaign manager. "We've proven that a grassroots campaign can attract the other green stuff too."
Novick's contributions continued to come overwhelmingly from Oregon, with $107,819.68 (77.5 percent) coming from within the state. Overall, 963 contributors gave to the campaign in April, 817 from Oregon. Previously, in the first quarter of 2008, Novick outraised primary opponent Jeff Merkley by 42 percent in itemized contributions from Oregon ($187,722.92 to $131,734.16).
Novick also continues to receive substantial online support from netroots donors. The campaign has raised over $30,000 online since Monday, bringing the total raised through the online Democratic clearinghouse ActBlue to over $500,000. Novick is currently the third highest U.S. Senate candidate in the nation on ActBlue, behind only Mark Warner of Virginia and Rick Noriega of Texas.
"When you look at how far Steve and the campaign have come, it is a rather remarkable journey," said Weigler. "He entered this race as an underdog placeholder. Today he's raised over $1 million and continues to lead in every public poll in the race.People across Oregon are ready for a principled progressive who isn't afraid to tell the truth about what it will take to turn our country around."
[emph mine]
With fewer than two weeks until ballots are counted, money for advertising and GOTV is crucial. Also valuable as information, is the fundraising appeal power of the candidates with an eye towards the general election. Looks like there’s a late kick going on at the Novick camp.
It has been a rocky road in Kentucky’s Democratic Senate Primary. First, we kept losing candidates as the establishment lined it up for Bruce Lunsford. I actually lost interest in the race knowing I would vote my straight ticket in the fall. Now it seems we will be able to mount a successful Progressive challenge after all. That is because Greg Fischer has stepped to the plate and is charging to the finish. This race is heating up and has begun to tighten.
In exchanges yesterday and today, these campaigns kept slugging it out. First, Bruce Lunsford released this:
LOUISVILLE – In a stunning display of hypocrisy, U.S. Senate candidate Greg Fischer touted his record as “an open book,” yet he failed to file his Personal Financial Disclosure (PFD) report with the Senate Ethics Committee until 11 days after the deadline.
Fischer has repeatedly attacked fellow Democrat Bruce Lunsford for his management of Vencor and spread false information about Lunsford’s business record. Yet, when Fischer finally filed his PFD, it revealed he has investments in five different publicly traded funds which invest in either Ventas or Kindred – both corporate descendants of Vencor.
“Greg Fischer has gone against the will of Kentucky’s voters and Democratic leaders by taking a page out of Mitch McConnell’s playbook, slinging mud at his fellow Democrat Bruce Lunsford rather than focusing on what he would do as Senator to improve the lives of Kentucky families,” Lunsford spokesperson Allison Haley said. “The fact that all the while, Fischer has investments in the very companies he claims Bruce ran into the ground makes Fischer’s actions the ultimate hypocrisy.”
Senate ethics rules require all candidates in the Kentucky Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate to submit their PFD form to the Senate Ethic Committee 30 days before the election. Greg Fischer didn’t even sign his form until more than a week after the deadline and then took an additional three days to send it in.
Examination of Fischer’s PFD shows his investment portfolio includes public funds that have a combined total investment of over $26 million in Ventas and Kindred.
“If I were Greg Fischer, I wouldn’t want the public to know I had been investing in the same companies I was openly criticizing either. Maybe that’s why he waited so long to file his PFD.,” Haley said. “What else is he hiding?”
LOUISVILLE, May 6, 2008 – Kim Geveden, Political Director for Greg Fischer’s U.S. Senate campaign blasted Lunsford’s Swift-Boat-Style attack yesterday saying. “Bruce Lunsford’s latest negative attack against Greg Fischer is as false as it its ridiculous and desperate. It looks like it could have been authored by Mitch McConnell.
“You know Lunsford is desperate when he reverts to his true Republican roots and takes a page from his 2003 playbook in which he spent $8 million falsely attacking Ben Chandler, only to quit, desert our Democratic Party, stand with Mitch McConnell and publicly endorse Ernie Fletcher,” Geveden said.
“Confronted with independent poll results showing Fischer gaining rapidly, Bruce Lunsford has abandoned his much touted “Integrity Pledge” and is once again falsely attacking an honorable Democrat in Greg Fischer, while desperately trying to stop the political hemorrhaging that threatens his ego and quest for the Democratic nomination.”
The campaign added this “fact sheet” to counter Lunsford’s claims:
Lunsford’s False Claim:
“Fischer has investments in the very companies (Ventas and Kindred Healthcare) he claims Bruce ran into the ground.”
Fischer Fact:
Fischer has no direct or indirect investment in Vencor, the company that Bruce Lunsford ran into the ground and bankrupted. Lunsford’s mismanagement of Vencor in the period leading up to its bankruptcy is well-documented and includes charges of patient abuse and falsely billing the federal government.
Fischer Fact:
Ventas and Kindred have absolutely nothing to do with Bruce Lunsford’s mismanagement of Vencor. Bruce Lunsford has absolutely no managing control over either Ventas or Kindred. Lunsford’s is attempting to use Kindred and Ventas as a smoke-screen to hide his appalling behavior as CEO of Vencor.
Fischer Fact:
Fischer holds no direct investment in Ventas or Kindred – The truth is, Fischer owns shares in two mutual investment funds – iShares Russell 1000 Growth Fund and iShares Russell 2000 Value Fund. Ventas and Kindred make up an extremely small fraction of the holdings of the two funds.
Fischer Fact:
Fischer owns 5,500 shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth Fund. At market close yesterday, the Ventas portion of Fischer’s investment in the fund was valued at $289.18.
Fischer Fact:
Fischer owns 1,300 shares of iShares Russell 2000 Value Fund. At market close yesterday, the Kindred portion of Fischer’s investment in the fund was valued at $113.47
All this comes at the same time a new SurveyUsa poll is released which shows Fischer creep steadily up the polls as time runs quickly away:
Two Weeks Out, Lunsford Still Well in Front in KY Dem Senate Primary: In a Democratic Primary for United States Senator from Kentucky today, 05/06/08, 2 weeks until the primary, Bruce Lunsford defeats Greg Fischer, 41% to 22%, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WHAS-TV Louisville and WCPO-TV Cincinnati. Five other candidates are in single digits. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released one week ago, Fischer is up 4, Lunsford is down 2. Among men, three weeks ago, Lunsford led by 40 points; one week ago, by 21; today, by 20. Among women, Lunsford led by 35, by 27, and now by 19. Among voters 50+, Lunsford led by 44, by 21, and now by 14. The winner of the 05/20/08 closed Democratic Primary advances to face incumbent Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the U.S. Senate, who is running for his 5th term.
The Political Director of Fischer’s campaign had this to say about the new numbers, showing a steady rise for Fischer:
The polling trends clearly shows that Bruce Lunsford is a fatally flawed candidate,” said Kim Geveden, political director for the Fischer campaign. Matt Stoller, a nationally prominent political commentator who regularly appears on CNN and other national news broadcasts, has described Lunsford as, “…definitely the worst Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in the country.”
She then went on to explain this sentiment which is shared by many Kentuckians including myself:
“Kentucky Democrats are starting to focus on this race. They’re learning more about Greg Fischer. And they’re remembering Lunsford’s defection to the Republican party in 2003 and his support of Republican Ernie Fletcher for governor.” said Geveden. “The conclusion they’re coming to is the obvious one: Greg Fischer is the best Democratic candidate in this race and he’ll give Mitch McConnell more than he’s bargained for in the general election this fall.”
Now, Ms. Geveden summed up nicely how I feel about Bruce Lunsford and Greg Fischer. I don’t come upon this opinion lightly. Here are some of Lunsford’s political contributions:
Now, Fischer’s rise in this race has given me hope that we can actually run a candidate I can be proud of, a candidate that hasn’t been fighting against me through all these long years we have been losing here. A candidate that is Progressive, and won’t turn on us if he gets mad.
Greg Fischer believes in our kind of Change:
He tells a truth Kentuckians can believe in:
Please help us avoid risking our support to elect another DINO into the United States Senate. Greg Fischer can still win this race!! All the momentum is his, and he still has time. Two weeks can be an eternity in politics!! Please help us and support Greg here:
There are three Portland-based, general circulation newspapers: The Oregonian, The Willamette Week, and the Portland Mercury*. The number of times they've all endorsed the same candidate for a major office recently can probably be counted on one hand (or less!), but when it comes to the Democratic nomination for Senate, they're in perfect harmony: they want the guy with the hook.
We covered The O's big Sunday endorsement of Steve; let's add in the others. First, Willamette Week, whose nod may certainly have been less of a surprise than that from the House of Stickel, but which comes on the heels of a joint endorsement interview Novick's critics–and even some supporters–mark as his low moment of the campaign. The ed board may or may not have liked Novick's answers on the peripheral questions of the race, but they liked Merkley's issue positions even less, making note of three separate areas of "concern."
In the end, the editors appear happily surprised to have Novick exceed their expectations to become a legitimate, solid candidate with the potential for greatness:
Let’s be clear. Back in January 2007, Novick was little more than a placeholder. Novick has a rapier wit, a winning affinity for sports references and an impressive behind-the-scenes résumé working for worthy causes. But Oregonians were waiting for another, more credible Democratic challenger to Smith, a telegenic senator who’s raised boatloads of cash and worked to style himself in the moderate image of past Republican icons such as Mark Hatfield, Bob Packwood and Tom McCall. We all thought that other person would come along.
We were hotly divided between the fun, speak-his-mind insurgent who calls to mind the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and the impassive Merkley, who calls to mind the widely respected Sen. Al Gore—the wooden version, before he became as steaming as the planet.
In the end, we rallied around Novick because we see a capacity for a refreshing independence and an unwavering willingness to tackle our toughest issues, like providing universal health care and ending the war in Iraq. We recognize, too, he could be a spectacular failure, a quotable firebrand for the left who is both alienating and alienated. Our hope is he commits himself to becoming the Senate’s best workhorse before shooting for the ranks of Sunday talk-show showhorse. Novick, please play nice.
{the Merc's endorsement, and even bigger swipe at Merkley, below}
Near the bottom of a long list of City endorsees, in today's issue The Merc gets to the statewide races and makes their call for Senate:
We've gone back and forth on this endorsement for weeks. Were we choosing the candidate who would make the best US Senator, or were we picking the one best suited to topple formidable Republican Gordon Smith—someone who'd put up a better fight, even if they weren't ultimately successful?
Finally, we realized that attorney and political activist Steve Novick is the best choice on both counts. Not only will he give Smith the toughest challenge—just look at the momentum he's got against Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley, a solid political leader, and the guy plenty of Democrats assumed would be coronated as the nominee—but assuming he wins in November (and we're starting to believe he can), we're excited to see what he'd do in DC.
At first, we thought his campaign was heavy on schtick—relying on viral ads highlighting Novick's steel hook prosthetic left hand—and short on evidence that Novick would be an effective representative for Oregon. But as the campaign has heated up, we're pleased to see that Novick's record on things like taking on the Oregon Lottery Commission to fight for more school funding has translated well to federal policy issues—we have no doubt that Novick will be a strong advocate to end the war, create universal health care, and help the working class.
The brainy Novick's penchant for saying exactly what's on his mind has gotten him in trouble a few times, but it's apparent that he's learning to temper that impulse. That said, he'll continue to do things differently, in a way that makes you wonder why more politicians don't follow his lead. Meanwhile, his opponents like Candy Neville and Jeff Merkley are virtually on the same page when it comes to agendas and policy positions. Smith, however, would trounce Neville. While Merkley would likely be a solid senator, given his track record leading Democrats in Salem, we're just not that into him. Vote for Novick. [emph me]
Ouch. Leave it to the Merc to put out there as plainly as possible: Jeff Merkley just does not inspire many people, or make them believe that he has the potential for greatness. This is an election to get excited about making real change, and Merkley is coming up short.
What's the practical value of these endorsements? Hard to say, although there is certainly some kind of benefit to having all three major papers backing the same guy (especially, as I said above, when they generally don't agree). Veteran OR politico Charlie Burr thinks he has an idea of their impact, however, and he states it in comments at BlueOregon:
The Mercury endorsements will matter more than usual this year for the same reason WWeek's will: 30,000 new voters registered by the Oregon Obama campaign. The Obama campaign may have registered them, but these new voters will still be looking for additional cues for other races on their ballots.
You do have to figure that particularly with these latest two, the demographic skews towards younger voters. And with a lot more younger voters in the mix who cannot WAIT to vote in this primary, there's no question that seeing Novick's name downticket in the endorsement will help shade some of those folks–who may be so jazzed about the Pres race that they haven't been following some others–towards Steve. Nothing wrong with that!
*The Portland Tribune obviously exists as well, but for the purposes of endorsement the Pamplin ownership group makes a blanket call for all its papers in the area; and while there are other papers publishing in Portland, they are aimed at specific rather than general audiences.
Recently the small Western Kentucky town of Sedalia had their “Sedalia Days”, along with a parade. This was an excellent chance for candidates to get to walk the parade route along with the people they wish to represent, and indeed to meet the voters and hear their concerns. Unlike their opponents, Bruce Lunsford, Mitch McConnell and Exxon Ed Whitfield, Heather Ryan and Greg Fischer proved they can truly represent these citizens, by meeting them and listening to their concerns firsthand.
Here is Heather Ryan meeting with grassroots voters:
The great thing about Heather meeting with grassroots voters is when she does, they support her. This couple soon volunteered the services of their Mustang to ride in the parade for Heather:
Thats Heavan, Heather’s daughter and America’s favorite Mitch McConnell antagonist with the sign.
Here is Heather meeting some more of Western Kentucky’s voters, and giving them a Ryan for Kentucky sticker!!:
The parade route was indeed Ryan for Kentucky red and white!!
Here is Heather, husband Carl, and Heavan with another new grassroots Ryan for Kentucky supporter!!:
Not to be outdone by any Mustang, here is the Ryan for Kentucky van, proudly riding the parade route:
See the lastest thoughts of Heather from the campaign trail here:
I recently started Americans for Ryan to raise $1500 for Heather by May 20. I am now over two-thirds of the way there!! To celebrate I have decided that anyone who contributes to Americans for Ryan by May 20 will be entered into a drawing to win these pinback buttons from the 1960 campaign of JFK:
Win a piece of history by helping us to make history!! Enter here:
Now, Heather Ryan is not the only candidate to expand our Congressional majorities here in Kentucky. Greg Fischer, the Progressive candidate in the Democratic primary to Ditch Mitch McConnell, also found time to meet the average voter in Western Kentucky by coming to Sedalia.
Here is Greg meeting with a senior citizen of Western Kentucky to hear his concerns:
And again, meeting with potential voters:
Here are grassroots supporters of Greg Fischer walking the parade route:
Of course they have a lot to be excited about!! Fischer recently outraised his competition in the Democratic Primary by 2 to 1 among voters.
Here is Greg Fischer’s new ad called “The Change” detailing what kind of change we need!!:
Please help keep this ad up and keep our momentum going, not to mention supporting the only Progressive option to Mitch McConnell here;
We simply must fight for our great Democrats wherever they are!! Please help us keep our momentum in Kentucky going by supporting two awesome Kentucky Democrats!!!
Oregon Democrats have long coveted the seat of Sen. Gordon Smith, the only Republican currently holding statewide office. They consider him vulnerable because of the way he has supported the policies of an unpopular president while managing to rile many in his party. And in a year in which Democrats are expected to gain ground in Congress, they just may be right.
We think the candidate they should send to face Smith is, in some ways, the unlikeliest one of all: Steve Novick, an Ivy League lawyer who stands 4′-9″ and has a hook instead of a left hand.
This choice is unorthodox not just because of Novick’s remarkable personal characteristics and history, but because the Democratic Party establishment is supporting another solid candidate, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley. Merkley launched his campaign after other prominent Oregon Democrats decided not to undertake the rigors and risks of a race against a well-heeled incumbent.
{ the closer, below}
Merkley has been everything Oregonians could want in a House speaker. Even his opponents harbor him little ill-will, crediting him with restoring a measure of civility to a divided chamber. But watching this campaign, Democrats may want to take a sharper course.
Novick is an unusual man with an unusual resume — characteristics that some suggest aren’t suited to the U.S. Senate. But we think his passion, his intellect and his personal style give him an intriguing combination of qualities that most senators don’t possess.
We think Novick represents a bold choice for Democrats who seek to dislodge a veteran incumbent. He has the potential to press Smith as he has done Merkley. And, should he pull off what would be a major electoral upset and go to Washington as the new junior senator from Oregon, he has the potential to make Oregonians proud.
Whatever you may think of The O’s board, the value of their endorsement, or their winning percentage, they certainly understand what Steve’s approach is and why it looks so appealing to a lot of people. “Passion, intellect and personal style” is a good way to wrap it up.
They also recognize the strange and magnificient electoral cycle we’re in, and the possibilities for a more sweeping change that brings us better Democrats, not more Democrats. More straight talk, less parsing. A return to greater equity between work and wealth, people and corporations. A decency towards all men and women, and a fierce revival of the keystones of our American goverment–privacy, freedom, peace through defensive strength and strong diplomacy, and economic justice.
For Democratic Senate nominee: Steve Novick
You bet your ass. One can never tell what the impact of a newspaper endorsement will be, and I think most would agree that their influence has steadily declined over the years.
However, The O is still the Pacific Northwest’s largest circulating paper according to Wikipedia, and stands as the established media’s preeminent presence in the state. Had the paper chosen Merkley I think most would have written it off as the expected move; that they were seemingly so impressed by Novick during his interview (and I did hear from witnesses that he absolutely crushed it) is rather more notable. It’s always more of a story when the nontraditional candidate gets the nod, and this endorsement is no different.
By my count, that gives Novick:
*The most coveted individual (fmr gov Kitzhaber)
*The most coveted organization (Oregon Education Association)
A lot has happened in the Democratic Primary for the Senate seat of Kentucky. Already, we have seen Greg Stumbo and Andrew Horne step aside. The consensus now seems to be that Bruce Lunsford should be the nominee for Kentucky’s Senate race. However, it seems another candidate has stepped foward as a true Democratic voice in this race. Now, it seems Greg Fischer is making his move in this race.
First, Greg Fischer has showed that he can raise funds. One of the main reason I believe that Lunsford was recruited was because he could self-fund. However, this story shows that Fischer can self-fund too, and raise seperate funds to boot:
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Greg Fischer says his upcoming campaign finance report will show that he’s collected more than $500,000 from donors in addition to the $510,000 of his own money he has pumped into his bid.
Of course, Greg was encouraged by the numbers:
“Dollar by dollar, voter by voter, momentum is growing stronger in every region of the state. We are confident that our campaign is positioned to defeat Bruce Lunsford on May 20,” Fischer said in a statement. “Voters are beginning to realize I am the real Democrat offering real change.”
Fischer is going to begin running T.V. in the state soon, about a month before the May 20 primary. I think when Kentucky Democrats get to know him a little better, they are going to like what they see.
Greg has also spoken out for a sane policy in Iraq. He recently took McConnell to task on that issue:
In 2002, Mitch McConnell handed President Bush a blank check for operations in Iraq – a war that was ill-conceived, ill-advised and terribly mismanaged. We have now been in Iraq longer than we were in World War II. To date, there have been more than 4,000 American military casualties. Over 30,000 U.S. soldiers have been injured. By the end of 2007, the war in Iraq cost American taxpayers more than $500 billion. Kentucky’s share of the bill: $3.5 billion – money that could have been invested in our economy, built 358 new elementary schools, provided 593,000 Kentucky students with college scholarships, delivered health care benefits to 970,000 Kentuckians, built miles of new roads and bridges or saved thousands of homeowners from foreclosure.
Today, Mitch McConnell still supports President Bush’s never ending war in Iraq, while continuing to play partisan political games and obstructing every opportunity to reach a bipartisan plan to end the war once and for all in Iraq.
Greg Fischer believes it’s time to bring our soldiers home from Iraq in a swift, safe and responsible manner. Our brave men and women have done everything we have asked of them and are still fighting a courageous fight. They put their lives on the line for us everyday and we owe them and their families an end to this war. Washington has failed them.
Although Greg will fight to begin a responsible draw down of our forces in Iraq and end the war, he knows we need to refocus our efforts in Afghanistan where Al Qaeda and Taliban are experiencing a resurgence. That’s where Osama Bin Laden and the real war against terrorism is and needs to be fought.
He has endorsed A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq found here:
Greg also believes we must respect our returning heros. He endorses the G.I. Bill for the 21st century:
For our returning Veterans, Greg will make it a top priority to ensure that when veterans return home they are treated like the heroes they are. He will work to provide them and their families with benefits designed to meet the needs of today’s soldiers and their families. That is why Greg supports the bipartisan G.I. Bill for the 21st Century.
The G.I. Bill for the 21st Century would repeal unfair tax burdens on military families and provide Veterans with the benefits they deserve; affordable health care, education and job training, strengthen our support for our men and women in uniform, and improve benefits for our National Guard and Reservists.
Most importantly, it will modernize and enhance the GI Bill Education and Job Training Programs to provide the full cost of tuition and fees, and a living allowance for 36 months of schooling, for those who enlist for four years of active duty military service. They have fought to defend our freedoms. They have fought to defend our families. Our Veterans deserve it.
The G.I. Bill for the 21st Century has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
After the disappointments of the early primary season, I think that Greg Fischer as emerging as a serious candidate. He has shown his ability to not only self-fund, but to raise funds as well. Most importantly, he is showing that he can be depended on to fight for a Democratic vision for this country.
I hope Kentuckians and Americans will get behind Greg to defeat Bruce Lunsford, and then Mitch McConnell in the fall. Although he is a political newcomer the last month is showing him to be a serious candidate who can make a serious run at Mitch McConnell. Best of all, he will do it as a Democrat.
