Tag: 2010 Statewide Recruitment

The toughest hold? Democrat Dave Freudenthal is term-limited out of the Governor’s office in Wyoming after the 2010 elections, and Republicans will be licking their chops to run for the open seat. For our sakes, hopefully that means a bloody and contentious primary, but that’s only good for us if we have a strong candidate in place to take advantage of the aftermath. Gary Trauner, coming off two losses in a row, could give the Governor’s race a go, but there might be some less obvious choices worth looking at further down the totem pole. What have we got?

With Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison drawing battle plans to take out unpopular Gov. Rick Perry in the 2010 Republican primary, the biggest Democratic names in Texas politics are lining up to run for the office KBH isn’t running for: her own Senate seat. Hutchison may jump ship from the Senate at some point over the next year in order to campaign against Perry at full speed, and Democrats Bill White (the current mayor of Houston) and former state Comptroller John Sharp will duke it out in a mandatory special election that will surely attract many, many contenders.

While defeating KBH would be tough even for any Democrat in Texas, it would be advisable to have more than just a warm body in place, on the off chance that Perry can pull a rabbit out of his hat and survive his primary. Who would you like to see run for the job?

Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee will be term-limited out of office in two years, meaning that we could see spirited primaries on both sides of the fence for the opportunity to win the state’s top job.

On the Republican side, a number of names have emerged, including U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, Shelby Co. District Attorney Bill Gibbons, and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam.

Lincoln Davis and Harold Ford, Jr. have been the Democrats with the most buzz around their potential candidacies, but if it were up to you, who would you like to see run for the job?

Our statewide recruitment open thread series continues to chug along, and today we’re making a stop in beautiful South Dakota, where Republican Gov. Mike Rounds is term-limited out of office in 2010. Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin has been a rumored candidate for some time, but if she decides to stay in the House, who should run for the state’s top job? And who might we see line up on the Republican side of the aisle?

For the GOP, frosh Senator John Thune sounds like he’s staying put in his current job, so it doesn’t seem that we’ll see a job swap between Rounds and Thune. While defeating Thune in 2010 doesn’t seem very likely, perhaps some ambitious young Democrat could make a name for him or herself with a spirited campaign. Who might that be?

Man, we’re really getting into the weeds here — but that’s what SSP is all about. Rhode Island’s Republican Governor, Don Carcieri (who nearly lost in 2006), will be term-limited out of office in 2011. Who should and will run for the Governor’s mansion in 2010? And are there any Republicans on the Rhode Island bench who stand a plausible chance of holding this office for the Reds?

A couple of biggies today. In terms of redistricting alone, holding the Pennsylvania Governor’s office is pretty crucial for Democrats. Who would you like to see run for the big office? And who do you expect to see line up for the Reds?

And while we’re on the Keystone State, who would you like to see face off against snarlin’ Arlen in 2010?

Democrat Ted Kulongowski is term-limited out of the Oregon governor’s office in 2010. Who would you like to see run in his place? And who will step up for the GOP?

Democrat Brad Henry is term-limited out of the governor’s office in Oklahoma in 2010… which is the same year that crank GOP Sen. Tom Coburn is up for re-election. So, it’s the perfect opportunity for Henry to run for the Senate, right? Well, it would be, but the only problem is that Henry seems to have zero interest whatsoever in joining the Senate.

So, the big questions: Who should Oklahoma Democrats run to replace Henry? And who should run for Coburn’s seat? Since it’s not a given that Coburn will run for re-election, who might step up for the GOP? (A promotion for SSP’s favorite punching bag, Tom Cole, perhaps?)

Whether or not GOP Sen. George Voinovich actually runs for another term in 2010 remains to be seen, but you can bet that Democrats will attempt to mount a major challenge for his seat that year — especially with Voiny running neck-and-neck with “Generic D” in the latest polling. Who is your preferred candidate for the task?

On the gubernatorial side of the equation, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland has earned positive reviews during his first term so far, but the GOP probably won’t cede this race by any means. Who do you imagine will step up for Team Red?

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Corrupt GOP Gov. Jim Gibbons is up for re-election in 2010. Assuming he survives a primary, who should run against him for Team Blue?