Tag: Democrats

Kentucky has been turning the corner and getting back to its Democratic roots. We voted for Bill Clinton twice, but went through a spell where Republicans peeled off our House and Senate seats. That changed some when Ben Chandler lost his bid for Governor in 2003 and won one House seat. Our Democratic Attorney General at the time, Greg Stumbo then went on to expose the Republican Party in Kentucky for the corrupt machine it was, and John Yarmuth became a fresh pickup and one of the very best of the freshman class that won in 06.

Now this year we have a lot to be proud of in the Bluegrass state. We hold two of our House seats, and have excellent candidates fielded in three more. Hang out and check out some great Kentucky Democrats.

Anyone who has seen much of my blogging lately knows about the First District candidate Heather Ryan. This is my district and I live in Paducah and know Heather Ryan. This is her first run for office, but folks I am telling you she definately has the fire and fighting spirit that our party simply needs in the Congress. She is young, energetic and quite simply put sharp as a tack.

She is a great speaker, as you can see for yourself:

When Democrats hear her, they support her. She gave a rousing speech to the Kentucky Democratic Party that I am still waiting for the video on. From what I heard, she brought down the house:

http://www.bluegrassroots.org/…

She doesn’t mind taking time for constituents, and Kentucky Progressive bloggers:

http://www.bluegrassroots.org/…

All this young lady needs is the resources to put this district on the map. She is very good at stretching existing funds and if she gets some resources she WILL force the Republicans to spend money here.

Please consider supporting her, a hard-working grassroots Democrat that shares our ideals and will fight for them:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

In the Second Congressional District we have David Boswell, and awesome Democratic Candidate for that seat. David has already had polling showing he is VERY competitive in this race:

In November, 2007, the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group conducted a survey asking people across the District who they would vote for if the Congressional election were between David Boswell and Ron Lewis. The results, released last December, found David favored in that match-up 44% to 34%, with only 4% interest in other candidates. Ron Lewis may have had his own reasons for choosing not to seek re-election, but this survey is an indication that the right Democrat — David Boswell — was already in a strong position to deny Lewis re-election.

http://www.davidboswell2008.com/

He sounds like my kind of Democrat:

There has never been a more important time than right now to have that kind of vision for us, and from us, in the U.S. Congress. Now is our time to join the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, and turn the country away from the corporate mentality of Bush policies that have raised our gas prices, recessed our economy, and ruined our housing markets. The middle class sensibility of our cities and communities tells us we ought to be able to earn good pay for a good day’s labor, to afford health care when we need it, and promote ways to seek higher education. The example from our homes, families, and friendships can again inspire our nation and the world around it. We know how important protecting freedom is, we honor all those who serve in defending us. We also believe the United States has the diplomatic potential to support sibling democracies without policing the world, or becoming Big Brother at home.

http://www.davidboswell2008.com/

Go to David’s site and support a great Democrat!!

The Democrat in Kentucky’s Third District should need little introduction. John Yarmuth was our only pickup in 06 and is facing a rematch against Anne Northup. A Kentucky Republican Party sweetheart, she will be well funded.

All you have to do is google Yarmuth’s voting record and you will see why we need to keep him in the Congress better than I can describe. He is one of the shining stars of that Freshman Class for our party. Stop by his site, and be sure to support John Yarmuth!!:

http://www.yarmuthforcongress….

Lastly, in Kentucky’s Fourth District we have Dr. Michael Kelley. He is a Democrat we can be proud to stand up for too:

As a voter and taxpayer, Michael Kelley is opposed to the continuing Republican efforts to pour more American blood and treasure into the desert sands of the Middle East. Our military has performed incredibly well in extremely challenging circumstances, having been thrust into war without adequate equipment or justification. But unless the Shiite and Sunni factions are willing to put aside hundreds of years of division and bloodshed, our troops will continue to be caught in the middle. It is time to stop forcing American troops into the quagmire in Iraq. It is time to compel the Iraqis into political accommodation by bringing our troops home now.

As a country doctor, Doc Kelley is deeply concerned about our flawed healthcare system. His commonsense ideas for saving American taxpayers and consumers billions of dollars are a good start to fixing our broken system which currently leaves millions of Americans without hope.

Michael Kelley believes that politicians in D.C. will constantly be pressured to make unethical decisions under our current, morally bankrupt campaign finance system. His ideas for campaign finance reform would change our government fundamentally because our representatives would belong to the people – not to the special interests.

Go here to watch his videos and hear him in his own words:

http://www.kelley08.com/media….

Go here to support him:

https://secure.actblue.com/con…

With the field of fine candidates that have cropped up in Kentucky all we need are the resources to help in expanding our Congressional majorities by a lot. Don’t forget the fine Kentucky candidates on the frontlines of the fight for a new Congress!!

Best wishes everyone!!

 

You know, Exxon Ed Whitfield has been a failure as Congressman of Kentucky’s First Congressional District. He has held this seat since 1994, and we have achieved no progress. No better jobs, no better wages, thousands still without healthcare, and the list goes on. One thing Exxon Eddie’s tenure in the Congress has brought though, is a national debt spiraling out of control. Yes, every child born in his district owes $20,000 automatically to the debt rubber-stamped by Exxon Eddie.

The sad part is that Exxon Eddie knows he has been a failure and evidently doesn’t care. He has become a millionaire during his tenure as Congressman, so why should he? I found this video on Youtube in which Exxon Eddie does a pretty good job of detailing many failures:

So, Eddie knows it takes a Democratic President to run our country competently. He will be relieved after we elect one this fall.

What I wonder is how Exxon Eddie can bemoan all the irresponsible spending he was part of? I mean, he rubber-stamped every failed vision presented by President Bush. They together have wasted what will be a trillion dollars in Iraq, and Exxon Eddie can just whine about the fact that we have spent too much on our own people within our own borders for Homeland Security?

I have some bad news for you Eddie. We have not spent ENOUGH on securing our homeland. We are just as vulnerable to a terrorist attack as we were on 9-11-01. While you were rubber-stamping Bush at the behest of Mitch McConnell, essential funding has been denied our first responders here at home. When the time came that Kentucky and our country desperately needed you to stand up to your party, and its incompetent leader you failed us miserably. You rubber-stamped each blank check as it flew out the door.

Your time has come and gone. When you came to Congress you promised to fight against irresponsible government waste and partisan gridlock. You promised to stand as your own person against your party if needed. On all points you have FAILED!! Our debt is huge again and growing, Energy prices are soaring taking the prices of everything else with them, and you have followed blindly behind a neo-conservative failed vision like a whipped puppy dog.

We need a real leader in Kentucky’s First District. We need a new leader with new ideas and real courage. We need a new generation of leadership to stand up and bring modern solutions to modern problems. We need a leader who lives and works among us and isn’t afraid to fight for us over any special interest group, or even the leaders of their party if need be.

Luckily, in Kentucky’s First Congressional District we have a leader from a new generation stepping up to serve. She is a wife, mother, veteran, and citizen of this district. She lives and works among us, and knows the challenges we face because she is there facing them with us every single day. She is educated, young, energetic, smart, and most of all has the courage to fight for what is right for Kentucky’s First. She is Heather Ryan, Democrat for Kentucky. If you think she is not ready to fight, just watch this speech:

If you think she doesn’t know firsthand the pain Americans are feeling, watch this video:

She knows what it means to be a Democrat:

You can also watch my interview with Heather for bluegrassroots.org here:

Most importantly you can go to Americans for Ryan, my Actblue page and help us win this race. If we get the resources to both introduce our awesome candidate and point out how terrible our opponent has been, we will win. We are grassroots “Fighting Democrats” that care about the direction of our country and the effects it is having on our neighbors. If you are looking for a race that can really change the make-up of the next Congress and pull a trend-setting upset this is it!! Please support us here:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

We have an honest hard-working Democrat that needs our help!!!

The general belief seems to be that it is important to “clear the field” in primaries to get a winning hand in the fall general election.  The belief is founded on a number of factors.  Many interest groups will not back a candidate with a primary election opponent.  Primary election campaigns can be costly and challengers generally have less money to spend than incumbents.  Anecdotal evidence points to a number of campaigns easch cycle where a strong primary is followed by disappointing results in the fall.

I decided to test this thesis by looking at election results for all 31 Democratic pickups in the House during the 2006 cycle (including Peter Welch as a pickup in Vermont) and comparing the results to close losses.  The close losses were not systenmatic but I looked at 20 races that fit the bill.

Overall, 14 of the 31 pickups (45%) were preceded by primary elections, a higher than expected number.  Although some of these were blowouts, a surprising number were close and in many cases surprise winners emerged despite less money.  As a comparison, among the 20 close but losing elections only seven (35%) were preceded by primaries and only one of those was close: the Tammy Duckworth-Christine Cegelis- Scott duel in IL-6.

Adding fuel to the fire, IIRC, all 3 of our special election vitories were preceded by primaries.  Bill Foster’s win in IL-14 (at least for November) against John Laesch, was a much tougher battle than his win against Jim Oberweis.

A listing and some commentary follow with emphasis on upsets and close races.

The only primary that mattered in the New England House races mattered a good deal.  Carol Shea-Porter surprised Jim Craig in a multi-candidate field and then won a close election to the House with just $290,000 in campaign expenditures (being outspent nearly 4:1). Nobody knows if the better known, more establishment Craig would have pulled it off.  Shea-Porter depended mostly on volunteers and a lot of shoe leather, particularly her own.  Her personal efforts in Manchester vs. Craig going door to door and bar to bar certainly paid off in both the general election and in the primary, itself.

NH-2 (Hodes) and the CT races (Joe Courtney, CT-2; Chris Murphy, CT-5, and Diane Farrell, CT-4 were all uncontested.

New York had six major races with three pickups and three close loses.  Only one had a primary and that produced what was seeen on the blogs as an upset.  In NY-19, John Hall won rather easily in a multi-candidate field converting his years as a local official and rock star status (singer with the band Orleans famous for “You’re the One”) into a comfortable victory over the much better funded Judy Aydelott and others (I remember Ben Shuldiner).  NY-20(Kirsten Gillibrand),24 (Michael Arcuri), 25 (Dan Maffei),26 (Jack Davis), and 29 (Eric Massa) were uncontested.  Gillibrand and Arcuri won in the fall.

PA produced four wins and one close loss.  Two of the four winners (Jason Altmire and Patrick Murphy) faced primary challengers.  Altmire got a fairly sturdy challenge besting Georgia Berner 55% to 45% en route to dethroning Melissa Hart in PA-4.  Murphy had an easier time over Andrew Warren 65% to 35%.  Lois Murphy had a token challenge against Anrew Leibowitz (76% to 24%)  prior to losing versus Jim Gerlach in PA-6.

Elsewhere in the Northeast, Linda Stender had no primary but lost closely to Mikrke Ferguson in NJ-7.  Peter Welch, a general election winner in VT also faced no primary.

Lest we forget, in OH-18 Zach Space coasted to an easy win in November but many thought Joe Sulzer would be the likely nominee.  Space won in a multi candidate field.  Only one of three close losers in OH faced a primary (Vic Wulsin who won in a multi candidate field including Thor Jacobs and Jim Parker).  John Cranley and Mary Jo Kilroy had an open path to the general election.

Both Joe Donnelly and Baron Hill faced easy primaries and Brad Ellsworth went unopposed among three Indiana pickups.  Tim Walz in Minnesota was also unopposed but Steve Kagen had to claw his way through a multi-candidate field  including Wall and Nussbaum.  I remember a lot of people touting Nussbaum.

Tammy Duckworth spent a bundle to secure the Democratic nomination by just 1,000 votes over Christine Cegelis.  And provided a disappointing loss in November.  Tim Walz in MN-1 had a clear field but Steve Kagen had to beat a multi-candidate field before he clould allegedly tell Karl Rove he was Dr. Multi-Millionaire.

John Yarmuth got 53% in a primary vs. Andrew Horne and others before taking on Anne Northrup in KY-3.  Heath Shuler coasted through his primary but Tim Mahoney and Ron Klein in Florida got free rides.  Close losers in the south also had to earn their way in with larry Kissell having an easy time but Christine Jennings (61%) drawing 2004 nominee Jan Schneider (39%) in FL-13.

In the Plains, Bruce Braley had a brutal three way battle against Dickinson and Gluba but Dave Loebsack had no opponent.  Nancy Boyda wa unopposed. Nick Lampson and Ciro Rodriguez were OK (although this was Ciro’s second go around in the cycle).

Out west, winner Harry Mitchell was unopposed butGabrielle Giffords won 54% in a multi-candidate fieldand Jerry McNerney had to upset the establishment fave, Steve Flson, befoe taking down Richard Pombo in the general.  Ed Perlmutter also triumphed against two other strong candidates particularly Peggy Lamm in CO.

Western close losers Gary Trauner, Darcy Burner and Angie Pacccione were unopposed and Tessa Hafen won easily in NV with 58% in a multi-candidate field.

In short, the winners in pickup races were more likely to face a challenge, more likely to face a serious challenge and were forced to pull upsets against better funded opponents in a number of races.  You would be hard pessed to make an argument for clearing the field based on these results.

Nasty blood fueds like Cegelis vs. Duckworth however were damaging and they should be avoided.

In the South, John Yarmuth (KY-3)

 

Cross-posted at Election Inspection and Daily Kos 

THIS POLL IS NOW CLOSED, CONGRATULATIONS TO BILL O'NEILL FOR WNNING THE COMBINED VOTE

On behalf of our residential veteran, Skywrnchsr509, Election Inspection is proud to present our Memorial Day Donor Bomb for Democratic Veterans running for congress against Republican crumb-bums. Even though Election Inspection will ultimately have a list of every single Democratic candidate running for the House on Act Blue, we would also like to give a big shout out to veterans running for congress who are currently not getting support from the DCCC or groups like VoteVets. So we’re going to put out a list of candidates for people to vote on to receive a Memorial Day Voter Bomb so that we might attract groups like VoteVets to these candidates and allow them to. So without further delay, let’s take a look at the candidates to choose from:

Bill O'Neill
Wiki Page
Campaign Website
Running in: OH-14 (PVI: R+2)
Republican Incumbent: Steve LaTourette

Fred Johnson
Campaign Website
Running in: MI-02 (PVI: R+9)
Republican Incumbent: Peter Hoekstra

Hal Bidlack
Wiki Page
Campaign Website
Running in: CO-05 (PVI: R+16)
Republican Incumbent: Doug Lamborn

Robert Miller
Campaign Website
Running in: SC-02 (PVI: R+9)
Republican Incumbent: Joe Wilson

Daniel Johnson
Wiki Page
Campaign Website
Running in: NC-10 (PVI: R+10)
Republican Incumbent: Patrick McHenry

This poll will be conducted on Daily Kos and Swing State Project, on Sunday we'll add up the votes and create an Act Blue page for . For too long George Bush and the Republicans have called Democrats weak on defense and military issues while they ruin our country's good name and stretch the military to the breaking point. These veterans all know what it is to sacrifice for their country and they know that George Bush, John McCain, and the rest of the Republican party is bad for our fighting men and women. Let's send a message that we're not going to take it anymore, vote in our polls off-site so we can take a step against the Republicans (this is going to be the first in a series of donor bombs for Veterans running for Congress who are not getting assistance from VoteVets or the DCCC).

I started Americans for Ryan some months back to try and raise $1500 for Heather Ryan by the time of the Kentucky primary she was unopposed in. Now, shortly after I did this I lost almost a whole month of working on this project when I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Despite this setback, my fellow Democrats in the blogosphere came through nicely for me. I can proudly say today, that because of you I shattered my goal by May 20. Instead of $1500, I managed to raise $1745!!!

Yes, Americans for Ryan has been a smashing success so far!! This district is winnable. We have a great candidate, we just have to give her the resources she needs!! Many of you came through nicely. During this time, our candidate Heather Ryan has evolved into a tough campaigner who isn’t going to take anything whatsoever from the McConnell machine here in Kentucky. If you don’t believe me, check out these speeches from Heather:

I am particularly proud of that last speech. That is exactly what Democrats need to sound like in this election year!!

Heather also acknowledged our efforts in this interview last week:

Yes Heather, we must fight for all our fine Democrats everywhere!! Our new President needs an expanded majority!!

Now with that in mind today starts a new fundraising period, and brings about a new goal. I hope to have my page to $5000 by July the 4th, the “Independence from Exxon Eddie” fundraiser!! Thats leaves me $3255 from my goal by July 4!! Kentuckians and indeed Americans need “Independence from Exxon Eddie”, because with all his Exxon and Chevron stock he is voting against legislation to make Alternative and Renewable energy feasible. Yes, Exxon Eddie votes his stock options. Here is what Heather thinks about the promise of Renewable Energy:

Now in the coming few days I will be digging up a couple of new prizes out of my collection of historical political memorabilia to hold another drawing for everyone who donates between May 21 and July 4. Please watch for that in the next couple of days.

But first, I must announce the winner of the drawing for these two pinback buttons from the 1960 campaign of JFK:

Now, this morning I took all the names that had contributed on or before May 20, excluding myself, my father, and my girlfriend and wrote them on individual pieces of paper. I put them in a jar, lidded it, shook it up real good and let my girlfriend draw a name. The winner was an awesome Democrat I have seen on Kos and EENRblog. I won’t give her real name, but her username on these sites is valsagem.

So to valsagem, your a winner!!! Your buttons will be sent out today or tomorrow. To everyone else, thank you so much for your support. I wish I could send something to everyone to show my appreciation. In the next couple of days I should have to new prizes up for our “Independence from Exxon Eddie” fundraiser, so please keep wathching!!

Please continue to support our efforts to expand our Congressional majorities with a “Fighting Democrat” that will fight for us. Go here to make our next fundraiser a success, and enter our new drawing for our new prizes. I will be posting them in the next couple of days.:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

Once again thanks everyone!! If you will continue to help us make history, I will continue to give a little history for you to win!!

Best wishes everyone!!  

As many of you know I have been supporting Heather Ryan for Kentucky’s First Congressional District. I got to know Heather in 06 when I volunteered for the Eric Streit for Congress campaign, and am proud to call her a friend. Heather is young, smart, and motivated to bring about the change we need in Western Kentucky.  

Some may ask what a young woman such as herself is doing running against the millionaire good old boys club here in Kentucky. Yes, the Mitch McConnell machine just loves chewing aspiring Democrats up and spitting them out. Especially the grassroots kind. They feel their hold on power and policy in Kentucky is sort of a birthright, and they aren’t going to relinquish it without a fight.

Well, they may just get one this time. Heather Ryan is definately nobody’s pushover. If she goes down, she is going to go down fighting the corrupt Republican machine here in Kentucky, not laying down. Just because she is young, that does not mean she is not qualified to run for this seat, and it doesn’t mean she is scared to fight for it.

She proudly served her country in the United States Navy. She graduated from Drake University with a Batchelor’s in Political Science. She is educated and has excellent common sense. She is a wife, mother, and citizen of Western Kentucky and knows well the challenges our citizens face. She also knows someone needs to fight for us.

Listen to this speech of Heather, and you will see just like I do that she is a Democrats that shares our ideals and wants to fight like hell for them. She is just the type of Demcocrat we need fighting in Washington:

Heather hit the nail on the head more than once with that speech. I must say that I am very proud of her, and very proud to be fighting with Ryan for Kentucky for the change all Americans need. We have a great candidate that will fight and can win. If we get the resources we need to get our message out, we WILL win.

We simply must fight for “fighting Democrats” wherever they may appear. We must not only elect Democrats, but we must elect Democrats that share our sense of urgency and wants to fight, not compromise. With that in mind I started Americans for Ryan with the goal of reaching $1500 for Heather by May 20. Thanks to many great Democrats, I have already shattered that goal. I have until Tuesday, so why not help me really shatter it?:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

Anyone donating on or before May 20 will be entered into a drawing to win these two pinback buttons from the 1960 campaign of JFK:

Best wishes everyone!!

 

A while back I started my Americans for Ryan ActBlue page to try and raise $1500 for Heather Ryan in Kentucky’s First Congressional District by the time of the primary she is unopposed in on May 20. Well, the great news is fully two weeks before that date, Americans for Ryan crossed the $1500 mark today!!

I can only say thanks to everyone who made this possible. Heather has been staying busy meeting voters, and every penney of this money has been invaluable and put to work immediately!!

I am very proud of the fact that many Kentuckians joined in, and contributed too!! In fact the last contributor that put us over the top was a prominent Kentucky Democrat!! Although I won’t name names, I am so proud to have this person’s support. Lets me know we are doing something right!!

You can bet, grassroots Democrats in this district are going to be fighting hard to expand our Congressional majorities. We have a great candidate, a winning message, and a large percentage of registered Democrats in our district. With support from Democrats all over the country, we will put this race in play!!

Now, just because we passed our goal, doesn’t mean the May 20 fundraiser is over. We will still be holding our contest to see who wins the pinback buttons from JFK’s 1960 election seen here:

Anyone who contributed on or before May 20 is automatically entered in a drawing for this small piece of history.

Due to the hard work of Heather Ryan and the generosity of our fellow Democrats, we are going to win this race!! Keep the momentum going here:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

Thanks so much for making this a success!!

Best wishes fellow Democrats!!

 

I recently recieved my 2008 Paducah Grassroots survey from the DCCC. In it, there was a short questionaire, and a request for a renewal contribution to the DCCC. I wanted to share a little about this request, and give my own personal opinions, as well as provide my response to the DCCC.  

Now, this survey started out like this:

At Democratic Party Headquarters, we are deep into planning our 2008 campaign strategy. But to give us a complete picture, we want to hear from leading Democrats like you regarding what needs to be done to win critical elections in your area.

So today, I’m asking you to provide your opinions and insights into how Democrats can take back the White House and strengthen our Democratic Majority in Congress by participating in our 2008 Paducah Grassroots Survey.

It continues with this paragraph:

And when you return your survey, I urge you to include your 2008 DCCC renewal contribution. We are counting on all of our members to renew their support this year, and we have not yet recieved your 2008 membership contribution.

Now, I think anyone who keeps up with my blogging knows I am as committed as anyone to expanding our Congressional majorities. However, I no longer believe that contributing to the DCCC is the best course of doing so.

Why would I say something like that? Well, there are several reasons. First and foremost is that the DCCC seems more than willing to concede my district again, and ignore the Democrats here. My Congressional candidate, Heather Ryan recently informed me that when she talked to the DCCC asking about finding out some information on Ed Whitfield, our Republican Congressman, not only was she told that it wasn’t the job of the DCCC to help a Democratic candidate for the House who is running against a sitting Republican, the young man on the phone actually got rude with her!!

This coupled with the fact that the DCCC refuses to invest a penney in our district, leads me to ask, if the DCCC is not supposed to aid a Democratic candidate in her campaign by helping her find information, what is the money I have sent them being used for? Then, to actually get RUDE with a candidate that is working as hard as Heather to me is unacceptable.

I filled out my survey, telling them what it would take to win races around here. I also sent them this note along with the survey:

Mr. Van Hollen,

Thank you for holding me in such high regard as a leading Democrat from my area. I have sent you my survey to try and help you make decisions to win this year in Western Kentucky. I can tell you up front that the main thing the DCCC can do to win here is invest in these voters once again. The DCCC and most Democratic establishments have ignored our district and voters for a long time now. We can win here if we invest in these voters.

I also want to convey something to you that disturbed me very much. When my Congressional candidate, Heather Ryan asked for a minor favor that didn’t include money from the DCCC, not only was she denied, but the person she was talking to actually got rude with her about asking them for anything.

To me, this represents a very unprofessional attitude by the DCCC. Heather Ryan is working very hard, as are the volunteers like myself in this district to do something the DCCC seems unwilling to do, fight for our home. We are just as dedicated as any Democrats anywhere and do not deserve to have our efforts demeaned because the DCCC doesn’t think our voters are worth their time and money.

Since the DCCC refuses to assist in the fight for Kentucky’s First Congressional District, and I have already made several donations to Ryan for Kentucky, I am considering my contributions toward fighting for my own Congressional seat as my renewal contribution to the DCCC, since we are doing work here that the DCCC has deemed not worth their time.

When the DCCC decides that my district and the 63% of registered Democrats therein are worth some time and effort, and when our Congressional candidate is treated with respect and not as a nuisance I will be more than happy to support the DCCC financially once more. Until then, every penney I can muster from my meager income must go towards fighting for Heather Ryan and Kentucky’s First Congressional District, since the DCCC is unwilling to do so.

Thank you,

Richard Dillon

You may or may not agree with me on this one, but this is something I believe very strongly about. I am tired of watching Democrats in this district being written off, and will not contribute to it anymore.

I owe grassroots Democrats in the blogosphere a debt of gratitude. You are showing the DCCC that many Democrats believe my district and candidate are worth fighting for. My ActBlue page for Heather Ryan has literally been jumping the last five days with donations. I had set a goal to raise $1500 for Heather by May 20, and now sit only $245 under my goal. You have my humble thanks.

Remember that anyone who donates to Americans for Ryan is entered into a drawing to win two pinback buttons from the 1960 campaign of JFK. Help us show the DCCC that Democrats are worth fighting for wherever they are!!

Once again, thanks for the support for Americans for Ryan, and with your continued support we WILL win this seat!!!

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

Best wishes fellow Democrats!!

Since the disaster year of 1994, very few House Democrats have failed to win re-election against Republicans. Below is what I think is a complete list of those who did. If I’m missing anyone, please let us know in comments.

Every Dem who lost in 2002 and 2004 except for Baron Hill was a victim of redistricting. For those with two districts listed, the second one is the seat they were running for after redistricting. (For Sandlin & Thurman, their district numbers didn’t change.) Note that I am not including Dems who lost in primaries to other Dems on this chart.

I must say, that’s a pretty darn good track record – only seven losses not attributable to redistricting through six election cycles. And I think only one of these incumbents (Mike Ward) was a freshman. (Update: Jay Johnson was also a freshman. — JL) What’s more, we’ve regained a lot of these seats (though some of the districts have changed since 2000): KY-03, WI-08, CT-02, and IN-09. Plus, Nick Lampson is back in a district that (TX-22) that partially overlaps his old one.

So what do you know about the names on this list? What lessons, if any, can be drawn from these few elections where Democratic House incumbents lost to Republicans?

Update (James): Looks like we missed one — David Phelps in IL-19.  Thanks to brittain33 in the comments for the catch.

Later Update (James): I added two more redistricting victims (Jim Maloney and Ronnie Shows), thanks to jeffmd in the comments.

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:

http://www.actblue.com/page/am…

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;

http://www.actblue.com/page/ka…

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!!!

Best wishes fellow Democrats!!

Special thanks to kilowat for the awsome pics!!!